to move up and down
Mitt Romney in commanding lead as Florida polls open
Florida’s Republican voters go to the polls on Tuesday in a high-stakes presidential primary election, with former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney holding a commanding double-digit lead in polls over rival Newt Gingrich.
Florida is the largest state to hold a presidential primary so far this year and a Romney victory would give him a big boost in the state-by-state battle to decide who will face President Barack Obama in the November election.
Polls opened at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. local time. Most of the state is on Eastern Time, except the western Panhandle region, which is on Central Time and where polls will close an hour later.
Ways to win and lose the New Hampshire GOP primary
New Hampshire is in the news a lot these days because Tuesday the “Live Free or Die” state will hold the first primary in the U.S. presidential sweepstakes.
And because it is the first primary, it can make or break a contender’s momentum.
In other words, New Hampshire may be small, but its influence on U.S. politics is huge.
So what will it take for Republican presidential wannabes to win this key primary? Well first off, the nominees better forget all that stuff about wining votes through new-fangled notions like social media.
To be successful in New Hampshire requires old-fashioned “retail” campaigning, namely lots of baby-kissing, hand-shaking and Town Hall-attending. Simply put, “Granite Staters”, as they call themselves, want to see candidates up close.
Anyone But Romney: The race by the Republican right to find an ‘ABR’ continues
Contenders to Mitt Romney in the republican presidential race have emerged and then faded – support for the former Massachusetts governor one of the few constants in the nomination race.
Despite Mr. Romney’s inconstantly high poll rankings, the GOP can’t seem to fully embrace him. The National Post’s graphics team takes a look at the ups and downs of the race so far.
Related:
‘Pizzazz’ propels Rick Santorum into three-way GOP Iowa caucus race
Sheldon Alberts: For many divided Republicans, beating Obama trumps ideology
As tens of thousands of Hawkeye State Republicans prepare to kick off the 2012 U.S. election campaign Tuesday with their first-in-the-nation caucuses, polls show voters still torn over a trio of top-tier contenders trying to break free of the GOP pack.
Iowa voters have a mixed history in picking the eventual GOP nominee, often supporting very conservative candidates who struggle to win over more moderate Republicans in later primaries and caucuses.
But many Republicans say they’re worried less this year about ideological purity than beating Obama.
“I’m a little conservative, like a tornado is a little bit windy. But we’ve got to win,” said Betten, explaining why he is still considering backing Romney.
“I think Obama hates the United States, and I think he wants to destroy it internally. I think this election is critical because of that.” (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Ron Paul blows a gasket over questions on race statements, storms out of CNN show
When you’re running for president — or even just for your party’s presidential nomination — it’s generally not good idea to storm out of interviews on a national cable channel because you don’t like the question.
So maybe it was a mistake for Ron Paul to take umbrage with the badgering he was getting on CNN about racist newsletters that were published under his name 20 years ago. Under cross-examination by CNN’s Gloria Borger, Paul got increasingly upset at the questioning and finally unclipped his microphone and left. Bad idea, because the storm-out is sure to get more attention than the original interview would have. And that in turn will attract more attention to the newsletters, which Paul has been trying to explain away for a decade or more.
Sizing up the U.S. Republican field
We asked 11 National Post writers to present their picks for the Republican Presidential nominee.
Robert Fulford: “The 2012 Republican presidential field is the worst lineup of potential candidates I’ve seen in my lifetime.” Do you agree?
Jesse Kline: Ron Paul is the one candidate with no sacred cows
Terence Corcoran: Romney almost walks the walk
Jonathan Kay: If Huntsman loses, something is wrong with America
Rex Murphy: Newt Gingrich is in tune with America
Graphic: The Republican nomination race so far
As new Republican contenders have emerged, taken off and then crashed in the polls, Mitt Romney’s support has remained one of the few constants in the nomination race. And yet the GOP can’t seem to fully embrace him. The National Post’s graphics team takes a look at the ups and downs of the race so far.
The first debate of the Republican Presidential Primary happened this week. National Post editorial cartoonist Gary Clement on the elephant in the room.
Gary Clement’s Week in Review
Schwarzenegger, Shriver announce surprise separation
‘Composed, competent’ Brosseau makes debut in her Quebec riding
Republican Ron Paul announces White House run
Gaddafi survives air strikes; son killed
Manitoba farmers wait for flood disaster to hit
Liberals will debate delaying leadership vote
