Poll: Romney holds lead but Santorum gains in California

While challengers rise and recede in the Republican presidential primaries, Mitt Romney's sail remains full in California. Rick Santorum, the most recent alternative to surge, remains six percentage points behind the former Massachusetts governor among California Republicans, according to a new Field Poll. | 02/22/12 07:00:23 By - David Siders

Romney starts big week with Wednesday night GOP debate

Mitt Romney will face his three Republican rivals Wednesday in a debate that marks the start of a crucial week for his presidential bid. | 02/21/12 16:45:00 By - David Lightman

Fla. Senate candidate Mack says divorce is behind financial woes

U.S. Senate candidate Connie Mack explained Sunday for the first time why he spent more than he earned at times, pinning financial problems on his divorce. | 02/20/12 06:58:19 By - Katie Sanders

A primer on Michigan's Feb. 28 presidential primary

A look at Michigan's presidential primary, which is Feb. 28th. | 02/20/12 06:32:01 By - Kathleen Gray

Santorum defends remarks on Obama's faith

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum denied Sunday that he has questioned President Barack Obama's Christian faith, but said the president holds an environmental belief "that elevates the Earth above man." | 02/20/12 06:24:20 By - Mitchell Landsberg and Melanie Mason

Needing a win, Romney tries to tap his Michigan roots

Mitt Romney likes to tell people in Michigan he's one of them — and whether voters see him that way could be crucial in determining his political fate. | 02/19/12 15:22:00 By - David Lightman

Casino mogul Adelson donates another $10 million, boosting Gingrich

Casino owner Sheldon Adelson is expected to send another $10 million donation within days to the outside group that's provided life support to Newt Gingrich's beleaguered presidential campaign, say fundraisers with ties to the multibillionaire. | 02/17/12 19:18:00 By - Peter Stone

Will Massachusetts elect another Kennedy?

It's been less than three years since the death of Sen. Ted Kennedy and when Rep. Patrick Kennedy retired in 2011 it Massachusetts without a Kennedy in Congress, something that hadn't happened for roughly 60 years. | 02/17/12 10:23:09 By - Kim Geiger

Obama starts 2012 with a $29 million fundraising haul

President Obama raised $29.1 million in the first month of 2012 for his reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee, kicking off what is expected to be a record-setting fundraising year. | 02/17/12 10:15:50 By - Matea Gold

Ron Paul delivers his 'revolution' message in Washington state

People started showing up hours before the presidential candidate took the stage at the DoubleTree hotel in SeaTac. Nick Sherwood of Puyallup, Washington, had a simple explanation: "They're Ron Paul supporters." | 02/17/12 07:38:23 By - Jordan Schrader

Texas Gov. Perry aims to turn campaign funds into PAC

Texas Gov. Rick Perry may be preparing to take on a more active role in the 2012 elections if a recent filling with the Federal Elections Commission is any guide. | 02/17/12 07:32:00 By - Aman Batheja

Obama is counting on California for cash, electoral votes

Except for a booth and a few T-shirts, President Barack Obama was hardly represented when the California Democratic Party met for its annual convention this past weekend.

He may not have noticed. | 02/17/12 07:05:36 By - David Siders

Romney targets labor unions, which could be risky come fall

Mitt Romney has a new high-risk target in his campaign for president: labor unions. He's casting himself as one of the strongest anti-union candidates in memory, a move he hopes will appeal to anti-union conservatives, open rival Rick Santorum to charges of a liberal pro-union voting record, win the pivotal Michigan primary on Feb. 28 and cement his now shaky grasp on the Republican nomination. | 02/16/12 17:44:00 By - Steven Thomma

Santorum's plan to help manufacturers leaves questions unanswered

Thanks in part to his pro-manufacturing message, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's poll numbers are soaring in the blue-collar states of Michigan and Ohio, which soon hold GOP presidential primaries. | 02/16/12 16:46:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

Santorum's plan for federal lands echoes past proposals

GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum's call to sell or transfer federally owned public lands Tuesday night in Boise earned him several rounds of applause. | 02/16/12 07:03:31 By - Rocky Barker and Dan Popkey

Obama promotes manufacturing during Milwaukee speech

President Barack Obama touted Milwaukee, Master Lock and manufacturing Wednesday in a speech that highlighted the importance of bringing jobs back to America. | 02/16/12 06:30:20 By - Bill Glauber

Romney in an unexpected battle to win Michigan, his home state

Once assured of victory on friendly turf, Mitt Romney faces a potentially devastating loss of his home state of Michigan to Rick Santorum, which could upend the campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. | 02/15/12 16:43:00 By - Steven Thomma

What to do about Medicare will be a big election issue

When GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told conservative activists last week that he wants to "save" Medicare by turning it into a program that would give seniors a defined sum to shop for the health plans of their choice, he teed up an issue that has the potential to sway millions of voters, especially seniors, in November. | 02/15/12 16:08:00 By - Marilyn Werber Serafini

Newt Gingrich gets warm welcome at World Ag Expo in California

Newt Gingrich is struggling to regain his political footing in the battle to capture the Republican presidential nomination, but none of that was evident Tuesday during a visit to the World Ag Expo. | 02/15/12 12:35:12 By - John Ellis

Santorum courts Idaho conservatives in Boise

Rick Santorum had a Boise crowd in his hands Tuesday, affirming his faith, ripping his GOP opponents and President Obama, and setting high stakes. | 02/15/12 07:37:19 By - Dan Popkey

Hollywood will meet Obama with open wallets

Despite complaints about his failure to support Hollywood's position on online piracy, President Barack Obama does not appear to have lost his fundraising base in the entertainment community. | 02/15/12 06:28:44 By - Richard Verrier and Matea Gold

Gingrich treated like political royalty in California visit

Newt Gingrich is struggling to regain his political footing in the battle to capture the Republican presidential nomination, but none of that was evident Tuesday during a visit to the World Ag Expo. | 02/15/12 06:23:57 By - John Ellis

Why do tea partiers flock to Santorum, given his voting record?

Supporters of the tea party movement, the grass-roots conservatives who've been relentless in demanding tough, lean budgets, are rallying behind Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum — but Santorum's record suggests he's hardly one of them. | 02/14/12 17:53:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Santorum meets with gay-marriage foes in Washington state

Within an hour of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire signing a same-sex-marriage bill into law Monday, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum was meeting with a group of gay-marriage foes at a church minutes away, offering a message of support for their efforts to repeal the law. | 02/14/12 06:26:30 By - Jim Brunner

Where do tea party freshmen lawmakers go from here?

Leaving a House of Representatives Republican caucus meeting one morning, Rep. Vicky Hartzler had to pause a moment to get her bearings. She was on her way to an Armed Services Committee hearing, but navigating the maze of corridors beneath the Capitol could still puzzle her. | 02/13/12 15:59:00 By - David Goldstein

Santorum defends views on working women

Rick Santorum, still enjoying a surge in fundraising and attention after winning three states last week in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, pushed back Sunday against the idea that his socially conservative views could alienate working women. | 02/13/12 06:25:19 By - Robin Abcarian

Romney's good day; wins conservatives, Maine caucus

Romney's 38-31 percent defeat of Santorum in a straw presidential vote among thousands of activists at the annual convention of the Conservative Political Action Committee bolstered his claim that he can consolidate support among the Republican base. | 02/11/12 19:29:00 By - James Rosen

Conservative activists revved up - but lukewarm on Romney

Conservatives are fired up, convinced that this will be a big year, but they worry that Mitt Romney will make their task harder. | 02/10/12 18:01:00 By - David Lightman

As Obama's political fortunes rise, fight over contraception mandate casts a cloud

Just as some analysts have begun to suggest a sunnier political outlook for the president's re-election prospects, the White House is engaged in a highly charged dispute with Republicans and Catholic leaders over its mandate that religious institutions must provide contraceptives in their health care coverage. | 02/09/12 17:59:00 By - Lesley Clark

Five Democratic 'super' PACs may seek joint operation

Five Democratic "super" political action committees are reaching out to party mega-donors seeking $1 million to $10 million contributions, now that President Barack Obama has blessed the outside spending group working to get him re-elected. | 02/08/12 18:20:00 By - Peter Stone

Santorum wins make Romney's path to nomination much harder

Mitt Romney's carefully plotted path to the Republican presidential nomination is now a long, unpredictable journey that could last months. | 02/08/12 17:32:00 By - David Lightman

Texas Democrats want financial details for Perry's campaign security

Rep. Lon Burnam is seeking answers from the Department of Public Safety over taxpayer money that the agency used to provide security for Gov. Rick Perry during his ill-fated five-month presidential bid. | 02/08/12 07:39:29 By - Dave Montgomery

Santorum wins Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, shakes up GOP race

Rick Santorum seized an important opportunity Tuesday to become the chief conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, as he made a clean sweep of three Republican presidential nomination contests in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. | 02/07/12 19:03:00 By - David Lightman

Bain execs spend nearly $5 million on Romney's White House runs

Of all the investments made by the super-wealthy partners at the private equity firm Bain Capital, perhaps none has a greater potential return than the one they've made in Mitt Romney. | 02/07/12 06:00:00 By - Anne Farris Rosen

Texas Gov. Perry determined to help keep Obama from second term

Gov. Rick Perry declared Monday night that he still has "plenty of fight left" after his unsuccessful presidential bid, serving notice that he will work vigorously to continue his policies of fewer taxes and limited government as the state's chief executive while battling to defeat President Barack Obama in November. | 02/07/12 07:26:27 By - Dave Montgomery

Bain execs spent nearly $5 million on Romney's White House runs

Of all the investments made by the super-wealthy partners at the private equity firm Bain Capital, perhaps none has a greater potential return than the one they've made in Mitt Romney. Current and former Bain executives and their relatives have given about $4.7 million to organizations that are dedicated to making Romney the next president of the United States, according to a Center for Public Integrity investigation. | 02/07/12 06:00:00 By - Anne Farris Rosen

