January 2012 - Page 3 of 3

Santorum Looks Beyond Evangelicals to Attract NH Votes

Although just eight votes shy of an outright victory in the Iowa Caucuses, Rick Santorum was clearly Tuesday night’s big winner. But now he has to leave the safety of a state filled with like-minded, evangelical voters for New Hampshire where some church congregations are so small they could meet in a phone booth. Just as small is Santorum’s New Hampshire staff and headquarters and it probably won’t get much larger before Election Day. “We know we can build on yesterday’s big win in Iowa,” said Bill Cahill, who heads up Santorum’s New Hampshire campaign. “We’ve got to make it happen with the limited resources we have because we can’t afford to hire tons of staff. We believe Rick ‘s positions on taxes and national security will appeal to a majority of New Hampshire Republicans.” Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who has a second home in the Granite State and is well-known as any politician in the state, is primed to win the states Republican vote. As proof, he has a 30-point lead and voters are comfortable with his brand of moderate, mainstream politics. To contrast the differences between Romney and Santorum, the latest Suffolk University poll of GOP primary [...]

Here’s Where the GOP Candidates Stand Before Iowa Caucuses

If history is any indication, the Iowa caucuses may not determine the GOP nominee for president, but it will play a vital role in which of the seven major candidates will watch the next few debates from the comfort of their living rooms or remain under the hot spotlights of the stage. For example, in 2008 former Arkansas Gov. and now Fox News Host Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses with a commanding 34 percent of the vote, followed by Mitt Romney at 25 percent. The eventual nominee, Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) finished fourth behind former Tennessee Sen. and movie star Fred Thompson whose lackluster campaign ended before he could take advantage of the southern vote in Super Tuesday. Interestingly, Ron Paul finished in fifth place with ten percent. Chances are almost certain he’ll do much better in 2012. Of the two Republican candidates who have left the stage so far, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was the first casualty and the Iowa turned out to be the straw that broke his back. After investing nearly all of his resources in hopes of winning the Iowa straw poll, Pawlenty finished a distant third behind fellow Minnesotan Michele Bachmann who finished first [...]