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WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:

* A day after Wisconsin Democrats aired their frustrations with the national party, the Democratic Governors Association announced that another $700,000 was sent last week to fund a Greater Wisconsin ad buy and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) hasannounced a trip to the state to campaign with Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Barrett faces Gov. Scott Walker (R) on June 5. (Update: The $700,000 is included in the DGA’s already-announced $2 million investment.)

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/national-democrats-increase-investment-in-wisconsin-recall/2012/05/15/gIQAZn83RU_blog.html

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The team chased a new stadium for more than a decade but had little leverage until its lease expired this past year on the 30-year-old Metrodome. Dayton led a newly urgent charge for the team, arguing that without a new building the state could lose its most beloved franchise. The deal guarantees the Vikings’ future in Minnesota for three decades.

Read the full story here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_VIKINGS_STADIUM?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

“I want to congratulate Tom Barrett for his win in the primary tonight, and thank Kathleen Falk, Kathleen Vinehout, and Doug La Follette on their hard-fought campaigns. While Scott Walker and his allies have already spent tens of millions attempting to whitewash Walker’s record, Wisconsinites know that Walker simply isn’t working.

“Whether demonizing middle class workers or undermining women’s economic security, Walker is on the wrong side of Wisconsin families – and his worst-in-the-nation record on job creation speaks for itself. Tom Barrett will get Wisconsin working again and put an end to the ideological brinksmanship of the past year, working every single day to create jobs and expand opportunity.”

“I congratulate Walter Dalton on his primary victory tonight and thank all of the Democratic candidates on a hard-fought race. This election is about our children’s futures, and Walter Dalton understands that providing our kids with a good education now means better opportunities for good jobs later – while Pat McCrory championed the disastrous Republican budget that cuts education funding, leading to increases in classroom sizes and fewer teachers on the job.

“North Carolina families deserve a governor who will work to create jobs and expand opportunity, and Dalton is the only candidate in this race who will work to end the harmful policies of the Republican legislature and keep North Carolina moving forward.”

“Indiana voters will face a clear choice this November – between John Gregg, who will work to create jobs and expand opportunity, and the most extreme ticket in the state’s history – Mike Pence and Richard Mourdock. While the Pence-Mourdock ticket shares a commitment to the same disastrous policies that would harm middle class families in Indiana, roll back rights for women and impede their access to healthcare, and would have jeopardized thousands of Indiana jobs tied to the auto industry, Pence and Mourdock are totally out of line with Hoosier families.

“Tonight was a victory for the Tea Party, but Indiana families deserve better than radical, divisive politics. John Gregg is the only candidate in the race who will work toward a renewed spirit of bipartisanship and focus on a shared commitment to good-paying jobs, quality education, and a state that works for working Hoosiers.”

“Today’s jobs report shows that our economy continues to make steady progress, and while we have much work to do to continue our recovery, our country has now seen 26 straight months of private sector job growth under President Obama’s leadership. With private businesses creating 130,000 new jobs in April and the unemployment rate driven down to a three-year-low, we are moving in the right direction toward full recovery. Democratic governors will continue to work to create jobs, expand opportunity, and make the modern investments a modern economy needs to promote continued growth in their states, making steady progress to revitalize our economy.”

The DGA is defending eight Democratic governorships this year, while the RGA only has four governorships to defend. It’s a challenging map, but we are confident about our chances thanks to strong candidates. In 2011, the DGA was able to hold governorships in Kentucky and West Virginia despite being outspent 3-to-1 in the latter state. That’s the same successful playbook we’ll bring to 2012.

Here’s a rundown of our races:

Wisconsin (June recall election): Embattled Republican Governor Scott Walker is in a fight for his life in the Badger State. Walker won election in 2010 by promising to focus on jobs, but while Walker launched a politically-motivated attack against workers, Wisconsin slipped to last in the country in job creation. The latest poll has the race as a dead heat, with Walker losing to the leading Democratic challenger 47-46 among likely voters.

Delaware: Former DGA Chair Governor Jack Markell is one of the most popular governors in the country. Markell will face Republican Jeff Cragg in the general election. Democrats have held the governor’s office in Delaware since 1993.

Indiana: Tea Party favorite Rep. Mike Pence is running to replace Republican Governor Mitch Daniels. Pence’s far-right extremism provides a pickup opportunity for Democrats, who landed former House Speaker John Gregg as their candidate. Gregg’s plainspoken manner and moderate profile may be just what the DGA needs to score an upset in the Hoosier State.

Missouri: Democratic Governor Jay Nixon has earned a job approval rating of 60% in a state that is not always friendly to Democrats. Nixon’s popularity stems from his record of creating jobs in the Show Me State. Republicans have cycled through several candidates but will settle on one after the August 7th primary.

Montana: Montana is another conservative-leaning state that has benefitted recently from strong Democratic leadership. Popular Democratic incumbent Brian Schweitzer is term-limited, but Attorney General Steve Bullock has stepped up to fill those large shoes. The Republican frontrunner is Rep. Rick Hill.

New Hampshire: The perennial battleground state of New Hampshire will have a competitive governor’s race in 2012. Governor John Lynch will leave the governor’s mansion with sky-high approval ratings and give way to one of several strong Democratic candidates. The latest WMUR poll had the leading Democrat Maggie Hassan beating the leading Republican Ovide Lamontagne 34-29.

North Carolina: The North Carolina governor’s race promises to be one of the most competitive in the country, with would-be successors to Governor Bev Perdue competing in a primary on May 8. On the Republican side, former Charlotte Mayor and failed candidate for governor Pat McCrory has tied himself to the Republican legislature’s unpopular agenda of deep cuts to public education. We’ll be watching this one closely.

North Dakota: Senate Minority Leader Ryan Taylor has an uphill battle against incumbent Republican Governor Jack Dalrymple in dark-red North Dakota, but Taylor—a fourth-generation rancher and businessman—wears his underdog status well. Keep an eye on this one.

Utah: Retired Two-Star General Peter Cooke will face off against Republican Governor Gary Herbert in the Beehive State. Cooke has an impressive resume that includes 39 years in the U.S. Army Reserve and 29 years in business and as a real estate developer.

Vermont: Governor Peter Shumlin has earned a reputation as one of the most effective governors in the country, passing landmark universal health care legislation among other accomplishments. Shumlin will face the winner of the August 23rd Republican primary.

Washington: The State of Washington will have one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country in 2012. Rep. Jay Inslee literally wrote the book on green energy jobs, a message that is likely to play well in the Evergreen State. Inslee will face Republican Attorney General Rob McKenna, who has lately come under fire for supporting a Republican budget that slashes education funding. The latest polling has this race as a toss-up.

West Virginia: Governor Earl Ray Tomblin is set to faceoff in a rematch against Bill Maloney. Since defeating Maloney in a special election in 2011, Tomblin has shown leadership in the governor’s mansion, keeping his promise to cut the food tax and passing environmentally-safe drilling regulations for Marcellus Shale that will create thousands of jobs in West Virginia.

Thanks for your support of Democratic governors.

Jobs. Opportunity. Now.,

Martin O’Malley