Romney favored, Santorum lurking, as 3 states vote today

Republicans in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri will vote for presidential candidates Tuesday, and while Mitt Romney is favored to win, many conservatives appear eager to signal their unease with him by voting for Rick Santorum. | 02/06/12 18:42:00 By - David Lightman

Texans are among biggest presidential campaign donors

Texans have been among the biggest donors in this year's presidential race, pumping more than $20 million into candidates' campaigns with 10 months left to go. And they aren't likely to slow down now, even with Gov. Rick Perry — who received the lion's share of Texas money — out of the race. | 02/06/12 07:34:12 By - Anna M. Tinsley

Romney cruising toward solid win in Nevada on Saturday

Republicans in Nevada are poised to do what no one has yet done in the 2012 Republican presidential campaign — sustain momentum. | 02/03/12 15:21:00 By - Steven Thomma

Fight for Fla. Rep. Allen West's seat may draw more Democrats

The Democrats vying to replace departing Rep. Allen West from his 22nd congressional seat — businessman Patrick Murphy and former West Palm Beach mayor Lois Frankel — may miss the retired Army colonel and tea party crowd pleaser because his rants on Fox News fired up the left and delivered dollars to their campaign coffers. | 02/03/12 06:55:23 By - Amy Sherman and Erika Bolstad

Billionaire Trump endorses millionaire Romney for president

Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, a move with little likely impact on voting but rich with billionaire-meets-millionaire symbolism. | 02/02/12 17:03:00 By - Steven Thomma

Top Gingrich PAC donor, Adelson, might give millions more

Billionaire casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson seems to be signaling his intention to plow millions more into conservative groups to influence this year's elections, in addition to the $10 million that he and his wife gave a "super" political action committee that backs Newt Gingrich. | 02/02/12 16:02:00 By - Peter Stone

With restrictions gone, '1 percenters' dish millions, alter race for White House

Partly as a result of the Supreme Court's 2010 ruling that even corporations enjoy the right to free political speech, a 2002 congressional overhaul that was supposed to rid big money from national politics is fast becoming a distant memory. Not only are wealthy Americans serving as financial angels to presidential candidates, but companies also have begun to write multimillion-dollar checks, and some may be doing so secretly. | 02/01/12 20:06:00 By - Greg Gordon

Negative campaign ads signal what we'll see next fall

The 2012 Republican presidential campaign is ugly and likely to get uglier, because going negative works. The negative barrage, experts said, is a preview of what's coming for November's general election. "This is the way the game is played," said Bruce Buchanan, a professor of government at the University of Texas. | 02/01/12 18:28:00 By - David Lightman

Romney remark on poor draws attack from Obama campaign

Republican presidential front-runner Mitt Romney engaged in a skirmish over the middle class with President Barack Obama's campaign Wednesday, a preview of a clash that could dominate a fall campaign between the two. | 02/01/12 17:36:00 By - Steven Thomma

Perry super PACs received most of their funding in Texas

Wealthy Texans were far and away the biggest source of funding for super PACs for and against Gov. Rick Perry's presidential bid, according to campaign finance reports filed Tuesday. | 02/01/12 07:29:18 By - Aman Batheja

Lower 48 Indian tribes help fuel Alaska Rep. Young's campaign fundraising

Alaska Rep. Don Young nearly doubled his campaign fundraising in the last months of the year with help from Lower 48 Indian tribes and now has a lot of money and no established challengers emerging to take him on. | 02/01/12 06:47:04 By - Sean Cockerham

Obama's supporters deliver $40 million in campaign cash

President Barack Obama's campaign reported Tuesday that it raked in nearly $40 million in the last three months of 2011 and closed the year with $82 million in cash, aided by some 60 bundlers who each raised at least $500,000 for the campaign and the Democratic National Committee. | 01/31/12 20:35:00 By - Greg Gordon

Romney scores double-digit win in Florida primary

Mitt Romney's victory Tuesday in Florida's presidential primary — the first test of electoral strength in a big, diverse state this year — establishes him firmly as the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican presidential nomination. | 01/31/12 19:04:00 By - David Lightman, William Douglas and Lesley Clark

Perry struggled to raise funds as poll numbers dropped

Gov. Rick Perry, who was flush with campaign cash when he appeared to be a viable contender for the Republican presidential nomination, sustained a steep drop-off in fund-raising as he nosed downward in the polls, according to a campaign finance disclosure statement filed with the U.S. Federal Election Commission. | 01/31/12 12:15:52 By - Dave Montgomery

Romney poised for big victory in Sunshine State

Mitt Romney is poised to win big in Tuesday's Florida Republican primary, a victory that would move him an important step closer to the party's presidential nomination. | 01/30/12 18:08:00 By - David Lightman, Lesley Clark and William Douglas

For Florida seniors, election is all about economy

Florida's Republican seniors, many of whom retired from white-collar jobs elsewhere, worry about the prices of houses they bought here with equity from the homes they sold. Sluggish financial-market returns limit their incomes. They see the massive federal debt as a serious threat to the well-being of their children and grandchildren. | 01/30/12 15:11:00 By - David Lightman

After Newt and Mitt cut each other up, can GOP recover?

They worship at the political altar of Ronald Reagan, but Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney ignore one part of his creed: his so-called 11th Commandment forbidding criticism of fellow Republicans. | 01/30/12 14:43:00 By - Steven Thomma

Romney has big lead in new poll

Mitt Romney's lead in Tuesday's Florida presidential primary is up to 14 percentage points, according to a new Quinnipiac poll released Monday. | 01/30/12 08:17:46 By - David Lightman

California Republicans still waiting for presidential inspiration

Jon Fleischman, the conservative blogger, was brooding the other day on Facebook, underwhelmed by the presidential candidates he has left to choose from. | 01/30/12 06:43:01 By - David Siders

In Florida, big crowds for Gingrich, but Romney strategy puts him ahead

Looks can be deceiving in Florida's feisty Republican presidential primary.

Mitt Romney has been drawing small crowds all week. The insurgent Newt Gingrich has hosted big, boisterous rallies. Yet the former Massachusetts governor has pulled far ahead of the former House Speaker in statewide polls. | 01/29/12 17:00:00 By - David Lightman and Lesley Clark

Romney opens lead in Florida as Republican rivals start to look elsewhere

Mitt Romney opened a commanding lead in Florida Sunday, driving his rivals to start shifting their sights to other states as more suitable battlegrounds to keep challenging him for the Republican presidential nomination. | 01/29/12 16:19:00 By - Steven Thomma, Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Romney, Gingrich battle in Florida ahead of key primary

As Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich dueled across Florida four days before the state's pivotal Republican primary, a new Miami Herald/El Nuevo Herald poll showed Romney with a commanding double-digit lead. | 01/28/12 18:24:00 By - David Lightman, Steven Thomma and William Douglas

GOP campaign turns to economy, immigration as Romney rises

The Republican presidential rivals courted influential Hispanic voters in South Florida on Friday with promises to improve immigration laws and focus on Latin America, as a new poll suggested that Mitt Romney is regaining his edge in the first mega-state to deliver a decision. | 01/27/12 19:29:00 By - Patricia Mazzei, Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Florida primary may take new route as Romney rebounds, Gingrich sags

Florida may be Newt Gingrich's Waterloo. After storming into the state with a head of steam from a surprising win last Saturday in South Carolina, Gingrich's support has waned and polls now suggest that he could lose Florida's primary when voting ends Tuesday, perhaps by a wide margin. | 01/27/12 18:17:00 By - Steven Thomma

Florida poll: Mitt Romney opens up a lead over Newt Gingrich

With four days left before Florida's presidential primary, a new poll finds Mitt Romney opening up a considerable lead over Newt Gingrich -- 38 percent to 29 percent. | 01/27/12 09:00:25 By - Lesley Clark

In Florida debate, Romney slams Gingrich for toxic rhetoric

Mitt Romney pummeled Newt Gingrich repeatedly in a fierce war of words Thursday, striving to capitalize on a turn in the polls in the final debate before Florida's presidential primary on Tuesday. | 01/26/12 21:15:41 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Romney vs. Gingrich rhetoric grows rougher in Florida

Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney intensified their bare-knuckles rhetorical brawl Thursday, with Gingrich verbally savaging the former Massachusetts governor, the campaign ads he's run in Florida and even the Republican Party establishment | 01/26/12 18:35:00 By - William Douglas, Lesley Clark and David Lightman

Bob Dole blasts Newt Gingrich, endorses Mitt Romney

The following statement was posted by the Mitt Romney campaign at MittRomney.com. | 01/26/12 16:52:23 By -

Newt Gingrich comes out swinging: 'This is a campaign for the very nature of the Republican party'

Speaking in friendly territory -- before a tea party crowd of about 500 in Central Florida's bucolic Mount Dora -- the former House Speaker savaged Mitt Romney, the campaign ads that have been pillorying Gingrich across the state -- and his own Republican party. | 01/26/12 12:19:53 By - Lesley Clark

Perry's support in Texas has eroded, according to survey

Gov. Rick Perry's ill-fated bid for the presidency has apparently eroded his political base back home, dropping his Texas approval rating to a new low and raising doubts about his chances of victory if he seeks re-election in two years, according to a newly released poll conducted for the Star-Telegram and other major newspapers. | 01/26/12 07:32:21 By - Dave Montgomery

Romney's tithing raises issue in other churches

Mitt Romney's tax returns reveal that the Republican presidential candidate does something fewer Americans do these days: He tithes. | 01/26/12 06:55:03 By - Jennifer Garza

Gingrich yanks attack ad on Romney after Sen. Rubio says it's unfair

The close, volatile Republican presidential campaign exploded in Miami's Cuban-American community on Wednesday as Newt Gingrich pulled a controversial Spanish-language immigration ad after Sen. Marco Rubio bashed it as out of bounds. | 01/25/12 19:15:00 By - Marc Caputo

Deluge of campaign ads, calls, mail engulfs Florida voters

The winner of Florida's bruising Republican presidential primary probably will be the candidate who uses traditional mass-marketing tools such as advertising, robo-calls and mailings most effectively. | 01/25/12 18:35:00 By - David Lightman and Lesley Clark

Video | Mitt Romney wants Castro 'off this planet'

Mitt Romney threatens Castro and Cuba during a speech at the Freedom Tower in Miami Wednesday, January 25, 2012. | 01/25/12 18:33:09 By -

Gingrich removes 'anti-immigrant' Romney ad after scolding by Sen. Marco Rubio

Sen. Marco Rubio scolded Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign over a Spanish-language radio ad that accuses rival Mitt Romney of being “anti-immigrant.” | 01/25/12 13:53:37 By - Marc Caputo

What will Perry do with remaining campaign funds?

