Republican primary

The word is losing all meaning at this point.

Hosted by Jim Swift

Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, narrowly defeated Delegate Nick Freitas in Tuesday's Virginia Senate primary. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Stewart led Freitas by 1.7 points—just over 5,000 total votes statewide—much closer than many had…

A right-wing news website worked with a far-left activist to disrupt the Republican primary opponents of Donald Trump. Politico reports:

Former Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has withdrawn her endorsement of Donald Trump.

House majority leader Kevin McCarthy said there is a "better way" to unite Republicans than the national party chairman's recent threat to punish future GOP presidential candidates who refuse to support Donald Trump. Speaking with reporters at the Capitol Tuesday, McCarthy responded to the comments…

Brian Mast, a first-time candidate and political novice, won a crowded Republican primary for a South Florida House seat Tuesday. Among the candidates he beat were the wife of the state senate president. The 35-year-old father of three isn't just a multi-tour combat veteran of Afghanistan—he's a…

Executive editor Fred Barnes discussed Tuesday's tightest and most significant congressional primary races with the Wall Street Journal's Mary Kissel.

House speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin crushed his GOP primary opponent Paul Nehlen Tuesday by nearly 70 points. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Ryan led Nehlen 84 percent to 16 percent.

The drive by Republican state attorneys general to block the overreach by the federal government into state affairs got a boost yesterday from the primary victory of Josh Hawley as Missouri AG. If elected, Hawley will add a state the growing movement of state attorneys general.

In the end, it wasn't even close. Kansas congressman Tim Huelskamp lost the Republican primary for his seat to a political novice, obstetrician Roger Marshall, by 15 points. Local news station KWCH reported just an hour after polls closed Tuesday night that Huelskamp's campaign staff "has told…

Donald Trump is refusing to endorse two prominent congressional Republicans in their upcoming primaries—even after both have endorsed him. According to an interview with Washington Post, the GOP nominee says he's "not quite there yet" in endorsing House speaker and Wisconsin congressman Paul Ryan,…

Cleveland

"Lemon laws are American state laws that provide a remedy for purchasers of cars and other consumer goods in order to compensate for products that repeatedly fail to meet standards of quality and performance," goes the Wikipedia definition. Republican delegates should study this carefully, as it…

The New Hampshire Union Leader has endorsed Chris Christie for president. The state's largest daily newspaper, which has a conservative-leaning editorial board, published the endorsement Saturday. Here's an excerpt:

New Jersey governor Chris Christie directly challenged an account from presidential rival Donald Trump that "thousands" of Muslims in the Garden State cheered on the day of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

A new poll of Iowa Republicans shows Texas senator Ted Cruz moving into a close second to Donald Trump in the race for the presidential nomination. The Quinnipiac poll of 600 likely GOP caucusgoers found 25 support Trump while 23 percent support Cruz.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie slammed Secretary of State John Kerry for remarks the top diplomat made Tuesday about the attacks in Paris and the Charlie Hebdo attacks in January. Kerry contrasted the Paris attacks, which he called “indiscriminate,” with the attacks on the French satire…

Iowa congressman Steve King has endorsed Texas senator Ted Cruz for president. Watch the video of King's announcement below:

Why is it so hard to figure out what Ted Cruz actually believes should be done about illegal immigration? When the Texas senator, through the help of radio host Laura Ingraham, zeroed in on Marco Rubio's involvement drafting and supporting the Gang of 8's comprehensive immigration reform plan in…

Donald Trump says he helped out his Republican rival Jeb Bush at Tuesday night's debate in Milwaukee. In an interview with Morning Joe Wednesday, host Joe Scarborough asked the reality TV star how he could unify the GOP after saying harsh things about Bush and other Republicans.

The Marco Rubio campaign is predicting the Florida senator will deliver a knockout punch to former Florida governor Jeb Bush in Tuesday night's debate, according to one reporter at the Fox Business Network. Charles Gasparino said he's hearing confidence from the Rubio camp.

