Stephen Dinan

Romney boosts bankroll with best fundraising quarter

Fresh off his win in New Hampshire, making former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney two-for-two in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, his campaign on Wednesday said he had raised $24 million in the final three months of 2011 and had $19 million in cash on hand.

January 11, 2012

Up next, South Carolina a make-or-break state

Even before Mitt Romney clinched the New Hampshire primary Tuesday, most of the Republican candidates already had turned their eye to South Carolina, which is shaping up to be the key make-or-break test in the party's presidential nomination marathon.

January 10, 2012

Paul’s campaign finds big gender gap to bridge

Ron Paul's been playing to big crowds in Iowa and New Hampshire, but there's something striking about them — there are usually way more men than women at his events.

January 9, 2012

U.S. runs in the red for 39th straight month

The federal government ran a deficit in December, marking the 39th straight month in the red, according to preliminary estimates Monday by the Congressional Budget Office, continuing a streak that dates back to the last days of President George W. Bush and encompasses President Obama's entire term.

January 9, 2012

Hardship claim extended for immigration applicants

Moving yet again to streamline the immigration process, the Obama administration on Friday proposed new hardship rules to make it easier for illegal immigrants to apply for legal status and stay in the country if they have a family member who is here legally.

January 8, 2012

No major takers for federal campaign funds

Not a single major candidate has signed up to take taxpayer-supported matching funds for his presidential campaign this year, signaling the death of the system that had controlled campaigns since the Watergate era.

January 8, 2012

Obama expands ‘hardship’ waiver for illegal immigrants

The Obama administration on Friday proposed new hardship rules that would make it easier for illegal immigrants to apply for legal status and stay in the country if they have a spouse or parent already living here legally.

January 6, 2012

Paul strong in N.H. poll; Romney still dominant

Fresh off his near-win in Iowa, Rick Santorum has lept to 11 percent support among likely New Hampshire GOP primary voters — but he still trails front-runner Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, according to the inaugural Washington Times/JZ Analytics Poll, taken Wednesday.

January 5, 2012

Iowa takes toll: Bachmann out

Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota ended her presidential bid Wednesday, a day after voters in Iowa, the state in which she was born, left her in sixth place — last of all the major Republican candidates who competed there.

January 4, 2012

Bachmann ends campaign after loss in Iowa

Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann ended her presidential bid Wednesday, a day after voters in Iowa, her birth state, left her in sixth place — last of all the major Republican candidates who competed here.

January 4, 2012

Romney’s Iowa win falls short of 2008 showing

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won Iowa's caucuses by the narrowest of margins, collecting fewer votes than he won here in 2008 — even as the caucuses themselves saw a slight uptick in voters compared with last time.

January 4, 2012

Iowans press candidates on same issues that concern Republicans across country

Iowa's caucuses may not always pick the eventual presidential nominee, but voters this year did something more helpful to the process: They asked the kinds of tough questions about the economy and spending that are on the minds of Republicans across the country who still have yet to vote.

January 3, 2012

Romney vs. ‘anyone but’ in Iowa

Four years after a second-place finish in Iowa's caucuses mortally wounded his campaign, Mitt Romney is counting on the state to write a different story on Tuesday — a win here could go a long way toward sewing up the 2012 GOP presidential nomination.

January 2, 2012

Bachmann defies poll forecasts

If Michele Bachmann's campaign is running on fumes, as the polls seem to suggest, you'd never know it from the crowd of supporters and journalists that filled four shops in West Des Moines Monday afternoon to catch a glimpse of her.

January 2, 2012

Santorum vows end to blaming Obama once in White House

Former Sen. Rick Santorum said Monday that if he wins the presidency he will not blame President Obama but will take responsibility for the country from the first day — contrasting himself with the current president who he said demonizes his political opponents "by name."

January 2, 2012

Iowans await Obama’s pledge to bring change

In the sandwich shops and restaurants of Iowa where Barack Obama built his 2008 victory, new questions have replaced those about his faith: Has the president fulfilled his campaign promises, has he produced the change he promised, and is the country better off?

January 1, 2012