The Note's Must-Reads for Friday, November 2, 2012 PRESIDENT OBAMA: The New York Daily News" Jonathan Lemire: "Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorses President Barack Obama" Mayor Bloomberg jumped off the political sidelines Thursday to make a sudden, eleventh-hour endorsement of President Obama - all because of Hurricane Sandy. Bloomberg said the lethal superstorm made clear that global warming must be addressed, and that Obama was the best candidate to tackle the problem. Bloomberg's Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Henry Goldman: "Bloomberg Post-Sandy Backing Gives Obama Unexpected Boost" New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election yesterday, giving the incumbent an unexpected boost from a politically independent national figure heading into the final days of a deadlocked presidential race. Bloomberg, who had previously said he hadn't decided whether he would publicly endorse his candidate of choice, said it was the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy that brought him off the sidelines to declare his support for Obama. The Boston Globe's Callum Borchers: "Michael Bloomberg endorses President Obama" New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Obama over Mitt Romney on Thursday, saying he believes Obama is a leader on climate change, which Bloomberg suggested was a contributor to the damage wrought on his city by Hurricane Sandy this week. "Over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption, including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks," Bloomberg wrote on his website. MITT ROMNEY: Politico's James Hohmann: "Old Mitt is new again" In the closing days of his campaign, the GOP presidential nominee is adopting a similar tone and many of the same themes that animated his early runs for office and his father's bids for governor and the presidency in the 1960s. FINAL PUSH: The Hill's Amie Parnes, Justin Sink and Jonathan Easley: "Obama, Romney open the final chapter in 2012 White House race" President Obama and Mitt Romney were back on the attack Thursday in multiple swing-state stops that opened the final chapter in the 2012 race for the White House. After a brief détente caused by the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, Romney blasted Obama's stewardship of the economy while Obama derided his opponent as a "salesman" trying to peddle himself as a candidate of change. The Los Angeles Times" Christi Parsons, Seema Mehta and Maeve Reston: "Dropping post-Sandy bipartisanship, candidates go back on attack" The afterglow of post-Sandy bipartisanship lingered briefly in the air of the presidential campaign Thursday, then vaporized as President Obama and his challenger, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, threw themselves back into the political fray for a final push before Tuesday's election. The New York Times" Ethan Bronner: "Campaigns Brace to Sue for Votes in Crucial States" Thousands of lawyers from both presidential campaigns will enter polling places next Tuesday with one central goal: tracking their opponents and, if need be, initiating legal action. It will be a kind of Spy vs. Spy. SWING STATES / POLLS: ABC News" Devin Dwyer and Ann Compton: "Bill Clinton, Barnstormer" For a president who was impeached in an ugly scandal during his second term, and then suffered a quadruple bypass and heart complications, Bill Clinton is proving that he's still a political force to be reckoned with. The 42nd president has been barnstorming the 2012 battlegrounds for President Obama, holding 13 events in seven states over four days this week alone - ratcheting up what has already been, by most accounts, an unprecedented amount of time on the presidential campaign trail by a former president. USA Today's Martha T. Moore: "Romney brings autos back to center of Ohio campaign" In battleground Ohio the focus of the presidential race has returned to one of President Obama's favorite topics - the auto industry - courtesy of Mitt Romney, who brought the issue back to center stage. The Romney campaign set off controversy with a TV ad that implies Chrysler will move Jeep production to China. A Romney radio ad said that under Obama, General Motors had cut 15,000 jobs. The Wall Street Journal's Sara Murray, Carol E. Lee and Danny Yadron: "Candidates Resume Battle for Swing States" A brief storm-related truce on the campaign trail came to an end Thursday, with President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney attacking one another and the race's most-prized battlegrounds coming into clearer focus. While the candidates used broad strokes in their speeches, the campaigns were also offering a handful of new targeted television and radio ads aimed at specific regions and demographic groups. The Washington Post's Philip Rucker and Jerry Markon: "Obama returns to trail as Romney sets sights on Pennsylvania" The presidential candidates grasped for momentum Thursday in the closing days of a hard-fought race, with President Obama returning to the campaign trail after a three-day hurricane hiatus while Mitt Romney launched a last-minute effort to snatch away vote-rich Pennsylvania. The Washington Times" Stephen Dinan: "Poll shows Obama, Romney in a dead heat" President Obama and Mitt Romney are deadlocked with each holding 49 percent support nationally as they head into Tuesday's election, though Mr. Romney holds a lead on enthusiasm, according to this week's The Washington Times/Zogby Poll of likely voters, released Thursday night. Mr. Obama has more votes already in the bank: About a quarter of those surveyed said they've cast their ballots by absentee or early voting, and they broke 53 percent to 45 percent in favor of the president. ABC NEWS VIDEOS: "Obama Receives Big Endorsement From New York Mayor Bloomberg" LINK