Jeb Bush's campaign has long emphasized the importance of the 12 primary contests on March 1—nicknamed the "SEC primary" because several states have schools in the NCAA's Southeastern Conference. Bush has even campaigned at SEC football games, calling the appearances "SEC Tailgating with…

Jeb Bush's campaign reboot is in full swing, as a video on the former Florida governor's official YouTube page indicates. The normally quiet Bush began shouting at a recent event that "the president has to lead."

Black voters have long been aligned with the Democratic party. In the Barack Obama era, the alignment has been closer than ever, with 2012 black turnout higher and more Democratic than ever. If Hillary Clinton hopes to win the White House, she'll need to get similar numbers to Obama among black…

New Jersey governor Chris Christie came out swinging against his rival for the GOP presidential nomination Marco Rubio Tuesday. In a Tuesday interview with radio host Laura Ingraham, Christie responded to Rubio's claim that the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program…

Part of former Florida governor Jeb Bush's fifth campaign reboot is, apparently, media training for the candidate. Gabriel Sherman at New York magazine reports the Bush campaign has hired Jon Kraushar to help improve the Republican's image:

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, coming off a poorly perceived debate performance last week and struggles in the polls, appeared in Tampa Monday morning to "reboot" his campaign. Bush will define this new campaign shakeup with a mantra that he wants to come to Washington to "fix it."

Boulder, Colo.

A new national poll of Republican primary voters finds retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson in the lead, overtaking reality TV star and New York businessman Donald Trump. The CBS News/New York Times poll found 26 percent of Republican primary voters polled support Carson, while 22 percent support Trump.…

Manchester, N.H.

The fallout from Scott Walker's exit from the presidential race continues in Iowa, which had been the Wisconsin governor's stronghold. The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs reports that Texas senator Ted Cruz has gained the support of three of Walker's county chairs:

Four members of Scott Walker's Iowa campaign are now aligning with Marco Rubio. With the Wisconsin governor exiting the presidential race Monday, the Walker campaign's network of activist supporters in the early primary states are free to endorse other candidates.

Florida senator Marco Rubio has picked up the support of a South Carolina Republican activist who had previously supported Scott Walker.

While their fireworks have earned Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump the most attention after Wednesday night’s Republican debate in California, the winner for the most detailed and substantive performance may go to Marco Rubio. 

A new poll of the Republican presidential primary from the New York Times and CBS News shows consensus frontrunner Donald Trump making "modest" gains, from 24 percent at the beginning of August to 27 percent. But his closest rival for the nominatjon, Ben Carson, has seen a bigger jump in that time,…

The super PAC supporting Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina has a new 60-second ad that's a not-so-subtle response to her GOP rival Donald Trump. The ad, titled "Faces," features the former Hewlett-Packard CEO speaking about the important role of women in the Republican party.

New polls of likely Republican voters in two early primary states show Donald Trump maintaining a solid lead for the presidential nomination. The CBS News/YouGov tracking polls in both Iowa and New Hampshire show the real-estate magnate and reality TV star with big leads in those states.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, came out swinging against several of the Republican candidates for president in a Thursday breakfast with reporters. The Florida congresswoman reserved most of her fire for her fellow Sunshine Staters, calling Marco Rubio a…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush laid out details of his economic plan in North Carolina Wednesday, focusing primarily on how he would reform the tax code as president. The proposal, Bush said, would help achieve his stated goal of four-percent annual economic growth.

Hugh Hewitt’s interview with Donald Trump has received a fair amount of attention, mainly because Trump didn’t know the answers to some of Hewitt’s supposed “gotcha” questions.

A new Monmouth poll of registered or leaning Republican primary voters nationally finds New York businessman Donald Trump continuing to lead in the crowded GOP field. Trump's support is at 30 percent, 4 points higher than he was in Monmouth's August poll and 17 points higher than in its July poll.

