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Take that, Mitt

A new - and kind of weird - Rasmussen poll shows Democrat Bill Richardson beating the stuffing out of Republican Mitt Romney in a head-to-head competition - 42 percent to 34 percent.

"With a first-quarter haul of $23 million, the Romney campaign's fund-raising effort has far outpaced that of the Richardson campaign," the poll's analysis said. "But the latter's $6.3 million still makes Richardson more competitive than other second-tier Democratic candidates."

Rasmussen said Richardson's support of medical marijuana and his trip to North Korea will help him pick up more support.

Pay to party

The National Journal's "Hotline" blog reported that Richardson, Barack Obama and Joe Biden plan to skip a big Iowa Democratic Party shindig June 2 that helps raise the money to hold the caucuses. That left the party chairman steaming.

"It is obvious that Hillary (Rodham) Clinton, Chris Dodd and John Edwards take the First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses very seriously, and their attendance at the Hall of Fame (dinner) is a sure sign of the importance of Iowa in selecting a Democratic Presidential nominee," Chairman Scott Brennan said.

But "Hotline" points out "there will be plenty of chances for Iowa Dem activists to compare candidates side-by-side. . . . The others may have more pressing engagements. We're a ways away from January of 2008."

Amen.

Africa imperative

In New York on Thursday, Richardson told a group of black activists he would make Africa a major foreign policy priority. At a conference of the National Action Network, a civil rights organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, Richardson said the continent had been neglected by the Bush administration in favor of the Middle East and other regions thought to have greater strategic significance.

"Issues related to AIDS, refugees, issues related to governance, international poverty - somehow this continent is forgotten," he said.

Over the years, Richardson has made several peacekeeping missions to various parts of Africa.

Immigration man

The "Happening Here" blog analyzed Richardson's stance on immigration - or should we say stances. The writer found them mostly compelling, with this caveat:

"As Richardson's campaign progresses, he can expect to be hammered, at best, by insinuations, at worst by outright accusations, that he wants to give the country away to those Mexicans. He's a scrappy guy who has faced this kind of garbage his whole career, so he is probably ready for it. He's staked out an immigration position with a little something for everyone - it is not clear whether this will help his campaign."

Back to Nevada

Richardson will be back in Nevada on April 29 and 30, when, among other campaign duties, he'll be the guest speaker at a Jefferson-Jackson Dinner - that's code for "party fund-raiser."

PBS' "News Hour" blog went in advance and had a story Thursday about Richardson's and Obama's Las Vegas campaign operations.

"More than 30 years after Carter's win, the Richardson campaign is working to get Nevadans to support `one of their own' - a Western Democrat - in the state's influential Democratic caucus tentatively scheduled for Jan. 19, 2008," the blog said. "They argue the contest, set to fall between Iowa and New Hampshire, could be the catapult to launch the presidential ambitions of another relatively unknown governor."