The Morning Read: Wednesday, February 13, 2008

Barack Obama and John McCain each swept their primaries yesterday.

Adam Nagourney writes that Obama’s victories “sliced across nearly every major demographic line,” and he beat Hillary Clinton among women in Virginia and Maryland.

The Washington Post has a front page story asking if Clinton’s coalition is cracking.

The Clinton campaign strategy relies on courting Hispanic voters in Texas.

The departure of the top Latina working on Hillary Clinton’s campaign troubles two Hispanic lawmakers here, Ruben Diaz Sr., and Jose Peralta.

Diaz also finds some comments by Bill Clinton troubling.

Eliot Spitzer called Obama “spectacular.”

“We are deeper in the hole that I thought we would be,” wrote Rudy Giuliani’s campaign treasurer.

Giuliani is giving paid speeches again.

An article in an upcoming education magazine that says Michael Bloomberg could make a good presidential candidate has led historian Diane Ravitch to leave the publication.

In the State of the City speech yesterday, Christine Quinn proposed a tax-free week.

And a rebate for renters.

Spitzer aide Marty Mack used his official email account to distribute an unflattering news article about Joe Bruno.

Dean Skelos wants Spitzer’s emails.

Sol Stern now opposes school vouchers.

Randi Weingarten is considering running to be the head of the national teachers union.

A third candidate is emerging to run for David Yassky’s seat: Isaac Abraham.

Lee Zeldin picks up momentum in his congressional race on Long Island.

Republicans are coalescing around Sandy Treadwell in his effort to unseat Kirsten Gillibrand.

President Bush gets confused over who exactly is with Al Sharpton.

Obama is the front-runner, the Economist has decided.

The New York Sun notes the difference between McCain and Bloomberg on guns.

The Wall Street Journal editorial board writes that Obama’s rise is partly the fault of Clinton’s strategy: “To an electorate looking for new ideas, Senator Clinton and her husband promised explicitly to go "back to the future.”

Was that an Obama supporter behind Clinton last night?

And Maureen Dowd leads her column with a Russell Berman anecdote.