Comedian Stephen Colbert launches his version of The Late Show on CBS on September 8, and one of his first guests will be Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. The Bush campaign was quick to turn the appearance into a fundraising opportunity. As the Associated Press reported, the campaign…

More than 200 elected officials, Republican and conservative activists, and business leaders have signed a letter to CNN president Jeff Zucker requesting the cable network award Carly Fiorina a spot in the upcoming Republican presidential primary debate. Fiorina campaign staff posted the letter on…

Jeb Bush has said Donald Trump "should be treated like the frontrunner" for the Republican nomination. On Tuesday, the Bush campaign continues to do just that with a short web video aimed squarely at the leading GOP contender's past "liberal" views on taxes, health care, and abortion as well as…

A new poll of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa finds Donald Trump and Ben Carson tied for the lead at 23 percent support. The Monmouth University poll is the first since July to show Trump not in the sole lead position in Iowa.

Norfolk, Va.

The most frequent words that come to mind when Americans think about Hillary Clinton are "liar" and "dishonest." That's according to a new national poll from Quinnipiac that asked more than 1500 registered voters to say the "first word" that comes to mind when they hear the Democratic presidential…

Donald Trump's presence in the Republican primary for president has not significantly damaged the other GOP presidential candidates with respect to Hispanic Americans. That's according to a new poll from Gallup that finds the New York businessman with a highly negative net favorability among…

What’s the matter with Jeb Bush? The establishment favorite and frontrunner in the fundraising primary can’t seem to catch a break. Bush’s performance in the August 6 debate in Cleveland was judged as mediocre at best. He’s dropped to number two in New Hampshire and is tied for sixth place in Iowa.…

Next year will be the most consequential presidential election in two generations. Given how difficult it is to hold the White House for three straight terms, and given President Obama's shaky approval numbers, Republicans will have a good chance to win. On the other hand, Democrats had a good…

Republican presidential candidate John Kasich told a voter in New Hampshire Wednesday that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court case that legalized abortion in the United States is the "law of the land."

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker is nothing if not a campaign veteran. He’s run and won three statewide races since 2010, including the highly contentious recall election in 2012. In fact, since an unsuccessful bid for the state assembly in 1990 when he was just 22, Walker hasn’t lost an election.…

As Jeffrey Anderson noted in this week's issue of the magazine, the issue of Obamacare featured less conspicuously that one might have expected in the first Republican presidential debate. More broadly, the issue has been less central to the GOP primary campaign than one might have anticipated,…

Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican, released a statement Sunday praising the immigration proposal from presidential candidate Donald Trump. ""This is exactly the plan America needs," said Sessions. "Not only would the plan outlined in this paper work, but more quickly than many realize.…

Last week, political pundits began likening Donald Trump, running for the Republican presidential nomination, to an earlier and for many, a beloved president. Trump also has been comparing himself—frequently and favorably—with Ronald Reagan.

Carly Fiorina says she disagrees with her Republican rival for president Donald Trump on the issue of Planned Parenthood. Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday that "we have to look at the positive also for Planned Parenthood" and said abortions were just a "small part" of what the…

Donald Trump is down nine points among Republican primary voters nationally, according to a post-debate poll from Rasmussen Reports. The real estate magnate and reality TV star still leads the crowded primary field, but with 17 percent support Trump is down nine points from Rasmussen's pre-debate…

A new poll of likely GOP caucusgoers in Iowa finds that Marco Rubio and Ben Carson made the most positive impression in the first Republican debate.

A new poll of New Hampshire GOP primary voters conducted after the first presidential debate shows Donald Trump stumbling, and John Kasich and Carly Fiorina getting significant bumps in support. The poll from Franklin Pierce University and the Boston Herald finds Trump with 18 percent, which is…

In the days before the Fox News debate last week, Donald Trump said he wasn’t looking to attack any of his Republican rivals unless he was attacked. That’s changed, apparently.

