Political news in brief

Jobs report leaves campaigns wary
WASHINGTON — The nation’s steady-but-modest job growth presents political challenges for both of November’s all-but-certain presidential rivals.

Republican Mitt Romney needs an ailing economy to fully exploit his image as a “Mr. Fix-It” who can heal the nation’s financial health.

President Barack Obama needs job-creation momentum to persuade voters that things are moving in the right direction even if millions of people remain unemployed.

Friday’s neither-hot-nor-cold jobs report leaves both campaigns unsure of whether they can sell their narratives.

Employers added 120,000 jobs last month. That’s half the December-February pace and well short of the 210,000 economists were expecting.

The unemployment rate fell from 8.3 percent in February to 8.2 percent. That’s the lowest level since about the time Obama took office.

Santorum’s daughter hospitalized again
Rick Santorum’s youngest daughter, Bella, who suffers from a severe genetic disorder, has been hospitalized, the presidential candidate’s campaign announced Friday.

“Rick and his wife Karen have taken their daughter Bella to the hospital. The family requests prayers and privacy as Bella works her way to recovery,” spokesman Hogan Gidley said.

Bella was born in 2008 with Trisomy 18, a rare defect in which a baby has an extra chromosome that results in abnormal development of the brain and major organs. Only one in 10 babies born with the disorder survive the first year of life.

Santorum was celebrating the Easter holiday weekend with his family in Virginia when Bella, 3, was taken to the hospital. Earlier this year, Bella was hospitalized with pneumonia, prompting Santorum to leave the campaign trail before the Florida primary.

Wire reports