Restore Our Future, the super PAC backing Mitt Romney, has spent $8.9 million on the 2012 Republican presidential primary, more money than any other group. Throughout the fall it held its fire, even as Ron Paul pumped money into …
Campaigns
Romney’s Killer Instinct: How Mitt Is Winning and Why Obama Should Take Note
Mitt Romney has been running his presidential campaign based on a primal instinct: kill or be killed. And so after Rick Santorum fought Romney to a virtual tie in Iowa and arrived in New Hampshire trailed by media hordes, …
The Not-Romney Candidates Look Ahead to South Carolina
In the days before the Iowa caucus, Rick Santorum had a decision to make. Spiking in the polls and positioned for a top-three result, Santorum could try to ride the wave into New Hampshire, where legions of free media awaited, …
As Romney Claims New Hampshire, the GOP Comes to Grips with His Inevitability
New Hampshire voters are famously fickle. They venture out on cold January mornings to shake a candidate’s hand, look him in the eye and judge the mettle of the man, polls and pundits be damned. Four years ago, they shrugged off …
Former South Carolina Governor Jim Edwards Dumps Romney
In 2008, former South Carolina governor Jim Edwards devoted four months of his life to be the de facto co-chair of Mitt Romney’s campaign in the state, raising money and organizing supporters statewide. This time around not only is he not helping the Romney campaign, he’s not even endorsing Romney. Instead, he tells TIME, he is …
Campaign Circus Reaches Fever Pitch in New Hampshire
Bedford, New Hampshire
The Granite State had been worked to a fever pitch by Monday, as candidates made their final appeals before the long-anticipated primary. In the sleepy New Hampshire hills, the buildings overflowed. Crowds of reporters swallowed candidates and innocent bystanders alike. And the kooks and activists came out to …
Mitt’s Having a Tough Day
Manchester, New Hampshire
Lots of people are already having fun with this Mitt Romney quote:
“I want individuals to have their own insurance. That means the insurance company will have an incentive to keep you healthy,” Romney said. “It also means that if you don’t like what they do, you could fire them. I like being able to
…
What You Missed While Not Watching the New Hampshire Republican Debates
–6 minutes. At St. Anselm College, ABC News asks former Utah governor Jon Huntsman to take the stage first. Texas Governor Rick Perry peeks from behind the curtain instead, followed by the others. Huntsman is last out. Typical. …
In Final New Hampshire Push, Huntsman Embraces Underdog Role
Concord, New Hampshire
In the final days of his long New Hampshire barnstorm, Jon Huntsman has grown comfortable in a role he never expected to play. “I’m the underdog in this race,” Huntsman told a crowd of college kids and …
Empty Town Halls and ‘Easter Bunny Epiphanies’: On the Campaign Trail With Gary Johnson
New Hampshire
When Gary Johnson was in third grade, a teacher casually mentioned that Santa Claus didn’t exist. This was news. “I’m like, what?” he recalls. “That means there’s no Santa Claus, no Easter Bunny, no Tooth …
Five Unanswered Questions About the Iowa Caucus
Des Moines, Iowa
Iowans are restless. Six weeks after the political world converged on Iowa for the Ames straw poll, the pace of the race toward the first-in-the-nation caucus has slackened. It’s not that candidates …
Marcus Bachmann, Mr. Mixed Blessing
According to Gallup, about 70% of Republicans know who Rep. Michele Bachmann is. As her presidential bid continues, people will also start to recognize a certain silver-haired man in her retinue: her husband, Marcus Bachmann. Last Tuesday, both the New York Times and the Washington Post ran front page-photos of the congresswoman …
Could the 2012 Election Be 2004 All Over Again?
There’s been a lot of buzz inside the Beltway about how this year’s crop of GOP wannabes is strikingly similar to the Democratic cast of George W. Bush challengers in 2004.
You have a frontrunner who is playing it safe and …