Even with his White House bid now a historical footnote, Gov. Rick Perry's campaign will still make news this month when it submits a finance report for the last three months of 2011. | 01/25/12 13:18:57 By - Aman Batheja

Fla. Sen. Rubio scolds Gingrich campaign for 'anti-immigrant' Romney ad

Sen. Marco Rubio scolded Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign over a Spanish-language radio ad that accuses rival Mitt Romney of being "anti-immigrant." | 01/25/12 11:02:53 By - Marc Caputo

Gingrich campaigns in Bradenton, Florida

More than 3,000 people gathered Tuesday in a Dolphin Aviation hangar to welcome Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich. Gingrich rolled into the hangar by Sarasota Bradenton International Airport in his large campaign bus, as the gathered crowd waved flags that had been distributed by rally organizers. | 01/24/12 19:47:03 By - Laura C. Morel

Obama frames his election-year vision in State of the Union address

President Barack Obama used an election-year State of the Union address Tuesday night to frame the national debate not as a referendum on him but as a pivotal decision on how to save the American dream. | 01/24/12 18:42:00 By - Steven Thomma

Romney, Gingrich take different tacks in courting Florida voters

Mitt Romney ramped up his Florida offensive on Tuesday, releasing his tax returns and offering an alternative State of the Union address, as his rival Newt Gingrich told voters that Romney is too liberal for the Republican Party. | 01/24/12 18:04:00 By - David Lightman, Lesley Clark and Marc Caputo

Romney offers his own thoughts on the State of the Union

Mitt Romney offered his own State of the Union speech Tuesday, warning voters that President Barack Obama Tuesday "will give a nice speech with a lot of memorable phrases. But he won't give you the hard numbers" that show an economy still struggling. | 01/24/12 12:00:52 By - David Lightman

Romney's tax data illustrates debate over fair rates

Mitt Romney reported owing $6.2 million in federal taxes on $42.5 million in income over the last two years, according to documents the Republican presidential contender's campaign released Tuesday that play into the emerging debate over fairness in the tax code. There were no major surprises in more than 500 pages of documents released under pressure after Romney’s defeat in Saturday’s South Carolina primary, where his lack of clarity about his taxes bothered voters. | 01/24/12 08:55:35 By - David Lightman and Kevin G. Hall

GOP candidates' spending on ads didn't translate into votes in S.C.

Republican presidential candidates spent $13.2 million on TV ads in South Carolina — money that did not translate into votes for the top spenders. | 01/24/12 07:30:21 By - Adam Beam

Charlotte OKs expansion of police powers during Democratic National Convention

In preparation for the Democratic National Convention, the Charlotte City Council voted 10-1 Monday night to approve new ordinances that will give police more power to stop and search people during the convention. | 01/24/12 07:16:47 By - Steve Harrison

Romney attacks Gingrich sharply on several fronts in Florida debate

Mitt Romney, struggling to gain momentum in this state's pivotal Republican primary, unleashed a blistering attack Monday on chief rival Newt Gingrich over his ethics, his leadership and his ties to a mortgage giant Freddie Mac. | 01/23/12 22:16:18 By - David Lightman and Lesley Clark

Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength

It's a lonely world out there, black conservatives said Monday, especially as they try to recruit more African-American voters to their ranks. | 01/23/12 18:39:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Obama to frame re-election themes Tuesday in State of the Union address

President Barack Obama delivers an election-year State of the Union address Tuesday night at a moment when the country is worried about the economy and his own prospects for re-election are mixed at best. | 01/23/12 17:33:00 By - Steven Thomma

Romney blasts Gingrich, calls for more disclosure

Mitt Romney lashed out at Newt Gingrich Monday, blasting the former House Speaker and saying "he's got some records which could represent an October surprise." | 01/23/12 13:48:45 By - David Lightman

Georgia judge orders President Obama to appear in court over 'birthers' suit

A Georgia judge has ordered President Barack Obama to appear in court in Atlanta Thursday for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama isn’t a natural-born citizen and can’t be president. | 01/23/12 12:53:56 By - Chuck Williams

It's Newt's momentum vs. Mitt's organization in Florida GOP fight

Three states. Three winners. A divided delegate count. If there is any clarity in the unpredictable, captivating turns of the Republican presidential race, it is this: Anything can happen and Florida, which is next to vote, is wide open. | 01/22/12 18:30:00 By - Alex Leary

GOP campaign turns to Florida — a very different challenge

The tumultuous Republican presidential campaign unfolds over the next 10 days in Florida, the most diverse, complicated and expensive state yet. Campaigning in Florida is more akin to stumping in several states at once — with 10 media markets, several of them pricey, and a land mass so large there's little opportunity for retail politicking. | 01/22/12 17:38:00 By - Lesley Clark

Primaries show negative campaign ads work

In five polls taken over nine days through Jan. 12, Romney had an average of 29 percent support with Gingrich netting 20.2 percent. When the ballots were cast Saturday, after a 10-day barrage of anti-Romney ads that South Carolina political analysts and consultants said was unique in its volume and intensity, Gingrich won with 40.4 percent of the vote, while Romney garnered 27.8 percent. | 01/22/12 16:06:00 By - James Rosen

The road ahead looks good for Romney despite South Carolina

The Republican presidential nomination race is momentarily in turmoil. But Mitt Romney, who long ago prepared for a long, methodical slog, is still in strong shape. Every non-incumbent Republican presidential nominee since 1980 has lost at least one primary on the road to nomination. | 01/22/12 15:37:00 By - David Lightman

Gingrich rode big debate skills — and homeboy Southern style — to S.C. victory

Former House Speaker Gingrich's victory in the South Carolina Republican primary is a testament to him sticking to an unconventional campaign strategy that many experts dismissed as political suicide. | 01/21/12 19:40:50 By - William Douglas

Gingrich wins huge come-from-behind victory in South Carolina

Newt Gingrich surged to a landslide victory in the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday, a stunning come-from-behind upset that shook the contest for the party's presidential nomination. Mitt Romney came in second, a crushing loss for the one-time front-runner, his hopes dashed for a quick and triumphant march toward the title. | 01/21/12 18:04:18 By - Steven Thomma, David Lightman and Gina Smith

Late S.C. poll shows Gingrich surging to big lead

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Newt Gingrich appeared headed for a big victory in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary Saturday, as he rides a wave of momentum cresting off two strong debate performances here this week. | 01/20/12 18:49:00 By - David Lightman, Steven Thomma and William Douglas

Lame duck California congressman endorses Stephen Colbert

It's not exactly a ringing endorsement, but lame duck California congressman Dennis Cardoza is apparently defecting to The Colbert Nation. | 01/20/12 13:07:55 By - Brandon Bowers and Michael Tharp

Florida Gov. Rick Scott says he probably won't endorse in GOP presidential primary

Florida Gov. Rick Scott today said he likely will not publicly endorse a candidate in advance of the Florida Republican presidential primary on Jan. 31. | 01/20/12 12:20:58 By - Marc R. Masferrer

'Newt wouldn't get my vote,' former S.C. First Lady Jenny Sanford says

Former S.C. First Lady Jenny Sanford is not a Newt Gingrich fan.

In an interview on MSNBC on Thursday, Sanford said some voters might be swayed by a TV interview with Gingrich’s second wife where she accused the former House speaker of wanting an open marriage. Sanford divorced her husband, former SC Gov. Mark Sanford, after he had an affair with a woman from Argentina while he was in office. | 01/20/12 07:24:24 By - Andrew Shain

Gingrich scolds media for spotlighting ex-wife's complaint

Newt Gingrich lashed out angrily at the news media Thursday night for fresh reporting on his failed second marriage, in an extraordinary opening to a high-stakes debate two days before a pivotal GOP presidential primary in South Carolina. | 01/19/12 21:27:07 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Suddenly Romney's on the ropes as developments rock GOP race

Put the champagne on ice. Hold the coronation. Mitt Romney's hopes of quickly clinching the Republican presidential nomination may be fading. He now finds himself facing a very tough fight with Newt Gingrich, a man he thought he'd buried back in Iowa. | 01/19/12 17:10:00 By - Steven Thomma

Gingrich surging in S.C., but cloud shadows his campaign

Newt Gingrich was surging in South Carolina hours before the state's crucial Republican primary Saturday, but in typical Gingrich roller-coaster fashion, a late-breaking scandal threatened to derail his campaign just as it was peaking. | 01/19/12 15:18:00 By - David Lightman

S.C. politicians say it's too early to see a difference in the race sans Perry

S.C. politicos say it’s too early to say whether Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropping out the race will give Newt Gingrich a boost in the final days leading up to the S.C. primary. | 01/19/12 12:22:30 By - Gina Smith

Marianne Gingrich says Newt wanted 'open marriage'

Newt Gingrich's second wife, Marianne, has some big doubts about her ex-husband's character. Here's part of a news release from ABC, which will air an interview with her on tonight's "Nightline." | 01/19/12 11:41:42 By - David Lightman

Perry drops GOP presidential bid

Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped his presidential bid Thursday, asking his supporters to instead stand behind former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, just two days before the South Carolina primary that was considered crucial for his run for the White House. | 01/19/12 09:30:43 By - Anna M. Tinsley and Dave Montgomery

Commentary: Will Colbert Nation make its point about super PACs in S.C. primary?

