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6) Meanwhile, in the highly-competitive Washington governor's race, the DGA poured in another $800,000 to Democratic former Rep. Jay Inslee's campaign against Republican Rob McKenna, bringing their total contributions into the race at $2 million. 5) Rep. Allen West, the outspoken conservative freshman, called his Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy a "chump" at a luncheon for black conservatives in Tampa. 4) Talk about winning over both sides of a politically-charged issue: Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., has received support from abortion rights-supporting groups and pro-life groups at the same time, the Boston Globe reports. And the Wall Street Journal reports that Boston Mayor Tom Menino, a Democrat, has notably stayed out the Massachusetts Senate race. 3) Employees of an Ohio coal company whose CEO donated to Mitt Romney's campaign were apparently forced to attend a Romney campaign appearance earlier this month in Ohio. 2) The Washington Post's Dan Balz pens a must-read story on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and how his economic views are reshaping the Republican Party. From the piece: "If Rep. Paul Ryan is the intellectual leader of the Republican Party, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker may be its backbone. As Ryan provides the policy road map for a new conservative GOP, Walker is articulating a leadership ethic that turns some conventional wisdom on its head." 1) Paul Ryan received rave reviews for a speech that served as an indictment of the president's economic record. Two lines from Ryan's well-received speech stand out. First, his scathing critique of the Obama's administration accomplishments: "I have never seen opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their power. They've run out of ideas. Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they've got left..."Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House. What's missing is leadership in the White House." He also delivered a memorable one-liner, referencing the college-aged students struggling to find work in the stagnant economy: "College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life." Politico's Jonathan Martin: "Filled with pride over [Condoleezza] Rice and buoyed by the promise of Ryan, GOP delegates left the hall here unmistakably more energized than they had the previous night. The talk among delegates was of the country's first black Secretary of State, the remaining star of an administration some conservatives would rather leave in the past, but even more about their 42-year-old vice-presidential nominee." TIME's Halperin: "Until Wednesday night, Democrats did not seem too worried about what was coming out of Tampa; now, there is manifest concern." The Washington Examiner's Byron York: "Ryan's 36-minute address did everything he needed to do: offer a devastating indictment of President Obama's economic record, with a few memorable barbs about the president's legendary self-importance; offer enough personal background so that viewers feel they know a little about Ryan; and most of all, convince voters that he and Mitt Romney will devote all their energy to jobs, the economy, and debt."