Coming off a well-received performance in Thursday's 5 p.m. debate, Carly Fiorina appeared on MSNBC's Hardball, where host Chris Matthews grilled the Republican candidate over her onstage claim that Hillary Clinton lied. "Hillary Clinton lies about Benghazi, she lies about e- mails," Fiorina said…

Goffstown, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

A new national Quinnipiac University poll finds Donald Trump leading the crowded Republican presidential primary field with 20 percent support, even as 30 percent of registered Republican voters say there is "no way" they would support him for president. The New York reality TV star and real-estate…

Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a Republican candidate for president, will address the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California, on Monday evening on her foreign policy outlook. In her speech, Fiorina will discuss how as president she would broker a "new deal" with…

Rick Santorum is keeping expectations low for his second presidential campaign. Asked if he would need to win the Iowa caucuses to stay in the race, the former senator said it “depends.”

A new poll of likely Republican caucusgoers in Iowa finds Scott Walker with a broad base of support just a week after the Wisconsin governor officially entered the presidential race. The new survey from Monmouth University finds Walker with 22 percent support, leading his closest competitor, Donald…

Bill Kristol appeared on ABC's This Week Sunday and said he is "finished" with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. At a political event in Iowa over the weekend, the New York businessman had criticized senator John McCain's record on veterans' issues and dismissed the Arizona…

The first Republican presidential debate isn't until next month, but former Texas governor Rick Perry is already hitting back at fellow GOP contender Donald Trump. In a statement, Perry knocked Trump's criticism of the governor's 14-year tenure in Austin, saying the New York businessman has a…

The latest Suffolk University/USA Today poll is likely spooking Republicans in Washington and eliciting cheers from Hillary Clinton headquarters. The poll finds Donald Trump leading the pack of GOP White House hopefuls with 17 percent support, with all the remaining candidates but Jeb Bush…

As the news of the nuclear deal reached between the United States, its Western allies, and the Islamic Republican of Iran broke Tuesday morning, Republican presidential candidates were nearly unanimous in condemning the agreement.

There’s been plenty of sound and fury over the Republican presidential primary debates. Who will make the 10-candidate cut? Who will get left out? Will Ohio’s governor John Kasich be shut out of the first debate, which is being held in his own state? What nutty thing(s) will Donald Trump say?

Bill Kristol joined Anderson Cooper on CNN Wednesday night to discuss the newsman's interview with real-estate mogul and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The boss argued Trump is a force for good in the GOP presidential primary. Kristol debated Democratic operative and Hillary…

The political action committee headed by Ohio governor John Kasich has a new advertisement as the Republican prepares to run for president. The 60-second ad features Kasich speaking directly to the camera about his experience both as governor and as a longtime member of the House of…

Bill Kristol appeared with Steve Malzberg on Newsmax TV Tuesday to discuss Donald Trump's influence on the Republican presidential field. The boss argued that despite Trump's inappropriate comments about illegal immigrants, Republicans should not be so quick to disregard the issues the real-estate…

If you’re searching for an explanation for Donald Trump’s relatively modest surge in the crowded Republican presidential field, look no further than this story from the Washington Post’s Philip Rucker:

The Professional Golfers' Association of America will move its annual Grand Slam of Golf tournament from a Los Angeles-area golf course owned by New York businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. The tournament, which features the winners of the four major championships, was…

On Tuesday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie became the fourteenth Republican to join the presidential race, promising in a rambling announcement in his hometown of Livingston that he would bring “strong leadership” to Washington. Christie also argued the country should not turn control over to…

It’s no accident that Texas senator Ted Cruz sounds like a minister on the stump. His father, Rafael, is an evangelical pastor, after all. And as the Republican presidential candidate displayed before the faith-focused crowd at the Faith and Freedom Coalition’s Road to Majority conference in…

Kentucky senator Rand Paul has introduced a tax reform proposal that promises to "blow up the tax code" and replace it with a flat tax on individual and business income. Here's Paul introducing his proposal in the Wall Street Journal:

Both Florida Republicans running for president are tied for first among registered voters in their party, according to a new poll of the Sunshine State from Quinnipiac.

