The 2012 Republican nomination will be decided largely by whether Newt Gingrich runs a disciplined and well-executed campaign over the next several weeks. This, of course, is somewhat like expecting Lindsay Lohan to be punctual and dignified, but stranger things have happened. Even assuming that Gingrich doesn’t implode (something he …
Mitt Romney
As Newt Rises, the Romney Campaign Remains Restrained in Iowa
West Des Moines, Iowa
Chris Christie had barely begun his pitch for Mitt Romney when the familiar refrain cut in. “Mic check! Mic check!” shouted some two-dozen protesters, several of whom sneaked onstage behind the New Jersey governor for this campaign rally at the corporate headquarters of Kum and Go, a Des Moines-based gas and …
Mitt Romney’s Nuanced Evolution on Immigration
It’s well known that Mitt Romney has changed his position on certain issues over time: cap-and-trade, abortion, gay rights, gun control. In all of these areas Romney toed (or leapt) rightward as he transitioned from the politics of blue Massachusetts to the national stage. But—beyond unceasing allegations of general …
Is Bachmann Angling to Be Romney’s Veep?
Michele Bachmann abruptly canceled scheduled events in Iowa on Tuesday to do nine conservative and Christian radio programs. Her No. 1 topic? Newt Gingrich’s soft stance on immigration. Which candidate does this most help? Mitt Romney.
Throughout the summer and fall, Romney has hardly needed to attack any of his rivals; Bachmann has …
The Romney Advantage
He’s the early-state, polling and fundraising leader, who may be poised to win both Iowa and New Hampshire and end this thing early, without a serious challenge from anyone.
But no non-incumbent of either party has won a …
With Rivals Reeling, Iowa is Wide Open For Romney
The Associated Press reports that Mitt Romney is preparing to go up on the air in Iowa after shooting a spot during his visit to a sheet-metal manufacturer in Dubuque earlier this week. The move suggests that after months of …
Decoding Mitt Romney’s Best Debate Answer
Rick Perry’s astonishing and tragic brain freeze was last night’s most enduring debate moment. But given that it makes Mitt Romney all the more likely to be the Republican nominee, it’s worth returning to an answer he gave about perhaps his greatest vulnerability–that he’s a shameless flip-flopper–and which told us a lot about his …
How Tea Party Indecision Is Boosting Mitt Romney
How lucky has Mitt Romney’s presidential run been so far? Even conservatives scrambling to find an alternative to the Massachusetts governor are inadvertently boosting his bid for the Republican nomination.
Rivals Hammer Romney for Espousing Global Warming Uncertainty
By sounding a note of skepticism about climate science, Mitt Romney has prompted a fresh wave of attacks from opponents who branded the change in tone as the latest in a long string of policy shifts by the former Massachusetts governor.
Romney Rebooted Makes a Rare Calculating Error
Mitt Romney has put a lot of work into reversing the perception, prevalent during his 2008 campaign, that his ideological compass only follows the magnetic field of whichever electorate he happens to be trying to win over. The …
Is Romney Poised to Make a Multi-Million Dollar Gamble on Iowa?
Last week, on his first visit to Iowa since August, Mitt Romney vowed to make up for lost time. “I’ll be here again and again,” he promised, alluding to the final sprint to the state’s pivotal caucuses. “I’d love to win in Iowa. …
Lessons of ’08: Romney’s Rivals Could Collude
As my colleague Michael Crowley notes, the anti-Mitt Romney vote is still a lot bigger than the pro-Romney vote. I agree with Michael that Romney doesn’t have this thing as sewn up as the inside the Beltway pundits are saying. That said, he’s smartly playing his rivals off of one another to ensure that that anti-Romney vote is never …
Is Romney Really the Inevitable Nominee?
That’s increasingly the consensus among the Washington insider set. But I’m still not sold.
