Tea Party's Newt Backers Are Racist: Glenn Beck

Even though Santorum didn't bow out until April 10

(NEWSER) - No one's been nominated yet—but the media crowned Mitt Romney the winner of the GOP primaries after he took Michigan on Feb. 28, a Pew report finds. Of course, Romney didn't essentially seal the deal until Rick Santorum dropped out. That happened on April 10, weeks after the media had effectively called the race for Romney, finds the report, which tracked 11,000 news outlets from Jan. 2 to April 15. After Feb. 28, we saw "a suddenly intense discussion of 'delegate math' and the conclusion that no other candidate could win," explains the report's co-author. More»

Prez now ahead of all four GOP contenders

(NEWSER) - The rising economy may be enough to carry President Obama to a second term, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. The percentage of people feeling optimistic about the economy has surged over the last few months, the poll found, and Obama's approval rating is back above 50%, the highest since May 2010 apart from a brief bump after the killing of Osama bin Laden last year. Obama now leads all four of his potential Republican opponents, the poll found. More»

Voters don't want Barack, but they really don't want these guys: Bret Stephens

(NEWSER) - President Obama is going to win the election in November, and the Republicans only have themselves to thank. "That's what happens when you run with losers," notes Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal . Forget Obama's wealth of policy troubles: "It doesn't matter that Americans are generally eager to send Mr. Obama packing." Voters simply want to be "reasonably sure" they won't get "another fiasco." But with this Republican lineup, "they can't be reasonably sure." More»

First expense reports offer a glimpse into each campaign

(NEWSER) - Want to get to know your 2012 candidates better? Take a look at what they're spending campaign cash on, courtesy of expense reports obtained by the Washington Post . The first major spending reports of the campaign reveal that the candidates have spent about $32 million so far.

• Tim Pawlenty: You can tell the "upstart" candidate is focused on Iowa because he's spent $200,000 at businesses in the state. Total spent so far: $2.5 million, and a large percentage of that went toward payroll—odd since his top aides are working for peanuts . (Funny tidbit: He spent $7.07 at a Godfather's Pizza restaurant—that, of course, is the pizza chain formerly run by his opponent, Herman Cain.)
• Mitt Romney: The "establishment" candidate spent money on, not surprisingly, security and consultants—plus $750,000 at businesses in New Hampshire. More of his budget—18%—goes to administrative expenses than any of his GOP opponents. Total spent so far: $5.7 million.

Santorum's Pennsylvania lead vanishes

(NEWSER) - Most Republicans believe there are two too many candidates still seeking their party's nomination, according to the latest CNN poll . The poll found that roughly 60% of the GOP want Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul to call it a day, while a similar proportion want Rick Santorum to stick around. But neither Gingrich nor Paul appear likely to drop out: Gingrich has big plans for the Republican National Convention and when Piers Morgan asked Ron Paul about dropping out, the Texan told him not to "pester me with silly questions." More»