2012 Presidential Primaries

Romney Releases Web Video: 'Businesses Are Comprised Of People'

Eric Kleefeld | August 19, 2011, 1:44PM

Former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Updated: Aug 19, 2011, 2:53PM

Mitt Romney released a new web video on Friday, firing back at Democratic attacks on his "corporations are people, my friend" comment to a voter in Iowa last week, when he explained his opposition to raising taxes on businesses.

The video is entitled "Mitt on the Road: A Week in New Hampshire," and shows clips of Romney speaking at different locations around that key early primary state, and discussing the poor condition of the economy.

At just over the halfway mark, Romney declares: "Businesses are comprised of people. I'm talking about repair shops, and gas stations, and beauty salons, and restaurants. I'm talking about Apple computer, and Facebook, and Microsoft. I'm talking about businesses that employ people. It's really astonishing to me that the Obama folks would try and argue that businesses aren't people. What do they think they are? Little men from Mars? But when they tax business, they tax people."

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Rick Perry

Perry On Evolution: 'It's A Theory That's Out There' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 18, 2011, 3:28PM

Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX)

Rick Perry is sure about a lot of things. But the theory of evolution, or even how old the planet Earth is, are not on that list.

A woman who will probably not be supporting the Texas governor brought her young son along to a campaign event in New Hampshire on Thursday, and had the boy ask Perry his views about science. "How old do you think the earth is?" the boy asked. This was an apparent allusion to how fundamentalist Christians often insist that Earth -- and indeed, the whole universe -- is about 6,000 years old.

"How old do I think the earth is? You know what, I don't have any idea," Perry responded. "I know it's pretty old. So it goes back a long, long ways. I'm not sure -- I'm not sure anybody actually knows completely and absolutely hold the earth is.

Perry then steered the conversation to some questions the boy's mother had been asking him, about evolution.

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Michele Bachmann

Ron Paul Ad: Romney May Talk Smoothly But Only I Can Bring Peace (Video)

Michael R. Corjulo | August 16, 2011, 3:00PM

New Ron Paul TV Ad, "The One"

A day after The Daily Show's Jon Stewart blasted the national media for ignoring Congressman Ron Paul's (R-TX) presidential campaign, the twelve term congressman and narrow runner up in the recent Ames Straw Poll released a dramatic new ad.

Filmed as a Michael Bay-esque movie trailer, the ad even opens with a disclaimer that "the following preview has been approved for all audiences" and concludes that Ron Paul is "the one who will stop the spending, save the dollar, create jobs, bring peace, the one who will restore liberty."

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2012

Pawlenty's Top NH Aide Joins Huntsman

Benjy Sarlin | August 15, 2011, 4:48PM

Jon Huntsman

Tim Pawlenty's exit leaves behind a whole campaign's worth of free agents ready to be scooped up by the remaining candidates. And the process is already beginning: according to the New Hampshire Union Leader, Pawlenty's NH state director, Sarah Crawford Stewart, is joining up with Jon Huntsman.

"Governor Huntsman is committed to winning the New Hampshire primary, and I look forward to helping him and his team do just that," Stewart told the paper. "I viewed Gov. Huntsman as somebody with exceptional governing experience. And I viewed him as someone who would be the strongest competitor against President Obama in a general election."

Huntsman has yet to make much of an impact in the race despite his impressive credentials as a former governor of Utah and ambassador to China.

Herman Cain

Cain: If I Get 5th Place In New Hampshire, 'We Will Be Ecstatic' (VIDEO)

Eric Kleefeld | August 15, 2011, 11:33AM

Herman Cain came in fifth place in the Iowa straw poll -- two positions back from third-place finisher Tim Pawlenty, who then quit the race. But not only is he sticking with it, Cain said during an appearance Monday morning on Fox News that he is excited about fifth place.

"Before I let you go, what's your next marker?" asked host Martha MacCallum. "You know, in terms of you looking forward, at what point do you decide, 'I'm in or out based on this date, or this victory, or this place?'"

"I will finish at number five in Iowa -- that's right where we want to be.," said Cain. "If we finish in the top five in New Hampshire, Martha, we will be ecstatic, because we're gonna put the same type of on the ground effort in New Hampshire that we did in Iowa, and we're also working South Carolina simultaneously.

"All right," MacCallum responded, "a determined Herman Cain."