Jeb Bush looked relieved to say it. “I’ve decided I’m a candidate for president of the United States of America,” said the former Florida governor Monday afternoon. Standing on a stage at Miami Dade College, Bush let out an audible sigh immediately after the announcement as the crowd around him…

On Wednesday, Democrat Hillary Clinton posted her first photo to Instagram, the photo-based social network, with a joke referencing her memoir Hard Choices. Here's the photo, which shows several red, white, and blue pantsuits hanging on a rack:

A new poll of Florida Republican primary voters finds a tightening race between the Sunshine State's two favorite sons in the 2016 GOP presidential primary. According to St. Leo University's Polling Institute, former governor Jeb Bush has 30 percent support among likely Republican primary voters in…

More than 50 Republican activists and officeholders in New Hampshire have signed an open letter to the heads of Fox News and the Republican National Committee to "urge" those leaders to "reconsider the criteria and to design a debate that will allow voters to hear from a more diverse and inclusive…

Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, announced Thursday afternoon he is running for president in 2016. Introduced by his wife Anita and flanked by retired U.S. Navy SEALs Marcus and Morgan Luttrell, Perry spoke about his upbringing in West Texas, touted his job-creation record during his 14 years…

Former Texas governor Rick Perry is running for president, releasing a video focusing on his record and background. The Republican will formally announce the campaign Thursday during an event outside of Dallas.

Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina says the United States is "not making progress" in its fight against ISIS. In a recent interview with THE WEEKLY STANDARD, Fiorina said President Obama "understates the significance of the situation" with the terrorist group that has taken over large…

Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator and runner-up for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012, will run for president again in 2016. The Associated Press reports:

Kentucky senator Rand Paul says the "hawks" in the Republican party helped create and grow the Islamic State terrorist group. Paul, who is running for president, appeared Wednesday morning on MSNBC, where host Joe Scarborough asked him about fellow senator Lindsey Graham's own likely White House…

Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Carly Fiorina will both be campaigning in Columbia, South Carolina, on Wednesday, and the Fiorina campaign is making sure reporters know its candidate will be answering questions. Fiorina will be available to speak to the press, says deputy campaign manager…

Former Texas governor Rick Perry has a message for three of the current Republican White House hopefuls: Run for governor before you run for president. Speaking about Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, and Rand Paul, all three U.S. senators, Perry said in an interview last week with THE WEEKLY STANDARD that…

Oklahoma City

On Wednesday afternoon Kentucky senator Rand Paul, a Republican presidential candidate, began what he's calling a filibuster of the Senate's renewal of the PATRIOT Act. Here's a tweet from Paul announcing the speech:

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker said America should focus on the current challenges and problems faced in Iraq. Speaking on CBS's Face the Nation, Walker responded to a question from Bob Schieffer about potential 2016 rival Jeb Bush's difficult time answering questions about the 2003 invasion of…

Since announcing his candidacy for the president last month, Florida senator Marco Rubio has surged in the polls for the Republican nomination. He's now tied with Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and trails former Florida governor Jeb Bush by two points in the Real Clear Politics average of polls.…

For Jeb Bush and the issue of the Iraq War, the third time was the charm—but you wouldn’t know that from reading the headlines. Bush, the former Florida governor and brother of the president who took American troops into Iraq in 2003, had a difficult time explaining his position on the war this…

New Jersey governor Chris Christie told CNN's Jake Tapper Tuesday that it "wasn't" the right decision to go to war in Iraq, given what we know now about the intelligence failures leading up to the invasion in 2003.

