Romney Emerges as GOP's 2012 Frontrunner: Poll

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»

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»

(NEWSER) - A frontrunner has yet to emerge among Republican candidates for the 2012 presidential election, according to a new CNN poll. Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney are currently tied as the most popular potential candidate, each winning roughly 21% of support among those surveyed. They're trailed by Newt Gingrich with 13% and Jeb Bush at 6%. Romney said last week he wouldn’t “close the door” on a 2012 run. More»

If the economy's weak, it might not matter who the nominee is

(NEWSER) - The conventional wisdom seems to be that the GOP presidential field is hopelessly flawed and probably doomed. But don’t write these guys off just yet, warns Steve Kornacki on Salon . Remember, in late 1991 and early 1992, everybody thought the Democratic field was a pack of losers, too, and it wound up producing Bill Clinton. “His ‘flaws’ didn’t end up mattering once he secured the Democratic nomination and the party united around him,” Kornacki points out. More»

Not one of the slate of hopefuls is electable, writes Chris Cillizza

(NEWSER) - The GOP's presidential 2012 field isn't pretty. "All—that's A-L-L—of the Republicans considering runs carry at least one major flaw," writes Chris Cillizza in the Washington Post . Mitt Romney signed a health care bill similar to President Obama’s. Mississippi governor Haley Barbour “virtually invented lobbying.” Newt Gingrich is on his third marriage. And Sarah Palin? She’s “done next to nothing” to expand beyond her base. More»