What's more likely to call attention to the outrage that is the super PAC: a bunch of Occupiers showing up at federal courthouses Friday — or Colbert Nation upending Saturday's South Carolina Republican primary by voting for Herman Cain? | 01/19/12 07:35:34 By - Linda P. Campbell

Comedian Colbert to hold rally with Cain in Charleston, S.C.

Stephen Colbert will visit Charleston on Friday for a rally with former presidential candidate Herman Cain in the comedian's bid to win support during the S.C. GOP presidential primary on Saturday. | 01/19/12 07:28:31 By - Andrew Shain

In Miami, Romney's tenure with Bain Capital is debated

Off a gritty bend in the Miami River, a few miles from a warehouse where he recently touted his job-creation plans, there’s a complex of buildings that bear witness to a time when Mitt Romney’s private equity firm laid off hundreds of workers, shuttered a profitable factory and made out with hundreds of millions of dollars. | 01/19/12 07:14:11 By - Marc Caputo and Alex Leary

Small crowds speak to Perry's struggling, dying campaign

Rick Perry walked into a pizza shop with eight news cameras trained on him, a dozen more reporters and a handful of Texas troopers and campaign staff. At most, a dozen ordinary people waited for him Wednesday at Wild Ace Pizza. This isn't what a top-tier presidential candidate's events should look like just four days before Saturday's South Carolina primary. | 01/18/12 18:21:00 By - Marc Caputo

Obama heads to swing state of Florida for travel announcement

Arriving in Florida just days before the Republican candidates who want his job begin to court the state's voters, President Barack Obama on Thursday is expected to tout a plan that he says will help a region whose economy is heavily dependent on visitors. | 01/18/12 17:54:00 By - Erika Bolstad

Romney unloads on Gingrich as polls show S.C. race tightening

Fighting to protect his lead in South Carolina, Mitt Romney's campaign hit back hard Wednesday at chief rival Newt Gingrich, accusing him of "leadership by chaos" that cost the Republican Party once and would again. | 01/18/12 17:23:00 By - Steven Thomma, David Lightman and William Douglas

Democrats' House political team taps two Californians for campaign support

Democratic strategists on Wednesday put more serious muscle behind two Central Valley congressional challengers. Now, get ready for the advertising deluge. | 01/18/12 16:31:00 By - Michael Doyle

Hard times in S.C. make the economy the dominant issue

South Carolina's economy has been battered in recent years, and as a result, the dominant issue here as Saturday's Republican primary approaches is how to get people working and confident again. | 01/18/12 14:52:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Days before South Carolina votes, can anyone stop Romney?

Time is running out for anyone to stop Mitt Romney from winning the South Carolina Republican primary Saturday, perhaps the last chance to keep him from running away with the party's presidential nomination. | 01/17/12 18:47:00 By - Steven Thomma

Romney paid only a 15 percent tax rate; Gingrich demands full story

Mitt Romney tried Tuesday to defuse a growing controversy dogging his front-runner campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination by saying that he "probably" pays a tax rate of 15 percent, far lower than the 35 percent top rate one might assume that a multimillionaire pays. | 01/17/12 18:11:00 By - David Lightman

Romney's private equity record: Jobs lost, jobs created

Did Republican front-runner Mitt Romney create jobs or destroy them when he ran the private equity firm Bain Capital? The question has dominated debate ahead of South Carolina's heated presidential primary Saturday, and the answer to both questions, oddly enough, is yes. | 01/17/12 16:15:00 By - Kevin G. Hall

DNC shortens Charlotte convention to 3 days

The Democratic National Convention Committee announced today that its upcoming Charlotte convention program will be shortened from four days to three days, and that the event will begin on Labor Day with a party at Charlotte Motor Speedway. | 01/17/12 12:18:11 By - Steve Harrison

Romney, Paul continue S.C. push with stops in Rock Hill

The front-runner and an underdog vying for the Republican presidential nomination will make their first stops in Rock Hill today and tomorrow, days before the state's first-in-the-South primary. | 01/17/12 07:30:54 By - Jamie Self

South Carolina Mormons welcome GOP spotlight on their faith

As in 2008, the S.C. Republican Presidential Primary offers the political spectacle of Mitt Romney's Mormon beliefs running head on into a Bible Belt electorate. | 01/17/12 07:21:11 By - Michael Gordon

Obama to speak at Bank of America stadium on DNC's final night

On the final night of this fall's Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech at Bank of America stadium, party sources told the Observer on Monday night. | 01/17/12 07:17:20 By - Jim Morrill

GOP rivals gang up on front-runner Romney in South Carolina debate

His rival Republican presidential candidates slammed Mitt Romney Monday night in an increasingly desperate effort to stop his momentum toward possible victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary — and with it a likely unshakable grip on the party's presidential nomination. They took turns in a fiery debate portraying him as a cold corporate titan who cast aside workers to pocket millions and a secretive millionaire whose record would eventually lead Republicans to regret choosing him. | 01/16/12 22:22:20 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Billionaire Wyoming investor backs Santorum 'super' PAC

A billionaire Wyoming investor has pledged to give up to a half-million dollars in matching money to an outside spending group that supports Rick Santorum for the GOP presidential nomination. | 01/16/12 18:36:00 By - Peter Stone

Gingrich, Santorum court S.C. tea party

Both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum spent part of Monday touting themselves as the true conservative in the race and urging S.C. Tea Party members to back them before it’s too late and frontrunner Mitt Romney runs away with the S.C. primary. | 01/16/12 18:30:24 By - Gina Smith

Huntsman drops GOP bid, endorses Romney

Jon Huntsman dropped his struggling campaign for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination Monday and endorsed rival Mitt Romney.

The former governor of Utah and ambassador to China bowed to the inevitable, hastening the end of a beleaguered campaign that had little money, next to no popular support and no prospect for significant gains in any states coming up on the primary calendar. | 01/16/12 12:11:37 By - Steven Thomma

Black Republicans raise their profile, focus on character

The isolation of being African-American and Republican rang clear to Sam Bain when he joined a group of about 100 other sign-waving protesters at a 2010 speech by President Barack Obama at Ohio State University. | 01/16/12 11:38:43 By - Mara Rose Williams

Perry says South Carolina isn't his campaign's Alamo

Gov. Rick Perry said Sunday that he is undaunted by his failure to win the backing of leading social conservatives and expressed confidence that he can still rally conservative voters in Saturday's South Carolina primary with his message of job creation and economic recovery. | 01/16/12 07:36:34 By - Dave Montgomery

Sen. DeMint kicks off S.C. tea party convention in Myrtle Beach

This year’s election is a fight, and U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint is certain conservatives can win.

“If they won’t see the light, make them feel the heat,” he told Tea Party convention attendees from all over South Carolina as he opened the two-day party convention in Myrtle Beach on Sunday. | 01/16/12 07:33:00 By - Lorena Anderson

Romney's rivals hope to catch a wave in Myrtle Beach debate

Tonight’s Republican presidential debate in Myrtle Beach is likely to be the most important one yet for both South Carolina and the national Republican Party. | 01/16/12 07:27:42 By - Gina Smith

Big banks have picked their candidate, and it's Romney

Employees at the five largest U.S. banks by assets, including Bank of America Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co., have given Romney about $600,000 through the first three quarters of 2011, according to the most recent filings available from the Federal Election Commission. No. 2? President Barack Obama, with $200,000. | 01/15/12 19:22:37 By - Andrew Dunn

Huntsman to leave GOP race Monday and endorse Romney

The former governor of Utah never caught on with the Republican primary electorate, suspect for accepting President Barack Obama’s nomination to be his ambassador to China, and branded as too moderate for his acceptance of the science of global warming. Polls showed him tied for last place with Gov. Rick Perry of Texas in both South Carolina and Florida, which votes on Jan. 31 and where Huntsman once based his campaign. | 01/15/12 16:53:00 By - Steven Thomma and Gina Smith

Predicting the South Carolina GOP vote is a challenge

As the campaign for South Carolina's first-in-the-South Republican presidential primary enters its final week, many GOP activists and analysts in the state warn against portraying it as an ultraconservative bastion dominated by single-minded evangelicals. While true in some aspects, they say, such a simplistic depiction ignores a shifting swirl of demographic, religious and historical currents that belie pat predictions about the outcome of Saturday's voting. | 01/15/12 14:58:00 By - James Rosen

'Stop Romney' Christian conservatives decide to back Santorum

With South Carolina's Republican presidential primary a week away, former Sen. Rick Santorum on Saturday received the endorsement of 150 influential Christian conservative leaders who are hoping to prevent former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney from becoming the GOP nominee. | 01/14/12 16:04:00 By - William Douglas and Adam Beam

Is it too late for Newt Gingrich in Florida? He thinks not

Newt Gingrich started to turn Florida’s Republican primary into a two-man contest Friday by hitting opponent Mitt Romney from the right, left and center at Miami’s Versailles Restaurant and during a headquarters opening in Orlando. | 01/14/12 10:40:41 By - Marc Caputo and Patricia Mazzei

Romney's Bain made millions as S.C. steelmaker went bankrupt

Bain Capital spent $24.5 million to acquire GS Industries in 1993, according to an investment prospectus for the company. By the end of that decade, Bain Capital estimated its partners had made $58.4 million off its investment. During that time, the steel manufacturer cut more than 1,750 jobs, shuttered a division that had been around for 100 years and eventually sank into bankruptcy. | 01/14/12 09:48:09 By - David Wren