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2012 elections

Bachmann To Embark On Announcement Tour Next Week In Key States

Eric Kleefeld | June 22, 2011, 4:41PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Michele Bachmann's campaign has now announced the dates for their formal kickoff tour next week -- with her making stops in three of the big early primary and caucus states.

Bachmann made the interesting move of announcing her much-expected candidacy during last week's debate -- though of course, her very participation in the debate was itself an act of running for president. However, that act did seem to be a departure from her previous statements that she would announce her decision in Waterloo, Iowa, the town where she was born.

Now, her campaign announced via press release, she will be making it up with a formal kickoff event on Monday at 10 a.m. CT, in Waterloo -- an event that the campaign press couldn't escape if they wanted to.

Then on Tuesday, she will hold a 9 a.m. ET backyard event at a private residence in Raymond, New Hampshire, and then visit Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with an event at 5:30 p.m. ET. She will then make a full-day swing through South Carolina on Wednesday, with stops in Charleston, Lexington, Greenville, and Rock Hill.

Sarah Palin

Palin Apologizes To Romney For Upstaging His Prez Announcement In NH (VIDEO)

Jon Terbush | June 6, 2011, 10:37AM

Sarah Palin offered an apology - of sorts - to Mitt Romney on Sunday, saying she didn't mean to "step on anybody's toes" when her bus tour rolled through New Hampshire on the same day that Romney formally announced his presidential campaign.

"I apologize if I stepped on any of that PR that Mitt Romney needed or wanted that day," Palin said in an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace. "I do sincerely apologize. We didn't mean to step on anybody's toes."

Palin's summer vacation/historical site bus tour swung into the Granite State for a clambake last Thursday, an event that took place just a few miles from the farm where Romney was holding his big campaign rollout. When asked about the timing last week, Palin told CNN it was merely happenstance.

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New Hampshire Primary

New Hampshire's Biggest Paper Puts Romney Announcement Below Palin Tour

Eric Kleefeld | June 3, 2011, 10:32AM

If Mitt Romney was looking for huge headlines from his Thursday campaign launch in New Hampshire...well, he might have reason to be a bit disappointed.

Friday's front page of the New Hampshire Union Leader, the state's largest newspaper, has Romney's launch seriously overshadowed by two other events: The death of former Gov. Walter Peterson (R) -- and Sarah Palin's tour of the state. The latter was given the banner headline just above the fold, "Palin Hits The Seacoast," plus a large photo of Palin and her daughter Piper.

By comparison, Romney's kickoff was reduced to a mere inset photo within text of the Palin piece, and a small headline, "Romney Announces."

The caption text: "INSIDE: Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney announces his presidential candidacy Thursday in Stratham. Story, Page A3."

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Bachmann To Join GOP Debate In New Hampshire On June 13

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 6:23PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has yet to officially launch an increasingly expected presidential campaign -- but she is now set to take part in a Republican candidates' debate in New Hampshire, the surest sign yet that she is getting in.

Bachmann aide Andy Parrish, who is leaving as her Capitol Hill chief of staff to take an unspecified new position with her (it is believed that he will be her campaign manager) told the Associated Press that Bachmann will be on stage at the June 13 debate in Manchester, New Hampshire.

This debate would be Bachmann's first presidential debate -- and also put her on stage alongside her fellow Minnesotan, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, among the other candidates.

Bachmann has said she will announce her plans this month in Waterloo, Iowa, the town where she was born. It is hard to imagine a politician putting together a big rally in Iowa, only to deliver a speech announcing that they were not running.

Pres '12

Palin: New Hampshire Visit At Same Time As Romney Announcement 'Coincidental'

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 10:25AM

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) and former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA)

Sarah Palin's bus tour is making an appearance today in New Hampshire -- the same day that Mitt Romney is officially announcing his presidential campaign in the state, and in fact she'll only be a few minutes' travel away from him. But as she says, it's just a coincidence.

CNN reports:

"I think that's exciting for him, that's great for him," Palin told reporters at her Boston hotel before touring historical sites along the city's Freedom Trail. "It's coincidental that we are in the same territory at the same time, but more power to Mitt as he mounts his campaign and best of luck to him."

News leaked late yesterday that Palin is organizing a clambake for Thursday evening along the New Hampshire seacoast, just minutes from the Stratham farm where Romney plans to officially announce his second presidential bid.

