Seth McLaughlin

GOP candidates make last ditch push before straw poll

With the clock ticking down to the Ames Straw poll, the GOP candidates with the most riding on the results barnstormed the Iowa State Fair Friday in search of any additional support, as they prepared for an event that could make or break their presidential dreams.

August 12, 2011

Bachmann, Pawlenty trade barbs in Iowa debate

The notion of “Minnesota nice" took a hit in the presidential debate here Thursday night, as former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann, both of Minnesota, took aggressive public swipes at each other, blasting one another's records and questioning whether they were ready to run the country.

August 11, 2011

Romney takes on hecklers in Iowa

Mitt Romney faced down chants of “Wall Street greed!” Thursday as he stood, leg astride a hay bale, and brushed aside hecklers questioning how he planned to beef up Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid without cutting benefits.

August 11, 2011

Romney in ring to fight at Iowa debate

Mitt Romney's above-the-fray campaign strategy will be put to the test this week in Iowa.

August 10, 2011

Early primaries could shift focus to immigration

The prospect of Arizona moving up its presidential primary next year has Republican leaders concerned that an early focus on immigration would detract from what many see as the GOP's 2012 trump card — President Obama's handling of the economy.

August 8, 2011

GOP voters ask: ‘Johnson who?’

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is the Rodney Dangerfield of this year's GOP presidential field — he gets no respect, despite a strong conservative record, a stint as governor of a key state, and a colorful background in the public and private sectors.

August 7, 2011

Bachmann, Pawlenty trade barbs before Iowa straw poll

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Rep. Michele Bachmann's war of words comes as GOP presidential candidates jockey for position before the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll — the circuslike event in Iowa that some have billed the "Minnesota Primary."

July 28, 2011

Paul’s supporters see his influence beyond win-lose

Ron Paul supporters know he has little chance of becoming the next president, but they say his third bid for the job is about more than winning the GOP nomination or the White House — it's about guiding the political landscape beyond the Republican-Democrat duopoly that's controlled Washington for more than a century.

July 27, 2011

Ex-governors’ jobs numbers trail Perry’s

The former governors in the GOP presidential field tout their political accomplishments as proof they can lead the nation out of the economic doldrums, but when it comes to actual job numbers, the trio doesn't hold a candle to Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has emerged in recent polls as a strong conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.

July 24, 2011

Bachmann attracts small donors, but lacks big-dollar bundlers

Rep. Michele Bachmann's latest campaign finance report shows she has a strong network of small-dollar donors backing her presidential bid but, for now, she lacks the support of the big-money bundlers.

July 17, 2011

Republican candidates split on debt-ceiling fix

Just as Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are splintered on strategy over the debt limit, so is the party's presidential field, with the tea-party wing saying an increase should be rejected and the more moderate elements taking a wait-and-see approach.

July 14, 2011

None of Iowa’s ardor for Bachmann in N.H.

Rep. Michele Bachmann leads the House Tea Party Caucus, but for New Hampshire tea partyers, Rep. Ron Paul appears to be the GOP presidential candidate of choice.

July 13, 2011

Reagan back on campaign trail

The Republican candidates in the 2012 presidential sweepstakes haven't been shy about invoking Ronald Reagan's sunny disposition and rhetoric about American exceptionalism, or painting their prescriptions for the nation's woes as a natural extension of his political orthodoxy.

July 7, 2011

Early lead in polls no indication of GOP nominee

Coming out of the July 4th weekend, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is the clear front-runner in the crowded Republican field of White House hopefuls — though history suggests the early lead in the polls won't necessarily make him a shoo-in at the ballot box.

July 3, 2011

Romney challenged on slam

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Thursday traveled to a century-old Pennsylvania manufacturing plant that closed earlier this year and blamed its shuttering on the "Obama economy" - but elected officials and business leaders said it was unfair to connect the president's policies to the plant's closure, which was decades in the making.

June 30, 2011

Pawlenty warns against ‘isolationist’ GOP

In a thinly veiled swipe at his rivals in the 2012 Republican presidential field, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty criticized the growing isolationist sentiments being expressed by some in the GOP ranks.

June 28, 2011

Bachmann joins GOP race for president

Casting herself as a constitutional conservative, Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, kicked off her presidential campaign Monday, vowing to be a voice for "reasonable, fair-minded" Americans and to leave a better future for generations by reducing the size of the federal government.

June 27, 2011

Bachmann strives to make a mighty leap

The hot new question in the Republican primary is whether Rep. Michele Bachmann, a three-term congresswoman who has rapidly leapfrogged from legislative back-bencher to tea party superstar, now can make the jump from the U.S. House to the White House — a gap that hasn't been cleared since 1880.

June 26, 2011

It’s a tough race before primary starting line

Since announcing his presidential campaign early this month, Mitt Romney has spent his time slipping the jabs of his GOP rivals while barnstorming the country for cash — casting his eye beyond the daily news cycle and toward winning the early contests next year.

June 23, 2011

Santorum welcomes Huntsman to GOP race with parody ad

Count former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum among those welcoming Jon Huntsman to the GOP presidential race by mocking the recent dirt-bike videos the former Utah governor's camp has posted online.

June 21, 2011