Romney's record at Bain dominates another campaign day

With the Republican presidential race in South Carolina tightening Friday, front-runner Mitt Romney launched a TV ad that portrays his tenure as the head of a private equity firm positively, while Newt Gingrich unveiled a Web spot mocking Romney's ability to speak French. | 01/13/12 18:51:00 By - William Douglas

S.C. tea party to hold convention in Myrtle Beach before GOP debate

The South Carolina Tea Party Coalition is hosting its first-ever state Tea Party Convention in Myrtle Beach prior to the GOP presidential debate. | 01/13/12 07:24:58 By - Brad Dickerson

Romney defends his record at Bain Capital as GOP rivals attack

After enduring days of blistering attacks from his rivals, Republican presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney on Thursday defended his record at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that sometimes laid off workers while attempting to turn companies around. | 01/12/12 18:46:00 By - William Douglas and Adam Beam

Social conservative leaders to huddle in Texas, assess 2012 GOP candidates

Social conservative leaders from across the nation will gather at a Texas ranch this weekend to discuss their choice of candidates in the Republican presidential race, including the possibility of uniting behind a candidate other than front-runner Mitt Romney. | 01/12/12 18:12:00 By - Dave Montgomery

Obama's campaign rakes in $68 million in 4th quarter

President Barack Obama's re-election campaign raised $68 million in the last three months of 2011, closing out a healthy year that dwarfed his Republican opponents. | 01/12/12 17:59:00 By - Lesley Clark

Super PACs are making their rich presence felt in 2012 campaigns

Super PACs are living up to their early billing as potential game-changers in the 2012 elections. Free to flood a campaign with as much money as they can, these souped-up political action committees have already impacted the Republican presidential contest. | 01/12/12 16:12:00 By - David Goldstein

In S.C., Gingrich says he can unite Republicans

Trailing another disappointing fourth place primary finish, Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich added himself to a growing list of underdogs pinning their White House hopes on South Carolina voters Wednesday morning in Rock Hill. | 01/12/12 07:22:09 By - Jamie Self

Poll: Florida voters narrowly prefer Romney to Obama

Florida voters disapprove of President Barack Obama’s job performance, say he doesn’t deserve to be reelected and narrowly prefer Republican Mitt Romney in a theoretical matchup, according to a new poll. | 01/12/12 07:06:07 By - Marc Caputo

In South Carolina, Romney's GOP opponents attack his business record

The Republican presidential sweepstakes shifted Wednesday to South Carolina, where former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney hopes to keep running the table of contests while his rivals try desperately to halt his momentum toward the GOP nomination. | 01/11/12 18:19:00 By - William Douglas and David Lightman

Perry throws jabs at Romney, Bain Capital in S.C. stop

While New Hampshire cast its votes Tuesday, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry immersed himself in South Carolina voters – shaking hands at a breakfast meet-and-greet in Rock Hill and dishing out harsh criticism of front-runner Mitt Romney for lunch in Indian Land. | 01/11/12 07:40:43 By - Don Worthington and Jamie Self

Paul, Perry are a tale of two Texans in New Hampshire

With New Hampshire in the rearview mirror, the two Texans in the Republican presidential campaign face vastly differing sets of challenges as the race turns toward the first Southern primary in South Carolina. | 01/11/12 07:33:17 By - Dave Montgomery

South Carolina is now in GOP spotlight

South Carolinians, be careful where you step over the next 10 days. You might trip over a Republican presidential candidate. New Hampshire’s GOP primary offered no knockout blows Tuesday night, meaning the Palmetto State will be flooded by the half-dozen-member Republican field in the run-up to this state’s first-in-the-South primary Jan. 21. | 01/11/12 07:21:22 By - Wayne Washington

Romney looks like the nominee, but his flaws could hurt come fall

Mitt Romney heads out of New Hampshire on Wednesday on a probable march to the Republican presidential nomination — but with scars and weaknesses that could lead him to limp weakly into a general election against President Barack Obama. | 01/10/12 20:19:00 By - Steven Thomma

Romney wins in New Hampshire, strengthens claim to GOP nomination

Mitt Romney won a decisive victory Tuesday in New Hampshire's Republican primary, scoring a solid triumph that firmly establishes him as the favorite to win the 2012 GOP presidential nomination. He became the first Republican non-incumbent presidential candidate to win both Iowa and New Hampshire's early contests. | 01/10/12 20:14:00 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Perry: Romney, Wall Street firms are 'vultures'

Banking on South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary to "give us our second wind," Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday likened front runner Mitt Romney and Bain Capital, the private equity firm he used to run, to "vultures" that swooped in to buy and sell companies, leaving behind many unemployed workers with nothing. | 01/10/12 17:06:28 By - Tim Funk

Don't call Mitt Romney ‘The 25 Percent Man’ any longer in Florida

Once mocked as "The 25 Percent Man" due to his poll numbers, Mitt Romney can now boast he's leading the GOP presidential race in Florida, where a new poll shows him earning more than a third of the vote. | 01/09/12 17:30:28 By - Marc Caputo

Romney retains big lead in polls as voting begins in New Hampshire

The race for the Republican presidential nomination has two tiers in this state, which votes Tuesday in the first 2012 primary. Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, can take a giant step forward with a big win here, while his five major challengers are vying for the mantle of chief Romney opponent. | 01/09/12 17:20:00 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

S.C. voters wonder: Will Rick Perry play the spoiler?

Heath Stephens, a 48-year-old auto repair shop owner, has decided he is not voting for Mitt Romney. After that, it gets kind of tricky. At the Beacon Drive-In Sunday afternoon, Stephens listened to Rick Perry talk about his faith in Jesus Christ and how Texas, where Perry is governor, is the “most competitive state in the nation” — two things Stephens liked to hear. But with Perry at 5 percent in the polls, Stephens is troubled. | 01/09/12 07:37:46 By - Adam Beam

ACLU raises concerns over ordinances in Charlotte, N.C., for DNC

The city of Charlotte's proposed crowd-control ordinances for the Democratic National Convention have concerned the American Civil Liberties Union, which fears the new rules would give police too much power. | 01/09/12 07:25:24 By - Steve Harrison

California Republicans resigned to irrelevance in GOP presidential race

While the Republican presidential campaigns fast-forward to New Hampshire on Tuesday and South Carolina on Jan. 21, hardly anyone in California is off the couch. Republicans here know the race may be over before they vote on June 5. "Sadly, we are irrelevant," said Celeste Greig, president of the conservative California Republican Assembly. | 01/09/12 06:49:11 By - David Siders and Torey Van Oot

New Hampshire voters take their time to make their minds

Don't tell a New Hampshire voter what to do.

These Yankee stoics will make up their minds about Tuesday's Republican primary when they're good and ready. They spent the weekend seeing and studying the candidates in their own deliberate way. And frankly, they'll tell you, none of 'em are all that impressive. | 01/09/12 06:44:40 By - David Lightman

Commentary: Romney might wish to decline Haley's endorsement

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney would have been better off had he won the endorsement of President Barack Obama instead of S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley. | 01/09/12 06:07:52 By - Issac J.Bailey

Romney takes his lumps at last New Hampshire debate

Republican rivals ganged up on front runner Mitt Romney in a nationally televised debate Sunday, their last high-profile chance to challenge his lead in New Hampshire and slow his momentum toward the nomination. "Pious baloney," one candidate sneered at Romney. | 01/08/12 20:34:37 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Ron Paul running a solid second in New Hampshire

Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, is pushing for a strong second-place finish in Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire, where his Libertarian-style campaign seems to resonate with the state's independent-minded voters and young people. | 01/08/12 00:01:00 By - Maria Recio

GOP candidates target Romney, each other, in spirited debate

Mitt Romney coolly defended his solid New Hampshire lead Saturday night in a high-stakes debate as his rivals took aim at each other as they struggled to emerge as Romney's main challenger. | 01/07/12 23:19:45 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Gingrich, Santorum accused of racially insensitive remarks

Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum are fending off accusations that they made racially tinged remarks about African-Americans and public assistance. | 01/06/12 18:29:00 By - William Douglas

Santorum will be in the spotlight at Saturday night's debate

Republican presidential candidates face off for their first debate in three weeks on Saturday night, a high-stakes showdown as Mitt Romney hints that he's poised to run away with the nomination and Rick Santorum grabs the spotlight for the first time in the battle to be the main anti-Romney. | 01/06/12 17:55:00 By - Steven Thomma, David Lightman and William Douglas

Independents may hold key to New Hampshire primary

The outcome of Tuesday's New Hampshire primary probably depends on this state's historically flinty, unpredictable independent voters. About 40 percent of the state's registered voters are formally unaffiliated with any political party, and they can vote in the GOP primary. | 01/06/12 16:22:17 By - David Lightman

Rick Santorum's presidential ambition is rooted in his faith

For former Sen. Rick Santorum, it's always been about faith. Deep religious faith fuels Santorum's conservative politics. It's what propelled him into becoming one of Congress' leading opponents of abortion, same-sex marriage and wrongdoing by fellow lawmakers, regardless of party affiliation. | 12/13/11 14:35:00 By - William Douglas

Romney's changes of heart worry conservatives

Mitt Romney: flexible pragmatist, or a politically soulless flip-flopper too eager to please? Add this shifting nuance on health to position changes or tweaks on abortion, the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays, and a host of other issues, and Romney has a reputation as someone without a strong political core, an opportunistic flip-flopper who adjusts his stands as majority opinion shifts. | 12/07/11 03:00:35 By - David Lightman

Santorum's S.C. campaign gets boost from BlueCross BlueShield execs

Rick Santorum’s S.C. base — at least financially speaking — is BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, located in northeast Richland County. The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania had raised $80,080 from S.C. donors as of the end of 2011’s third quarter. More than a quarter of that money, $21,000, came from top executives of BlueCross. | 01/06/12 07:35:20 By - Gina Smith

