Gingrich Wins S.C. Primary

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has upset former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the South Carolina primary on Saturday.

Gingrich received 41 percent of the vote. Romney garnered 27 percent, while former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum came in third with 17 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul received 13 percent of the vote.

Perry Ends Presidential Campaign, Endorses Gingrich

Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced this morning at a North Charleston, S.C., press conference that he has ended his presidential campaign.

"I have come to the conclusion there is no viable path forward for me in 2012," he said after stressing he brought a "unique perspective" to the campaign as the governor of the Lone Star State who came from humble roots. "I know when its time to make a strategic retreat."

Perry's campaign failed to gain traction after an initial surge after he announced his candidacy in Charleston in August. He suffered from a series of poor debate performances, and gay activists blasted him for equating openly gay and lesbian servicemembers as proof of President Barack Obama's so-called war on religion.

Perry also endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"I believe Newt is a visionary conservative who can transform this country," he said.

Poll: Romney Remains N.H. Frontrunner

A new poll from WMUR and the University of New Hampshire indicates that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remains the clear frontrunner, but a third of likely Republican primary voters remain undecided.

Forty-four percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Romney, up from 39 percent two weeks ago. Texas Congressman Ron Paul came in second place with 20 percent, while eight percent of likely GOP primary voters said they would vote for either former House Speaker Newt Gingrich or former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Santorum, who has come under fire for his opposition to marriage for same-sex couples, has seen his support increase by five percentage points since he nearly won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Gingrich's support, however, has dropped by nine percentage points over the last two weeks.

The UNH Survey Center surveyed 631 likely Republican primary voters between Jan. 2-5.

Romney Ekes Out Narrow Victory Over Santorum in Iowa Caucuses

What a nail biter!

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney eked out an eight-vote victory over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in the Iowa Republican caucuses.

Santorum and Romney were tied throughout the night, and Iowa Republican Chair Matt Strawn only announced the results in the wee hours. Texas Congressman Ron Paul came in third with 21 percent of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came in fourth; while Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman rounded out the pack.

Candidates Prepare for Final Push in N.H.

Downtown Manchester was largely quiet on this post-Christmas Monday, but Republican presidential candidates’ staffers and volunteers were hard at work 15 days before the first-in-the-nation GOP primary.

Two volunteers with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign stressed that presidential candidates should stay out of the ongoing debate over a bill that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law. A vote on the proposal could potentially coincide with the Jan. 10 primary, but a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in October found that 62 percent of likely voters oppose efforts to repeal the law that took effect in Jan. 2010.

Less than a mile south on Elm Street, staffers and volunteers were busy in former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign office. (An ad that features Romney talking about fiscal responsibility and another from Texas Congressman Ron Paul that specifically attacks the former Massachusetts governor, President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi just aired on WMUR. Another spot touted former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman as a “true conservative” compared to Gingrich and Romney. A fourth ad that features three Republicans and one Democrat who oppose the marriage equality repeal bill also ran towards the end of WMUR's 6 p.m. newscast.)

Less than two miles away, volunteers with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman were busy bringing signs and other supplies into the campaign’s Elm Street office. Signs for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Gov. Rick Perry also lined the street. Others for Paul greeted drivers at the intersection of Queen City Avenue and South Willow Street.

Hordes of shoppers who descended upon the Mall of New Hampshire seemed oblivious to the upcoming vote.

On Elm Street.

Outside the Romney campaign's New Hampshire headquarters on Elm Street.

Gingrich touts his "21st Century Contract with America" in downtown Manchester.

Huntsman's campaign headquarters on Elm Street.

Boehner: Gingrich is a Conservative

Is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich a real conservative?

House Speaker John Boehner described Gingrich as such during Politico’s monthly Playbook Breakfast at the Newseum in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 14.

“It would be hard to describe Newt as not conservative,” Boehner told Politico reporter Mike Allen. “I’m not sure he’s as conservative as some people think he is, but Newt is a conservative.”

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to cast doubt on Gingrich’s conservative credentials ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. The thrice-married Gingrich on Monday, Dec. 12, pledged to remain faithful to his wife Callista and defend the federal Defense of Marriage Act when he became the latest Republican presidential candidate to endorse the Family Leader’s so-called “marriage pledge.”

Is this enough to convince traditionally conservative Iowa caucusgoers?

A Public Policy Polling survey found that 22 percent of likely Iowa caucusgoers support Gingrich, compared 22 percent who back Texas Congressman Ron Paul and 16 percent who endorse Romney.

“We have a lot of good candidates out there,” said a non-committal Boehner when asked whether he would endorse Gingrich. “I’m sure the primary voters will select one of them. Whoever it is, I will be there to support.”