Pres '12

Bachmann: Democrats Are 'Terribly Afraid Of A Michele Bachmann Candidacy'

Eric Kleefeld | May 31, 2011, 6:20PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN)

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has a message for the Democrats: They are afraid of her running for president, and the possibility that she could pick up votes from women.

As the Associated Press reports, Bachmann toured New Hampshire on Tuesday, and appeared with the local radio WXKL-FM "Road to the White House" interview series, at a bar across the street from the statehouse. And during the interview, she criticized DNC chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz for calling Republican policies "anti-women."

"They're terribly afraid of a Michele Bachmann candidacy for president of the United States," said Bachmann. "Democrats see themselves with group politics quite often, they'll see that they think they should own certain minorities or ethnicities or that they should own women. That's not true."

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New Hampshire Primary

Poll: Trump Trails Romney By Just Six Points In NH Primary

Jon Terbush | April 5, 2011, 12:13PM

Donald Trump

New Hampshire Republicans prefer Donald Trump, the eccentric real estate tycoon and reality television host, over all but one other candidate for the party's presidential nomination, according to a new PPP poll of registered voters.

Only Mitt Romney topped Trump in the poll, doing so by a six-point margin. However, that margin is far less than the leads Romney posted in previous polls that did not include Trump, polls in which Romney bested the next closest contender by as much as 30 points.

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New Hampshire

Protesters Erupt As New Hampshire GOPers Move Anti-Union Bill That Goes Farther Than Walker's

Brian Beutler | March 25, 2011, 3:39PM

New Hampshire State House

Late on Tuesday evening, Republicans on a House panel in New Hampshire voted to advance legislation that resembles Scott Walker's law in Wisconsin ending collective bargaining rights for public sector unions. It's actually farther reaching.

Under the terms of this plan, public sector workers in the state would become "at will" employees if and when their contracts expire.

That eliminates all the leverage state employees have in negotiation with their employers, and could ultimately end up busting the unions entirely.

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Birther

NH Birther Bill Backer: "I Don't Know" Where Obama Was Born

Melissa Jeltsen | March 11, 2011, 3:27PM

New Hampshire State Rep. David Bates, chairman of the House Election Law Committee and supporter of the state's controversial 'birther' bill told TPM he can't say for certain where President Barack Obama was born. "I don't know where the guy was born, I don't care," Bates said in a phone interview on Friday. He later hedged, saying he had to accept that Obama was born in the United States because he didn't "have any evidence to the contrary."

The proposed legislation, which was unanimously defeated in committee on Wednesday, would have required candidates competing in New Hampshire's presidential primary to provide their long-form birth certificates.

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Birther

UPDATED: New Hampshire Birther Bill Dies In Committee

Brian Beutler and Melissa Jeltsen | March 9, 2011, 12:59PM

Late Update: The bill was defeated in committee Wednesday.

Don't pop the champagne yet, birthers. Yes, New Hampshire Republicans have proposed legislation that would require presidential candidates competing in the New Hampshire primary to provide their long-form birth certificates. But because you've comported yourselves so poorly over the last two years, it won't impact President Obama's 2012 re-election campaign.

Thanks to public scrutiny and criticism of the birther movement -- including from within the Republican Party -- the plan has been rewritten and would not go into effect until 2013, to avoid the impression that it's designed to ensnare President Obama.

As originally written, the bill "had the effective date 60 days after passage," Rep. David Bates (R) told the Union Leader. "But we recognize the potential problems. It created the appearance that it was all centered on a putting barriers in the way of President Obama," Bates said.

Bates said he changed the wording "to diffuse any perception that this was directed at President Obama."

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New Hampshire Primary

Poll: Romney Trumps Competition In 2012 NH Primary

Jon Terbush | February 15, 2011, 8:52AM

Mitt Romney

There may be warning signs in conservative-heavy states for Mitt Romney's potential GOP presidential nomination bid, but back home in New England, he looks poised to dominate the competition. According to a WMUR/Granite State poll, the former Massachusetts governor steamrolls the GOP field, leading his closest challenger by a daunting 30-point margin.

In the poll, 40% of respondents said Romney was their first choice to represent the GOP in 2012. Rudy Giuliani came in second at 10%, followed by Tim Pawlenty and Mike Huckabee with 7% each. Newt Gingrich and Sarah Palin tied for fifth place with 6% each, while Ron Paul (5%) Donald Trump (3%) Haley Barbour (1%) and Rick Santorum (1%) brought up the rear.

