Although Mitt Romney wants to focus on jobs and economic growth, the House GOP leadership seems determined to make the coming election a referendum on the federal budget.

CARMONA 'A LIVING NIGHTMARE' TO WORK WITH ? Richard Carmona is a respected physician and decorated Vietnam veteran, but he clashed repeatedly with his supervisor when he served as U.S. surgeon general, POLITICO's John Bresnahan and Manu Raju report : MATH SHOWS TOUGH PATH FOR DEMOCRATS -- To reclaim the majority in the House of Representatives, Democrats need to gain 25 seats.

White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama told lawmakers he "refuses to allow a replay of last summer's self-inflicted political crisis."

President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner dug in Wednesday on their already hardened positions on tax increases versus spending cuts as the outlines of another dire debt ceiling showdown emerged.

POLITICO's John Bresnahan, Manu Raju and Jake Sherman peel back the curtain: "Congressional Democrats who publicly proclaimed that super PACs are the scourge of modern politics are now going all out to chase the big money that's fueling the 2012 campaign. With little fanfare, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and his top lieutenants are crisscrossing the country from the Southwest to the Big Apple, meeting with billionaires, high-level business executives and union leaders in a mad scramble to raise money for Majority PAC ? and perhaps save their slim Senate majority. Their efforts are already paying dividends. Earlier this spring, Reid and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) made a quick trip to New York, where they made a pitch to billionaire hedge fund manager James Simons, who quickly turned around and cut a check on March 29 to Majority PAC for $1 million, according to campaign finance reports. That's on top of the $500,000 Simons donated to Majority PAC last year, making him the biggest donor to the group so far. ? --