New Hampshire's Largest Newspaper Endorses Gingrich

New Hampshire's largest newspaper on Sunday, Nov. 27, endorsed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

"We are in critical need of the innovative, forward-looking strategy and positive leadership that Gingrich has shown he is capable of providing," wrote Union Leader Publisher Joseph W. McQuaid in an editorial that appeared on the newspaper's front page.

A pre-Thanksgiving University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll found that 42 percent of likely Republican primary voters would vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, compared to only 15 percent who said they would back Gingrich. A USA Today/Gallup poll released on Nov. 21 showed that Gingrich was within two percentage points of Romney.

"We don't back candidates based on popularity polls or big-shot backers," stressed McQuaid, who conceded that Gingrich is "by no means a perfect candidate." "We look for conservatives of courage and conviction who are independent-minded, grounded in their core beliefs about this nation and its people, and best equipped for the job."

While anything can happen between now and the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 10, this endorsement is an obvious shot in the arm to the insurgent Gingrich campaign.

Poll: Romney Gains More Ground in N.H.

A new poll shows that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to gain more ground against his challengers in New Hampshire.

The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, found that 42 percent of likely Republican primary voters would vote for Romney, compared to 15 percent who said they would back former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Texas Congressman Ron Paul received 12 percent, while 8 percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman. Only four percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would support Herman Cain.

With less than two months until the primary, the poll also found that nearly 60 percent of New Hampshire voters remain undecided.

Poll: Romney, Gingrich Lead Among Republicans

A new USA Today/Gallup poll shows that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remains the frontrunner among the Republican presidential candidates, but former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to gain momentum over his rivals.

Twenty percent of Republicans who responded to the poll between Nov. 13-17 said Romney is their first choice, while 19 percent said that they would choose Gingrich. Sixteen percent of GOP voters said they would vote for Herman Cain, while only eight percent named Texas Gov. Rick Perry as their top choice.

Is Romney the Nominee-in-Waiting?
Romney's campaign received a boost over the weekend when New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte endorsed the former Massachusetts governor. New Hampshire Congressman Charlie Bass will officially endorse Romney later on Monday, Nov. 21. It appears increasingly likely that Romney will become the Republican presidential nominee at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa in August, but the voters of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and other early caucus states will soon have their say and anything can happen between now and then.

Stay tuned...

Does Huntsman Signal the Return of the Moderate Republican?

Does former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman signal the return of the moderate Republican?

He and the seven other Republican presidential candidates certainly clashed on the economy, jobs, Social Security and other bread and butter issues during last night’s debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., but Huntsman provided a potentially uncomfortable reality check for his more well-known GOP opponents who actually need to court mainstream voters to defeat President Barack Obama.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum seemed an oddly placed sidebar to the Texas-sized showdown between Congressman Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry—the Emergency Alert System alerting Washingtonians that the District of Columbia and surrounding areas were under a flash flood warning actually pre-empted Santorum’s comments on immigration. Romney tried to sow his own Tea Party bonafides while refusing to explicitly own the populist label.

"If we're going to win in 2012, we've got to make sure that we have somebody who can win based upon numbers of the math that will get us there," said Huntsman, referring to Perry’s comments about climate change and evolution. "And by making comments that basically don't reflect the reality of the situation, we turn people off."

The next debate will be in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 12.

Those Gotcha Questions

It was apparently a night for gotcha questions!

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich certainly let his displeasure with his former Fox News colleagues known during last night’s Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa. The thrice-married social conservative’s scorn aside, the spectacle that took place at Iowa State University proved somewhat interesting and even entertaining for this native Granite Stater who watched it unfold from his parents’ home in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann arguably proved she does have a titanium spine as she deflected pointed questions about her personal life and defended her record against former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared rather presidential as he tried to rise above the intra-GOP fray that unfolded on the Ames stage, although his assertion at the Iowa State Fair earlier in the day that “corporations are people” and his support for a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman confirm questions about his convictions. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum should have looked in the mirror before he criticized the Iranian government for trampling the rights of gays and women.

The debate was equally as newsworthy for those who did not participate—most notably former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Perry will make his presidential aspirations official in a speech he is scheduled to deliver in South Carolina on Saturday, Aug. 13. Palin’s national bus tour will roll into the Hawkeye State just in time for the Iowa Straw Poll.

Should we anticipate even more gotcha questions from those annoying journalists in the coming days and weeks?

You betcha!

Newt feels the rainbow

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich literally felt the rainbow during a book signing at the Minnesota Family Council and Institute's annual dinner on Tuesday, May 17, in Minneapolis.