DAY IN A NUTSHELL
Barack Obama appears at a campaign rally in Washington where he receives the influential endorsement of Senator Edward Kennedy and two other members of the Kennedy family, including Caroline, daughter of President John F. Kennedy. Also Toni Morrison - the writer who first dubbed Bill Clinton "America's first Black President" - endorses Mr Obama. The Republican candidates campaign hard in Florida on the eve of the state's primary.
Florida: background on primary
KEY QUOTES
"I am proud to stand here today and offer my help, my voice, my energy and my commitment to make Barack Obama the next president of the United States."
Senator Edward Kennedy
"The increasingly bitter and personal attacks exchanged by Senators Obama and Clinton suddenly raise the possibility that the eventual Democratic nominee will have to heal wounds that are as deep as those in the GOP"
"If the issue is dynasticism in politics, I guess there's some measure of irony in the group endorsement I'm now listening to from the Kennedy family."
Josh Marshall, Talking Points Memo
"John McCain has to decide just how comfortable he wants the conservative base of the Republican Party to be with his candidacy. Although he touts his conservative credentials on the campaign trail, it's no secret that Mr. McCain has often sought an arm's-length relationship with many conservatives."
John Fund, Wall Street Journal
"As this cycle began, Democrats looked united and prepared to take advantage of deep divisions in the Republicans' ranks. But the increasingly bitter and personal attacks exchanged by Senators Obama and Clinton suddenly raise the possibility that the eventual Democratic nominee will have to heal wounds that are as deep as those in the GOP."
Stuart Rothenberg, RealClearPolitics.com
NUMBER NEWS
Four polls published on the eve of the Republican primary in Florida indicate that the race between John McCain and Mitt Romney in the state is very tight.
A Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll gives Mr McCain 33% to Mr Romney's 30%, with Rudy Giuliani trailing in third place on 14% and Mike Huckabee fourth with 11%.
Mr McCain also leads in two other polls. A Quinnipiac survey shows him with 32% to Mr Romney's 31%, Mr Giuliani's 14% and Mr Huckabee's 13%.
And a Suffolk University poll has Mr McCain on 30%, three points ahead of Mr Romney on 27%, with Mr Giuliani way behind on 13%, ahead of Mr Huckabee on 11%.
But a fourth poll - from Rasmussen - suggests that the two front-runners are tied on 31%, with Mr Giuliani on 16% and Mr Huckabee on 11%.
None of the polls shows a candidate with a lead that exceeds the poll's margin of error, so the pollsters are calling the Florida race a statistical tie.
DAILY PICTURE
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