Analysis: Romney tax plan would most benefit wealthy

Mitt Romney's tax plan would cut taxes for fewer than half of American households, with the wealthy getting most of the benefits, according to an independent analysis released Thursday. | 01/05/12 19:22:00 By - Lesley Clark

Santorum faces a GOP crowd in New Hampshire different from Iowa

He surged out of nowhere in Iowa. Now, can Rick Santorum do the same in New Hampshire? How he navigates here will determine whether he's another Pat Buchanan, who scored an impressive populist protest vote against an establishment choice here in both the 1992 and 1996 GOP primaries, or another Mike Huckabee, who in 2008 watched his Iowa success stopped cold here. | 01/05/12 18:15:00 By - Steven Thomma and William Douglas

It's Romney vs. the field in New Hampshire, and he's way ahead

New Hampshire's Republican presidential primary campaign evolved Thursday into two different races: Mitt Romney trying to expand his huge lead, while everyone else scrambled to become the chief alternative to him. | 01/05/12 17:38:00 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

GOP candidates get ready to rumble in South Carolina

The brawl, known as the S.C. Republican presidential primary, is on. After he nearly bowed out of the race Tuesday, Rick Perry’s new plan is to claw his way back to the top of the pack in the Palmetto State, regaining his mantle as the anti-Mitt Romney candidate for conservative Republicans. | 01/05/12 07:27:43 By - Gina Smith

Romney could face test from Santorum in South Carolina

Rick Santorum has lagged near the bottom of the pack in South Carolina, mired below 3 percent in most polls. That's despite the fact that he's spent more time in the state than any of his Republican presidential rivals. | 01/05/12 07:19:38 By - Jim Morrill and Tim Funk

Bachmann's future still undecided

As the reality of Michele Bachmann’s failed presidential bid set in on Wednesday, the Minnesota Republican gave no indication of what’s in store for her future — or whether she even plans to stay in politics. | 01/04/12 19:34:25 By - Kevin Diaz and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

As GOP race's pace quickens, Romney's on top — and the target

The Republican presidential campaign shifted to New Hampshire on Wednesday with one key question hanging over it: Can Mitt Romney deliver the landslide win his polls and organization suggest is within reach, or will he fall to sharp new attacks and the state's history of turning on the winner of Iowa's caucuses? | 01/04/12 18:36:00 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Michele Bachmann gives up the race after finishing sixth in Iowa

Wasting little time to assess her disappointing loss in the Iowa caucuses, Rep. Michele Bachmann quickly closed the door Wednesday on her hopes to win the White House. | 01/04/12 16:36:00 By - David Goldstein

Santorum is peaking in Iowa, but then what?

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has gone from afterthought to X Factor in the Republican presidential field during the closing days before Tuesday's Iowa caucuses. | 12/31/11 14:57:00 By - William Douglas and David Lightman

GOP’s Iowa race tightens poll finds as contenders urge support

Republican presidential candidates spent the last day of 2011 Saturday making their closing arguments to curious, often uncertain voters as the race remained fluid. | 12/31/11 17:19:00 By - David Lightman, Steven Thomma and William Douglas

Newt says Obama seeks to steal elections with ID ruling

Republican presidential hopefuls spent Saturday crisscrossing Iowa Saturday ahead of Tuesday's caucuses, but some candidates had one eye towards South Carolina's Jan. 21 primary and an issue that might help them gain traction in the Palmetto State. | 12/31/11 17:32:00 By - William Douglas

As Iowa heads to caucuses, undecideds will make their mark

Shifts happen in the 48 hours before Iowa caucuses, and Sunday it was clear the outcome of the nation's first presidential voting Tuesday depends on a huge army of undecided, wavering Iowa caucus-goers. | 01/01/12 14:21:00 By - David Lightman

With Iowa's voting, GOP likely to plot future path

Republicans enter a new election year Tuesday debating more than just who should be their nominee for president against Barack Obama. They're engaged in a struggle over how radically they can or should change the country's course. | 01/02/12 16:17:00 By - Steven Thomma

Iowa Republicans poised to remake campaign for White House

Iowa Republicans will gather Tuesday night at fire stations, schools, libraries and community centers across the state to vote their choice for the GOP nomination to oppose President Barack Obama this fall. Yet even at this last minute, the outcome remains highly unpredictable. | 01/02/12 17:09:00 By - David Lightman and William Douglas

Texas Gov. Rick Perry decides to stay in presidential race

After sending signals that he might drop out of the Republican presidential contest after a poor showing in Iowa, Texas Gov. Rick Perry “reassessed” his political future during a morning run Wednesday and vowed to plunge into the next round of primaries, in New Hampshire and South Carolina. | 01/04/12 13:39:14 By - Dave Montgomery and Maria Recio

Romney played Iowa smartly, but challenges loom down the line

The Iowa caucus campaign exposed potentially troublesome obstacles that the former Massachusetts governor will face in the weeks ahead. He failed to ignite much passion among voters, and still must fight for the trust of the Republican Party's powerful conservative base. | 01/03/12 21:33:00 By - David Lightman

Romney edges Santorum for Iowa win — by eight votes

After vote totals for two out of more than 1700 precincts were delayed for hours, the Iowa Republican Party chairman reported at 1:35 a.m. CST that Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, had edged Rick Santorum, the former senator from Pennsylvania, by 8 votes out of over 60,000 cast for the pair. Each candidate pulled 25 percent of the total vote. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was a close third, with 21 percent. | 01/03/12 21:02:00 By - Steven Thomma

Texas Gov. Perry's poor Iowa showing leaves him reassessing campaign

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is reassessing whether to continue his presidential campaign after sustaining the first defeat in a 27-year political career Tuesday night. Rather than moving on to South Carolina today as scheduled, Perry told supporters at his headquarters hotel that he would return to Texas to assess the results of the caucuses and determine "whether there is a path forward for myself in this race." | 01/03/12 19:10:00 By - Dave Montgomery

Move over GOP; Obama heads Wednesday to swing state Ohio

With the first contest of the Republican presidential primary over, President Barack Obama will hustle to get back into the spotlight, jetting to battleground state Ohio on Wednesday to renew his push for boosting the economy. | 01/03/12 18:26:00 By - Lesley Clark

Santorum will ride momentum from Iowa into New Hampshire, eyeing S.C., too

Emboldened by his strong Iowa finish, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is headed to New Hampshire — the heart of Mitt Romney country — instead of making a beeline with fellow social conservatives Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann to more politically hospitable South Carolina. | 01/03/12 18:05:00 By - William Douglas

Perry aims for an Iowa Caucus surprise

Fortified by legions of reinforcements from Texas, Gov. Rick Perry spent Monday, the final day before the Iowa caucuses, seeking to build a last-minute surge and vowing to prove the pollsters wrong. | 01/03/12 07:41:35 By - Dave Montgomery

Gay rights in N.C. face scrutiny as state hosts DNC

As Charlotte and North Carolina take the national spotlight for this year's Democratic National Convention, one area will get particular scrutiny: the region's climate for gays and lesbians. | 01/03/12 07:28:12 By - Celeste Smith

Santorum savors boost from poll, promises to compete everywhere

A surging Rick Santorum said Sunday he feels "very good" about his chances for a top tier finish in Iowa's Republican caucuses, even as he found himself facing criticisms and questions attached to his last minute rise from obscurity. | 01/02/12 21:53:59 By - Steven Thomma, William Douglas and David Lightman

Gov. Perry and Rep. Paul — both Texans, but hardly twins

They both reside in the Lone Star State, but in many other respects, Rick Perry and Ron Paul are as different as Paint Creek and Pittsburgh.

For the two Texans in the 2012 presidential race, the path toward Tuesday’s Iowa caucuses and beyond has been marked by shifting fortunes. | 01/01/12 13:38:30 By - Dave Montgomery

Iowa Republicans closing in on presidential choice as caucuses near

With Iowa Republicans starting to make up their minds — and shuffling the deck of candidates — the 2012 presidential contest turned emotional Friday, just days before the state's caucuses kick off the voting for a GOP nominee. | 12/30/11 17:49:33 By - Steven Thomma, David Lightman and William Douglas

Romney gambles on finishing strong in Iowa

Mitt Romney's mathematical path to success in Tuesday's Iowa Republican caucuses seems simple: Just hold onto the 25 percent of the vote he got four years ago. | 12/30/11 17:35:41 By - David Lightman

GOP candidates split into 2 tiers in Iowa

The volatile struggle for votes in next Tuesday's Iowa Republican presidential caucuses featured two different fights Thursday. Despite all the news media attention to the latest polls, the outcome remains difficult to predict, since many voters are still candidate-shopping. | 12/29/11 18:31:00 By - David Lightman, William Douglas and Steven Thomma

Ron Paul's rivals give him a free pass in Iowa ads

He could easily win the Iowa precinct caucuses next Tuesday, which kick off the voting for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. Yet Ron Paul is largely getting a free pass from his rivals and their supporters, the only top-tier candidate who's escaping the torrent of high-profile attack ads flooding the state's airwaves. | 12/28/11 18:28:10 By - Steven Thomma

Elizabeth Dole endorses Mitt Romney

Former U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole has endorsed Mitt Romney in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. | 12/28/11 11:44:58 By -

Democrats bet Obama-bashing in Iowa will backfire on GOP

In Iowa, the daily bombardment of criticism aimed at President Barack Obama seems to have no end. But if Iowa Democrats are discouraged, they hide it well. In interview after interview, they insist that the pounding from Republicans is backfiring and will motivate a Democratic base that’s been dormant for months. | 12/28/11 07:05:52 By - Steve Kraske

GOP hopefuls return to Iowa for frantic final week

With Christmas out of the way, the battle for the Republican presidential nomination resumed with gusto Tuesday, a still-wide-open race meaning a frantic dash in the final week before Iowa kicks off the voting Jan. 3. | 12/27/11 18:10:49 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

GOP presidential candidates count on good 'ground game' for South Carolina primary

With less than a month before South Carolina's first-in-the-South primary, the presidential candidates are jumpstarting their Palmetto State organizations, opening offices, hiring workers and reaching out to potential backers. | 12/27/11 07:12:54 By - Gina Smith

Justice Department objects to South Carolina's voter ID law

The U.S. Justice Department has rejected South Carolina's controversial voter ID law. South Carolina officials can appeal the ruling, but until then the law would be "legally unenforceable," according to a letter sent to the S.C. Attorney General’s office. | 12/23/11 17:45:53 By - Adam Beam

What will it take to win South Carolina's GOP primary?

