TRAIL MIX: Samuel L. Jackson Stumps For Obama

By: Emily Vaughan There was a reason Samuel L. Jackson wasn't seen on the red carpet on Sunday night. The actor, on set in Louisiana, crossed the state line to campaign for Obama in Texas, speaking to voters and signing autographs according to local reports, says Don Frederick at the L.A. Times' Top of the Ticket.

Ralph Nader said his candidacy is more about getting a different message out there, not having a shot at the White House. Nader, who will run on the Independent party ticket for the second time (he ran on the Green Party in 2000), said he is running against "'the real political bigotry' of the two major parties that have 'locked up the system,'" says Mark Silva at the Chicago Tribune's The Swamp.

Hillary Clinton appeared on the Christian Broadcasting Network's 700 Club for the first time in an interview that will air today, says Mark Memmott at USA Today's On Politics. In her first appearance on CBN, the New York senator answered questions about her faith, especially during, as interviewer David Brody put it, "times of marital difficulty."

Clinton financial troubles of last month may be the result of a sweet tooth. The New York Times reported she spent $1,200 on Dunkin' Donuts in January. But some investigative work by Sam Roberts and Griffin Palmer at the Times' The Caucus brought to light this sweet stat: her bakery bills on the trail totaled $5,950.53.

The bank that loaned McCain the $4 million that may force him to use the public financing system has weighed in on the controversy, arguing that McCain should be allowed to do what he wants, says Matthew Mosk at washingtonpost.com's The Trail. Two lawyers from Fidelity & Trust Bank said in a letter that the loans were designed so that the Arizona senator would have the flexibility to leave the program.

Mitt Romney may not make it on the ballot in November, but that doesn't mean the election will be Romney-free. The former candidate's son, Josh Romney is entertaining a congressional run in Utah's 2nd House district, says Scott Helman at the Boston Globe's Political Intelligence.

NAFTA has taken center stage in the Ohio Democratic primary. In the wake of a mailer released by Obama attacking Clinton's support of the trade agreement, Clinton has responded, say Susan Davis and Nick Timiraos at The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire. Clinton announced she will issue a robo-call to clarify what she says are the misrepresentations of her NAFTA stance in the Obama mailer.