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2012 Presidential Primaries

Mitt Romney Not Buddying Up To The Tea Party (And Vice-Versa)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | January 21, 2011, 11:27AM

While other potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates fall all over themselves to appeal to the tea party base that represents one of the most enthusiastic groups in the Republican Party, Mitt Romney's taking a different approach.

Though the former Massachusetts governor is considered a leading contender in the race to take on President Obama next year, the Boston Globe reports that he's done little to court what most observers expect will be a key component of the primary electorate: the tea party activists who so altered the GOP landscape in 2010.

From the Globe:

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Pres '12

Magellan Poll: Romney Holds Huge Lead In 2012 NH GOP Primary

Jon Terbush | January 7, 2011, 10:38AM

Mitt Romney

As New Hampshire goes, so goes the nation. Well, not always, but winning the state's presidential primary usually gives a candidate a big leg up as they seek their party's nomination.

A new Magellan poll has some great news for Mitt Romney then, as it indicates that if the Republican primary were held today, the former Massachusetts Governor would win in a blowout.

In the poll of New Hampshire Republicans and Independents, both of whom can vote in the state's GOP primary, Romney drew over twice as much support as the next most popular potential candidate, Sarah Palin. Thirty-nine percent of respondents said they would vote for Romney if the election were held today, compared to 16% who said their top choice was Palin. Mike Huckabee came in third in the poll at 10%, followed by Newt Gingrich at 8%.

Aside from those four candidates--considered to be the front runners for the party nod--the poll also tested Texas Rep. Ron Paul (7%), former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (4%), former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum (3%) and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (1%.)

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2012 elections

Rick Santorum Staffs Up In New Hampshire

Jillian Rayfield | January 6, 2011, 11:09AM

Fmr. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum is making more moves toward a possible run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, bringing on a strategist to head Santorum's PAC in New Hampshire.

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Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty To Visit New Hampshire In March

Eric Kleefeld | February 12, 2010, 12:30PM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a potential presidential candidate, will be visiting New Hampshire next month, bringing the retiring Minnesota governor to the site of the country's first primary contest.

Pawlenty posted this announcement on his Facebook page: "The Manchester Republican Committee invited me to keynote their Lincoln-Reagan Day Dinner on March 25. I'm glad to do it -- it's a great event that will help Republicans win in 2010. Can any Granite Staters tell me when the ice-out is? Would be fun to also play some hockey while I'm there."

The conventional wisdom is that a candidate from Minnesota would have a regional advantage in Iowa, as opposed to New Hampshire. But perhaps the weather-card could win Pawlenty some points here.

2008 campaign

Campaign Tactics They Could Believe In: Obama '08 Pushed Early State Pledge

Christina Bellantoni | November 12, 2009, 10:39AM

David Plouffe

Remember the mess that was Florida, Michigan and the earliest Iowa caucus in history?

Turns out some of the complications were orchestrated by the Obama campaign.

In his new book "The Audacity to Win" Obama campaign manager David Plouffe confesses they tried to "box in" Clinton after the Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee decided to strip Florida and Michigan of their delegates as punishment for holding primaries earlier than allowed. (In the end, it all worked out, but it caused complete chaos for months as the primary dragged on.)

Plouffe writes:

"Emboldened by the drift of the rules committee, we took it to the next level. I asked Steve Hildebrand to go on a secret diplomatic mission to speak with the four early-state party chairs, encouraging them to ask all the candidates to sign a pledge stating they would not campaign in any states (Florida and Michigan) that had violated the rules and were threatening the approved early states' primacy.

Yes, this was in our self-interest. But it was also in theirs. If these two big states were penalized as severely as possible, and we all committed not to campaign in them, then the role of the early states was protected with no ambiguity."

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Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty To Visit New Hampshire In December

Eric Kleefeld | November 11, 2009, 3:33PM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN)

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), a potential presidential candidate, will soon be visiting the major primary state of New Hampshire, the Union Leader reports.

Pawlenty will be the keynote speaker at a December 16 fundraiser for the New Hampshire GOP's state Senate campaign PAC. Tickets will be $50, an amount that was set in order to be affordable and "to attract people from all across the state," said local GOP strategist Michael Dennehy, who is advising the PAC.

Dennehy said that Pawlenty "would be a good, new fresh face for Republicans in New Hampshire to meet and to help raise money for the Republican cause."