One month from today, South Carolina voters will pick their Republican presidential choice out of a crowded field. And, if history holds, they will also pick the Republican presidential candidate. Since 1980, the state’s GOP voters have successfully chosen the eventual nominee. | 12/21/11 07:34:02 By - Adam Beam

Romney, Huntsman, Perry all kin to past presidents

Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry already sport the presidential look: perfectly coiffed hair, a touch of gray, a firm jaw line. Now there's word that it may be inherited. | 12/20/11 00:01:00 By - Lesley Clark

Rick Perry draws Texas retirement plus his salary

Gov. Rick Perry is double-dipping, drawing retirement income from the state in addition to his salary as governor since late January, newly released records show. | 12/19/11 07:38:58 By - Maria Recio

Gingrich rails at courts, suggests ignoring rulings

Picking up where he left off in last Thursday's Republican presidential debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on Saturday continued to rail against the federal judicial system, accusing it of overstepping its constitutional role and arguing that the president and Congress can ignore court decisions. | 12/17/11 15:38:38 By - William Douglas

Iowa GOP race is wide open, and anyone might win

Hold on to your hats. The Republican presidential campaign in Iowa heads into its final two weeks with a wild race that's wide open. Almost anyone could win. | 12/16/11 18:14:25 By - Steven Thomma

S.C. Gov. Haley endorses Romney

Gov. Nikki Haley has endorsed Mitt Romney for president and will campaign with him in South Carolina this weekend.

“He is a conservative businessman who has spent his life working in the economy, and he understands exactly how jobs are created,” Haley said in a news release from Romney’s campaign. | 12/16/11 10:10:34 By - Adam Beam and Gina Smith

Gingrich comes under attack in last debate before Iowa caucuses

Republican presidential candidates tried mightily Thursday to strengthen their stature as the conservative best poised to beat President Barack Obama as they engaged in their final debate before voting for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination starts in less than three weeks. | 12/15/11 22:13:43 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Perry hopes for strong showing in GOP's final pre-Iowa debate

Republican presidential contenders tonight will hold their final debate before the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. For Rick Perry, that may be good news since it means he won't have to participate in any more this year. | 12/15/11 07:44:44 By - Dave Montgomery

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson mulls presidential run as Libertarian

Gary Johnson says he isn’t planning to leave the Republican Party. "The party left me," said Johnson, a little-known former New Mexico governor and Republican presidential candidate. "The Republican Party hung me out to dry." | 12/15/11 07:00:24 By - Marc Caputo

Michele Bachmann is a conservative with 'a titanium spine'

Michele Bachmann was an "accidental politician," and it all began on April Fool's Day. On April 1, 2000, the 2012 Republican White House hopeful — then a "middle American mom," as she wrote in her recent memoir — made a fateful, spur-of-the moment decision that changed her life. | 12/14/11 15:48:46 By - David Goldstein

Gingrich's N.C. campaign team takes shape

Newt Gingrich's campaign became the first in North Carolina to announce a leadership team, another sign that the state's May 8 primary may matter in the contests for the Republican presidential nomination. | 12/14/11 14:07:29 By - John Frank

Splintered S.C. tea party may not be a factor in GOP race

Just a year after helping sweep in a new Palmetto State governor and four new congressmen, the Tea Party may well be a non-factor in picking the winner of the Republican Party’s South Carolina presidential primary. | 12/14/11 07:31:37 By - Gina Smith

North Carolina could play big role in GOP race, Sen. Burr says

While Republican presidential contenders traipse daily across Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, some North Carolinians are feeling left out. The first GOP primary is only three weeks away, but North Carolinians won't get to weigh in on the nominee until four months later. | 12/14/11 07:14:05 By - Franco Ordoñez

Iowa voters are deluged with campaign ads, some nasty

People in Iowa are getting to see a side of the Republican presidential campaign not nearly as visible to the rest of the country. Candidates and their allies are starting to air TV ads in Iowa as the state enters the final weeks before precinct caucuses on Jan. 3, which will kick off the voting for a 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Some ads match what the rest of the country sees in nationally televised debates; some are more blunt and critical. | 12/13/11 16:42:19 By - Steven Thomma

Gingrich campaigns in California

Hopscotching throughout the state this week, Newt Gingrich insisted first that he is staying in the Republican presidential race and second that he may soon take the lead. | 02/16/12 06:30:20 By - David Siders

Romney courts Arizona primary voters, slams Obama's budget plan

Mitt Romney slammed President Barack Obama's budget proposal on Monday, arguing that the president has failed to keep campaign promises to reduce the nation's deficit while at the same time jeopardizing the safety net for seniors. | 02/14/12 06:26:30 By - Seema Mehta

Gingrich raises money in California, pledges to lower gas prices

On a day packed with California fundraising events to refuel his campaign, Newt Gingrich insisted Monday that he would not drop out of the GOP presidential contest even though polls show he is not now winning the argument against Rick Santorum that he is the best conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. | 02/14/12 06:26:30 By - John Hoeffel

In Michigan, Romney aims to repel surge by Santorum

A month ago, lots of people were wondering whether Michigan would be relevant. Whether, by now, Mitt Romney would have things wrapped up. | 02/15/12 06:28:44 By - Todd Spangler

L.A. Mayor Villaraigosa to chair Democratic National Convention

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has been selected chairman of this summer's Democratic National Convention, elevating his role as a surrogate in the Latino community and raising his national profile at a time Villaraigosa considers his political future. | 02/15/12 06:28:44 By - Mark Z. Barabak and John Hoeffel

Huntsman seeks GOP presidential nomination his way

At 19, Jon Huntsman arrived in Taiwan for a two-year gig as a missionary for the Mormon church. He didn't receive a warm reception. The Taiwanese government was furious at the United States for re-establishing diplomatic ties with China, and the people whom Huntsman was there to recruit to his faith weren't much happier. | 12/12/11 15:40:04 By - Lesley Clark

Ron Paul is striking chords with Iowa GOP voters

Iowa Republican voters are taking Ron Paul very seriously.

So seriously, in fact, that few would be surprised if he finished a strong second — or even won — the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses. | 12/12/11 15:21:24 By - David Lightman

GOP candidates go after Perry's supporters in Texas

The national spotlight is focused for now on Iowa and New Hampshire, where voters will have the first say in choosing a Republican presidential candidate. But, Republican front-runners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are holding fundraisers or meeting with prominent, wealthy Texans who have thrown their support to Gov. Rick Perry. | 12/12/11 07:22:33 By - Anna M. Tinsley

Gingrich hires former Rubio campaign chief Jose Mallea

Republican presidential frontrunner Newt Gingrich has hired U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio’s former campaign chief be his Florida director. | 12/12/11 06:54:43 By - Marc Caputo

Debate further boosts Gingrich's standing

Newt Gingrich is still standing. Three weeks before Iowa Republicans cast the first votes for a 2012 presidential nominee, the man who leads in Iowa and other early voting states such as South Carolina and Florida has emerged seemingly unscathed from a barrage of criticism from rivals in a fiery debate in Iowa. | 12/12/11 06:22:31 By - Steven Thomma

GOP rivals gang up on Newt Gingrich in Iowa debate

Republicans threw everything they could at Newt Gingrich in a fiery debate Saturday night, increasingly desperate to stop his momentum toward the 2012 presidential nomination in the final weeks before voting starts in less than 4 weeks. | 12/10/11 23:06:42 By - Steven Thomma and David Lightman

Romney faces uphill climb in wooing Iowa voters

Mitt Romney faces daunting challenges in this, the first state to vote for the 2012 Republican presidential nominee. Foremost is the sudden widespread support for Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the House of Representatives. Romney's campaign is taking a good guy-bad guy approach, leaving attacks on Gingrich to surrogates while the candidate stays above the fray. | 12/09/11 17:06:35 By - David Lightman

Two debates in the next week may be final frame for Iowa GOP voters

With Newt Gingrich virtually wearing a big target on his back, he and his rivals for the Republican presidential nomination square off Saturday night in the first of two debates in Iowa that could prove pivotal to the contest. | 12/08/11 17:18:17 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Rick Perry, son of west Texas, usually wins what he wants

In the late 1970s, as he approached his 27th birthday, Rick Perry ended a globe-trotting life as an Air Force pilot and headed home to help work the family farm in a stretch of west Texas sometimes called the "Big Empty." | 12/08/11 13:18:38 By - Dave Montgomery

When Gingrich held power, his GOP lieutenants tried to topple him

As former House Speaker Newt Gingrich trumpets his leadership skills in his quest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, a different picture of his stewardship emerges from some GOP lawmakers who served with him during a failed 1997 coup attempt against the controversial speaker. | 12/08/11 12:19:54 By - William Douglas

Romney camp launches attack on surging Gingrich

With his carefully organized campaign suddenly facing a serious threat from Newt Gingrich, on Thursday Mitt Romney launched a strong new offensive aimed at toppling the new Iowa front-runner by recalling Gingrich's controversial past. | 12/08/11 10:18:04 By - David Lightman

Gingrich is soaring, but Iowa race remains highly volatile

Less than a month before the nation's first 2012 Republican presidential voting in Iowa, Newt Gingrich is way ahead in polls, but his lead appears fragile, and the race remains as volatile as it's been all year. | 12/08/11 07:59:31 By - David Lightman

