Palin 2012 Odds See a Sharp Rebound

'I don't try to rig straw polls,' says candidate

(NEWSER) - Fresh off his loss to Mitt Romney at CPAC , Rick Santorum hit the talk shows this morning, and he's downplaying the victory, reports Politico : "You have to talk to the Romney campaign and how many tickets they bought—we've heard all sorts of things," Santorum told CNN. "Ron Paul has won those (straw polls) because he trucks in a lot of people, pays for their ticket, and they come in and vote. I don't try to rig straw polls." Elsewhere on the Sunday dial, as per Politico : More»

Hints at Romney problems, saying too late to 'spin it'

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin topped off the Conservative Political Action Conference last night with a rousing speech, avoiding endorsing any candidate, but certainly hinting at Mitt Romney's weaknesses, reports the Wall Street Journal . Palin said that Republicans need a conservative whose beliefs are "instinctive," not someone molded by spin doctors and Washington consultants. "It's too late in the game to teach it or spin it at this point," said Palin, without actually mentioning Romney by name. "It's either there or it isn't." More»

Rubio also neutral as GOP focuses on state

(NEWSER) - Mitt Romney has been racking up endorsements in Florida but the state's two most prominent Republicans are staying silent. Sen. Marco Rubio says he won't be endorsing a candidate and Jeb Bush has failed to join the party establishment in backing Mitt Romney against Newt Gingrich. Romney has been doing his best to win the popular former governor's endorsement but an offer to make him national co-chairman of his campaign was declined, insiders tell the New York Times. More»

'Very' and 'Somewhat' conservatives went Gingrich, 'liberals' went Romney

(NEWSER) - So how did Newt Gingrich pull off his stunning upset in South Carolina yesterday? Unsurprisingly, by appealing to conservatives, writes Politico . Exit polls indicate that 45% of people calling themselves "very conservative" went to Gingrich, vs. 20% to Rick Santorum and 10% to Ron Paul—Mitt Romney took just 20% of them. Gingrich also won among "somewhat conservative" voters and independents. Romney won "moderate or liberal" voters. More»

GOP voters angry, stuck with bad candidates, say pundits

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich's big win in South Carolina has the Republican establishment squirming and political experts churning, trying to explain what the results mean:

• GOP base in revolt. "People are mad as hell they are about to be stuck with another boring, moderate, uninspiring choice that has at best a 50/50 shot at losing to the worst president since Carter," says Erick Ericson at RedState . "Basically, today’s vote is about Republican grassroots giving the Washington Republican establishment the finger."
• Not about policy, but soul. Gingrich and Mitt Romney don't have many big policy differences; instead this is a debate about the emotion and soul of the Republican Party, reports the AP : 'It might not be pretty."