Pawlenty: Minnesota Shutdown Is a Good Thing

With Rick Perry in race, Mitt needs a strong Bachmann

(NEWSER) - Michele Bachmann vanquished Tim Pawlenty and the other Republican also-rans in yesterday's Iowa straw poll , so let the real battle royale for the right begin—Bachmann vs. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, writes Steve Kornacki at Salon . "She crushed her biggest mainstream competitor," he writes, and Ron Paul, despite finishing a close second, is a "niche candidate." But Bachmann vs. Perry? With "the political world taking her more seriously," says Kornacki, "she'll put up a whale of a fight." More»

Ron Paul finishes second, Pawlenty third; Perry gets 718 write-ins

(NEWSER) - Rick Perry may have cast a big shadow over the Republican field today, but Michele Bachmann had a pretty good day, too: She won the Ames straw poll, with 4,823 votes of the nearly 17,000 cast, reports Politico . Ron Paul finished a close second (4,671), followed by Tim Pawlenty (2,293) in a distant third that doesn't bode well for his campaign. Rick Santorum (1,657) and Herman Cain (1,456) rounded out the top five. Perry got 718 write-in votes just hours after announcing his candidacy in another state and despite not being on the ballot. That's ahead of Mitt Romney (567), Newt Gingrich (385), and Jon Huntsman (69), all of whom were on the ballot but didn't contest. Bringing up the rear: Thaddeus McCotter with 35 votes. More»

He should have gone after Romney, not Bachmann: Steve Kornacki

(NEWSER) - Tim Pawlenty came off like a desperate candidate with a misguided strategy in last night's debate , writes Steve Kornacki at Salon . Going after Michele Bachmann instead of Mitt Romney? Really? He probably figured he needed to do so because she is his chief rival in tomorrow's Ames straw poll, which is do-or-die for him . If so, his thinking is "completely backward." Aggressive attacks on Bachmann—who offered a "poised, confident" defense—are destined to backfire among the conservatives in Iowa who support her. More»

Ames debate much feistier than last go-round

(AP) - Eight GOP hopefuls castigated President Obama and each other tonight in a frequently testy debate in Ames, Iowa. Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann were especially hostile to each other early, while Mitt Romney largely avoided any one-on-one battles and focused on the president. Overshadowing the debate: News that Rick Perry, who wasn't a participant, would announce his candidacy this weekend. Some highlights:

• Romney said, "I'm not going to eat Barack Obama's dog food," when asked whether he would have vetoed the debt ceiling legislation. "What he served up is not what I would have as president of the United States."

Experts agree: Candidate needs a strong finish

(NEWSER) - "For Tim Pawlenty, it's Ames or bust," declares Politico , which rounds up opinions from a number of experts—all of whom agree that Pawlenty must do well in this Saturday's straw poll. He's spent seven figures in the state and has been focused on courting Iowa; "he's doing everything right," says one strategist. And that's "the problem," because "there's no reason Pawlenty shouldn't win this thing." Adds a talk radio host, "If you look at the time, treasure, and talent he has invested, it’s hard for him to justify why he’s still here if he doesn’t win the Iowa straw poll." More»