Ron Paul: National town crier for an exotic mix of views

Rep. Ron Paul remembers the day he was transformed from a mild-mannered physician into the feisty political Nostradamus of the Republican Party. It was the evening of Aug.15, 1971. Then-President Richard Nixon announced that he was taking the United States off the gold standard, which had anchored the dollar based on a fixed amount of the precious metal. | 12/08/11 07:59:19 By - William Douglas

Stephen Colbert sought to buy naming rights for Jan. 21 primary in South Carolina

Political satirist and comedian Stephen Colbert met with S.C. Republican Party officials and sought to buy the naming rights for the state’s Jan. 21 GOP presidential primary. | 12/08/11 06:24:37 By - Gina Smith

Perry ad in Iowa accuses Obama of 'war on religion'

With Texas Gov. Rick Perry struggling to regain traction four weeks before the Iowa caucuses, his presidential campaign is running television ads attacking the Obama administration on gay rights instead of the economy, which tops even socially conservative voters' list of concerns. | 12/07/11 19:43:29 By - Curtis Tate

GOP hopefuls bash Obama on relations with Israel

Courting Jewish voters, Republican presidential candidates tore into President Barack Obama's Middle East policies Wednesday, accusing him of not coming down hard enough on Iran's nuclear aspirations and endangering Israel, a longtime U.S. ally. | 12/07/11 18:58:37 By - Lesley Clark and Maria Recio

Gingrich leads on S.C. but most think Obama will be re-elected

Newt Gingrich’s baggage doesn’t seem to be hurting him with likely voters in South Carolina’s Republican Party primary. The Winthrop University poll, released Tuesday, shows the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives has zoomed to the top of the GOP field here among likely Republican primary voters. | 12/07/11 13:30:53 By - Wayne Washington

In lofty speech, Obama appeals for a new commitment to a fair America

President Barack Obama cast the national debate and developing 2012 presidential campaign Tuesday as a battle between two visions of the economy, government and society. “The free market is the greatest force for economic progress in human history. It’s led to a prosperity and standard of living unmatched by the rest of the world,” Obama told an audience of about 1,200 in a high school gym in Osawatome, Kansas. | 12/06/11 19:43:56 By - Steven Thomma

Gingrich takes big lead in S.C. polls

Newt Gingrich is the new anti-Romney, soaring past the former Massachusetts governor and perennial presidential front-runner by 17 percentage points in a new poll of likely S.C. Republican primary voters | 12/06/11 07:28:59 By - Adam Beam

Newt Gingrich — a portrait of a complicated politician

Just who is Newt Gingrich anyway? As he seeks the Republican presidential nomination, even Gingrich concedes that choice could be a difficult call for voters, as his life — both political and personal — has been a rollercoaster ride of soaring highs and messy lows. | 12/05/11 15:34:03 By - William Douglas

ANALYSIS: Political lessons from Herman Cain's campaign

Herman Cain’s campaign is gone, but the political takeaways live on: You must inspire to catch fire. Cain gave Republicans something they hadn’t heard from the other presidential candidates: an inspiring message. Cain gave them a reason to vote for someone, rather than just against someone. And he has a sense of humor. Mitt Romney, who stands to see opponent Newt Gingrich grow stronger from Cain’s implosion, should take note. | 12/05/11 07:17:15 By - Marc Caputo

Cain ends embattled campaign, saying he's 'at peace'

His popularity sinking and his credibility under attack, Herman Cain suspended his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on Saturday in a defiant, unapologetic blaze of glory. | 12/03/11 16:57:15 By - David Goldstein

Romney steps up campaign in Iowa as Gingrich soars

Mitt Romney ramped up his campaign Thursday in Iowa — the first state to vote, on Jan. 3, in the 2012 Republican presidential campaign — a strategy that may be necessary now that Newt Gingrich poses a serious threat to Romney's White House bid. | 12/01/11 18:18:58 By - David Lightman

Gingrich tops polls in Florida

One-time poll cellar dweller Newt Gingrich is the new star on Florida’s political stage. But unlike with other presidential frontrunners, Gingrich’s support looks strong, with 41 to 47 percent of voters favoring the former House speaker, according to surveys released by InsiderAdvantage and Public Policy Polling, respectively. | 12/01/11 07:04:10 By - Marc Caputo

Poll: Californians unsure on Obama but would pick him over GOP contenders

Voters in deep blue California aren't so sure they want to send President Barack Obama back to the White House in 2012, but they still prefer the Democratic incumbent over the GOP alternatives by double-digit margins. | 12/01/11 06:54:42 By - Torey Van Oot

Poll: Gingrich new S.C. leader

The revolving carousel of Republican presidential leaders in South Carolina has taken another turn; this time, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is leading in the Palmetto State. | 11/30/11 18:34:04 By -

S.C. operative: No regrets about abandoning Gingrich

Did former South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Katon Dawson switch horses too early a few months ago when he abandoned then-floundering Newt Gingrich to become chief of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's campaign in the state's critical, first-in-the-South presidential primary? Dawson, an influential pol who fell just short of becoming national Republican chairman nearly three years ago, doesn't think so. | 11/29/11 07:39:56 By - James Rosen

Mitt Romney picks up key endorsements in Florida

Mitt Romney will pick up the ultimate Cuban-American endorsement trifecta Tuesday in South Florida: The support of U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros Lehtinen and Mario Diaz-Balart, and his brother, former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart. | 11/29/11 06:52:32 By - Marc Caputo

GOP rivals go for laughs as the primaries approach

After Texas Gov. Rick Perry experienced a brain freeze before a national audience, his first post-disaster stop was the “Late Show with David Letterman.” And last week, long-shot candidate Jon Huntsman, the former Utah governor, poked fun at his single-digit poll ratings on “Saturday Night Live.” | 11/28/11 07:36:59 By - Gina Smith

Gingrich tops poll as he heads to S.C.

Setting his sights on a victory in South Carolina's pivotal, first-in-the-South primary, new Republican front-runner Newt Gingrich will campaign in the state today through Wednesday. | 11/28/11 07:18:59 By - Tim Funk

Bachmann’s new book details the making of a conservative

The book traces the arc of Bachmann’s conservative world view, grounded as it is in an idyllic Iowa childhood and a traditional morality that grew out of sync with the changing social mores and the political tumult of the 1960s and '70s. | 11/23/11 17:11:00 By - Kevin Diaz

GOP presidential candidates debate liberty vs. security in age of terrorism

The Republican presidential candidates grappled Tuesday with how to balance civil liberties and security, from the war on terrorism at home and abroad to check-in lines at airports. | 11/22/11 21:37:36 By - David Lightman and Steven Thomma

Will Rick Perry's campaign rebound in Iowa?

Just a few minutes earlier, he was standing in front of plant workers in eastern Iowa, vowing to shake up Washington by creating a part-time Congress, ending life-time appointments for federal judges and shuttering dysfunctional agencies. Now, speech concluded, Gov. Rick Perry is seated on the edge of a platform on the factory floor, scrolling through his smart phone to show a 5-year-old Izzie Insisiengmay photos of the Perry family dogs. | 11/21/11 07:42:44 By - Dave Montgomery

Is Rick Perry's rough ride embarrassing Texas?

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, now at single-digit lows in polls after his high-flying start on the presidential campaign trail, has performed so badly on the national stage that there's talk back home _especially from Democrats — that he's embarrassing Texas. | 11/17/11 17:49:04 By - Maria Recio

Cain brings struggling campaign to South Florida

Returning to the state that made him a rising star seven weeks ago, Herman Cain stumps this morning in South Florida as a different candidate, nagged by questions about his foreign-policy expertise and his handling of sexual-harassment allegations. | 11/16/11 07:00:33 By - Marc Caputo

Despite auto bailouts Obama's no cinch to win Michigan next year

All over suburban Detroit, where people still feel the pain of auto industry turmoil, the political debate for 2012 proceeds like this: On paper, Obama should have an easy time here. But Obama's fate is hard to assess. | 11/15/11 18:46:58 By - David Lightman

Poll: Gingrich scores best vs. Obama among voters today

Newt Gingrich is the strongest Republican candidate when matched head to head against Democratic President Barack Obama, according to a McClatchy-Marist Poll released Tuesday. | 11/15/11 18:45:04 By - Steven Thomma

Perry would cut salaries for the U.S. Congress

Hoping that his infamous "oops moment" is old news, Gov. Rick Perry returned to Iowa on Monday with plans to unveil a sweeping federal consolidation that he said would "uproot all three branches of government." | 11/15/11 15:18:06 By - Dave Montgomery

Perry's proposes to 'uproot all three branches of government'

Hoping that his infamous "oops moment" is old news, Gov. Rick Perry returned to Iowa on Monday with plans to unveil a sweeping federal consolidation that he said would "uproot all three branches of government." Perry said he would shutter wasteful federal agencies, including the one he famously failed to remember in a debate last week. | 11/15/11 07:17:20 By - Dave Montgomery

Bachmann heads for South Carolina

Emerging from a downtown office building this week after a seminal speech on conservative values, Rep. Michele Bachmann stepped into one of her campaign’s newest forms of conveyance, a plain red extended-cab pickup truck. | 11/14/11 19:28:01 By - Kevin Diaz

As Perry's poll numbers shrink, so does market for his books

A much-hyped wave of books on Gov. Rick Perry has shrunk to a trickle. In light of the presidential candidate's plummeting poll numbers and cringe-inducing gaffe at Wednesday's debate, the market for Perry books appears to be closing fast with at least one planned work already shelved. | 11/14/11 07:30:46 By - Aman Batheja

Poll: Romney leads, Gingrich surges, Cain sinks

The Republican presidential race is being shaken up again, with Mitt Romney retaking the lead, Newt Gingrich surging into second place, and Herman Cain dropping to third place, according to a new McClatchy-Marist nationwide poll released Friday. | 11/11/11 10:26:08 By - Steven Thomma