TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES

• OR: Measure opens Ore. primaries to all voters (KTVZ Central Oregon)
• PA: Bill Would Let Independents Vote In The State Primaries (The Bulletin)

CAMPAIGN

• Independents split evenly between Obama and McCain (Associated Press) A recent Associated Press-GfK Poll showed them divided about evenly, 44 percent for Obama and 41 percent for McCain.
• Obama has four-point lead on McCain (Reuters) Zogby said that while Obama still had a 17-point lead among independent voters, this was down from 21 points on Sunday and showed that some independents remain to be persuaded.
• Race For the White House: Independents grow in numbers, clout (Omaha WORLD-HERALD) Since the 2004 presidential election, the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District has become less Republican and more independent.
• Graham: Obama Is Not A Centrist (CBS Face the Nation) Gov. Bill Ritter, D-Colo., said that the election "is going to be decided by independent voters, and independent voters care about the economy."
• In this race, all roads lead to Ohio (Lexington KY Herald Leader) Ohio doesn’t track voter registration numbers for each party because it has an open primary system in which people show up at the polls and choose which party’s primary to vote in.

THIRD PARTIES
Associated Press Story on McCain Endorsement by Reform Party is Misleading (Ballot Access News) None of the ballot-qualified Reform Parties have any connection with the meeting in Hicksville, New York, that endorsed McCain. Nevertheless, the Associated Press naively reported that “The” Reform Party had endorsed McCain.

NYC MAYOR MIKE AND TERM LIMITS
Christine Quinn is gambling for her political life (NY Daily News/Daily Politics) "She wants to stay in office, the Council wants to stay in office and the mayor wants to stay in office - after that, all bets are off," said political consultant Hank Sheinkopf. "It's a risky gamble for everyone."