• Under the Dome: Media consultant switches parties after suing Republican candidate for unpaid fees. . . Rep. Clay Shaw (R-Fla.) is undergoing surgery today to remove cancerous tumor. [The Hill]

• Lloyd Grove's Lowdown:Vanity Fair describes Patrick Fitzgerald as obsessed with work. "He has an almost puritanical view of the world: You're either a sinner or you're saved," says a New Jersey attorney. [NYDN]