Team Romney Ready for 2012 Run

Huckabee, Jindal among possible GOP candidates hitting trail in Iowa, elsewhere

(NEWSER) - Likely candidates for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination are playing it cool, but their feet tell a different story, Jonathan Martin writes for Politico. Mike Huckabee, for example, says 2012 is “way too far away” to think about, but his book tour has lots of stops in Iowa and South Carolina, aboard a campaign-style bus with his face on it. More»

Ex-governors, ex-speaker in statistical dead heat

(NEWSER) - Believe it or not, Sarah Palin is not the preferred 2012 presidential nominee of most Tea Partiers. Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich actually rated higher than the former Alaska governor among members of the fiscally conservative group in a recent CNN poll . Support for the three would-be candidates clustered within the poll's 7-point margin of error, meaning they are statistically tied. More»

Current Republican field riddled with weak spots

(NEWSER) - Republicans talk a good game about challenging President Obama in 2012, but the GOP would look scarier if it had even one legitimate challenger , says Dick Polman. "Obama's job-approval numbers are tepid these days—but he looks robust when matched against actual Republican challengers," warns the Philadelphia Inquirer columnist. "Not to mention the inevitable wounds and scars that any Republican will suffer during a primary season that promises to be downright Darwinian." More»

He's got about $3M, and she's got $2.1M

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney and Sarah Palin lead the pack of possible 2012 GOP presidential challengers when it comes to fundraising, with $2.9 million and $2.1 million coming in over the last year, respectively. Romney still had $1.1 million in the bank at the beginning of the year after his 2008 run, while former VP nominee Palin held on to $928,000. During the last 6 months of 2009, Palin spent almost $900,000 on travel and consulting. More»

(NEWSER) - The 2012 presidential race is heating up—at least in a Gallup poll of Republican voters. CQ Politics looks at the results, which have former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney out front, with 26% saying he should top the GOP ticket. Sarah Palin snags 21%, Mike Huckabee gets 19%, and Newt Gingrich scores 14%. But the poll also reports favorability ratings, and there the picture is different: More»