MICHAEL BARONE: Exiting the sinking ship? Ark. Dem. US Rep. Mike Ross won’t run again. “Ross was reelected by a solid 58%-40% margin in 2010, one of the few Blue Dogs to do so well, and although redistricting reportedly made his district a little less Democratic he obviously hs the capacity to run ahead of his party. But Arkansas, the most Democratic Southern state in the years when Bill Clinton was running, voted 59%-39% for John McCain and against Barack Obama, and no one thinks that opinion has moved in Obama’s direction since. Ross’s retirement will make it just a bit harder for Democrats to regain their House majority. Republicans are in excellent shape to pick up and hold this seat.”

UPDATE: In Ohio, a Tea Party Rally In Support of John Boehner. “Andrew Pappas, president of the Anderson Township Tea Party chapter, said the rally was to let Boehner know fiscal conservatives locally and across the region are backing him fully during the high stakes negotiations.”