Seth McLaughlin

Bobby Jindal ‘dark horse’ for 2016 GOP presidential bid, kingmakers say

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is still trying to earn a second look from GOP primary voters, after his widely panned 2009 State of the Union response put a dent in his billing as a new face of the GOP.

Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush back Patriot Act ahead of NSA phone snooping debate

The defense hawks are on the rise in the Republican presidential field, defending the Patriot Act just as Congress prepares for a make-or-break debate over the future of the NSA's phone-snooping program.

Ted Cruz signs pledge not to raise taxes if elected as president

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas signed the influential Americans for Tax Reforms' pledge not to raise taxes if elected president in the 2016 election.

Marco Rubio: I would love to win support from the Koch brothers in 2016

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Thursday that he is aligned with the conservative Koch brothers on most issues and would "love" to win their support in the 2016 presidential race.

Scott Walker breaks from GOP on border limits

The latest Census Bureau projections show immigrants will account for 14.8 percent of the U.S. population early in the next decade, setting an all-time record and raising questions about whether the country has the ability to assimilate newcomers at such a torrid pace.

New Jersey’s largest teachers union pulls out of pension talks

The New Jersey Education Association said Tuesday that it has pulled out of talks with a commission appointed by Gov. Chris Christie that the Republican had hoped would yield a deal that could put the state on stronger fiscal footing.

Carly Fiorina, 2016 White House hopeful, taking long-term fundraising approach

Carly Fiorina is preparing to challenge conventional campaign wisdom that says the Republican presidential nominee must place in the top three in Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses, instead preparing a longer but less-expensive campaign strategy.

Rand Paul stands out in packed GOP field, analysts say

Standing out among the giant field of potential GOP candidates is tough, but Sen. Rand Paul will likely have an easier time of it than the others when they descend on New Hampshire this week.

Tea Party Express offers congressional ‘Solutions for America’ book

Sick of the tea party being portrayed as nothing more than a collection of obstructionists, a national branch of the grassroots movement has teamed up with dozens of conservative lawmakers on a book that offers solutions to the nation's biggest challenges.

Chris Christie offers ideas to preserve Social Security

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that Social Security benefits must be curtailed in order to preserve the program for future generations, wading into a tricky political issue at the heart of the debate over federal spending and debt.

Marco Rubio launches 2016 White House bid with inspirational personal story

Sen. Marco Rubio hailed his personal story as the son of Cuban immigrants as he announced his run Monday for the Republican presidential nomination — once again tapping the same biography that helped make him a rising GOP star five years ago.

NRA convention: 2016 Republican hopefuls vow to defend gun rights, slam Obama, Clinton

An invigorated National Rifle Association tested the mettle of potential 2016 Republican presidential hopefuls and ramped up for an expected battle against Hillary Rodham Clinton — though the gun rights group said it also will keep a watchful eye during President Obama's final years in office.

Lindsey Graham: ‘We are at war’ and must kill Islamic extremists

Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Friday that the Obama administration has left the nation vulnerable to an attack, and urged those who turned out for the NRA's annual meeting to make sure that the next president takes the fight to Islamic militants.

Marco Rubio: Obama has been a ‘weak president’

Jeb Bush to Obama: Focus on Islamic extremism, not gun owners

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush called on the Obama administration to spend more time focusing on defending the nation against Islamic extremists and less time on curbing the constitutional rights of ordinary Americans.

Bobby Jindal muses on possible Hillary Clinton campaign slogan: ‘What difference does it make?’

When Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal wondered aloud Friday at the annual National Rifle Association meeting about possible slogans for Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, one of the attendees belted out a recommendation: "What difference does it make?"

Scott Walker slams Obama on gun rights, foreign policy at NRA meeting

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker warned Friday the nation's freedoms are under assault at home and abroad, telling gun rights advocates at the annual National Rifle Association meeting here that President Obama is neglecting his duty to stand up for constitutional rights of ordinary Americans — including when it comes to the Second Amendment.

Wayne LaPierre of NRA: ‘Hillary Clinton will bring a permanent darkness’

Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA, unloaded a series of political attacks Friday against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the former first lady doesn't have the decency to be the nation's first woman president.

Obama-Bloomberg gun control agenda worries Democrats heading into 2016

President Obama said this week that he hasn't given up on pushing for tighter gun controls, but many of his fellow Democrats in Congress are wishing he would drop it, having concluded that the issue is an electoral loser for them. If anything, they fear the politics are getting worse.

Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio battle for tea party’s 2016 support

Sen. Rand Paul officially announced his bid Tuesday for the Republican presidential nomination, vowing to bring the tea party's anti-Washington message to the 2016 contest under a "banner of liberty that clutches the Constitution in one hand and the Bill of Rights in the other."