Pat Toomey is considered one of the more vulnerable senators up for reelection in 2016, but one new poll finds the Pennsylvania Republican leading possible Democratic challengers. A new survey from Harper Polling, a GOP firm, finds Toomey ahead by double-digits against three Democrats considering a…

In her first week as a candidate for president, Carly Fiorina’s TV schedule alone has been dizzyingly prolific. Since announcing her run on May 4th, Fiorina has done the following: two interviews on ABC’s Good Morning America; two Fox News interviews, one in the morning and another in primetime; a…

A new Quinnipiac poll of likely Iowa Republican presidential caucusgoers finds Wisconsin's Scott Walker in front of the GOP pack with 21 percent support and a 9-point advantage over his closest primary opponents. That's down from 25 percent and a 12-point lead in Quinnipiac's February poll, but…

Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard CEO and new Republican presidential candidate, appeared on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers Tuesday to talk about her candidacy. Host Seth Meyers brought up the fact that Fiorina had failed to purchase the internet domain carlyfiorina.org before launching…

Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas and a 2008 Republican candidate for president, announced Tuesday he is running for the GOP nomination again in 2016. At an event in his hometown of Hope, Arkansas, Huckabee hit on populist and social conservative themes, repeatedly entreating voters to…

Former neurosurgen Ben Carson says he's "in" the presidential race. Carson announced his run in a TV interview Sunday evening, with a more formal announcement Monday in Detroit, his hometown. Here's Carson announcing the run on Twitter:

The first person to appear in Carly Fiorina's video announcing she is officially running for president is Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. The 60-second launch video begins with the former first lady and secretary of state's own announcement from last month playing on a TV, before Fiorina uses…

Is there anything separating Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush on the question of what to do about the Iran deal? As with many issues, the distinction between the two Florida Republicans falls more in the realm of tone and emphasis than on policy.

Republican senator Ted Cruz said Wednesday afternoon he is “long-term optimistic and short-term pessimistic” on the question of passing any immigration reform legislation. Speaking with Javier Palomarez, the president of the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Texan presidential…

A new poll of likely Iowa Republican presidential caucus goers finds a wide-open field with three candidates vying for the top spot and a plurality undecided. Scott Walker, the governor of neighboring Wisconsin, leads the latest poll from Loras College, earning 12.6 percent support. Florida senator…

Nashua, N.H.

Manchester, N.H.

Nashua, N.H.

Windham, N.H.

While Hillary Clinton was meeting with voters in Iowa on her second full day as a presidential candidate, Marco Rubio spent part of his discussing a tax policy white paper at a Washington think tank. The newly declared candidate joined with Utah Republican Mike Lee at the Heritage Foundation to…

Marco Rubio told ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that the United States is at a "generational moment"—a further sign the 43-year-old Republican senator will make his youth a focus of his presidential campaign against older candidates in both the primary and general election.

Florida senator Marco Rubio is running for president. The Associated Press reports Rubio told donors Monday he would seek the Republican nomination. Here's the AP:

Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who is expected to announce he is running for president next week, has released a video titled "A New American Century." The five-and-a-half-minute video stitches together several speeches Rubio has given since his 2010 run for the U.S. Senate. The patchwork speech…

A front-page story in Tuesday’s Washington Post examines former Florida governor Jeb Bush’s record on ending affirmative action for college admissions. Through a 2000 executive order, Bush banned racial preferences in Florida’s public universities and colleges. The move was controversial at the…

As Kentucky senator Rand Paul gears up to launch a presidential campaign, the libertarian leaning Republican may have some problems getting social conservatives on board. Tony Perkins, the president of the Family Research Council, suggested in an interview that Paul’s brand of Republicanism doesn’t…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush will be a "special guest" speaker at the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference convention at the end of April. Bush, who is exploring a run for the White House, will attend the convention in Houston.

A new poll of New Hampshire GOP primary voters from the Boston Herald and Franklin Pierce University finds Jeb Bush and Scott Walker are tied at 15 percent support, with a slew of other likely candidates close behind in the first presidential primary of the cycle. Here's the Herald on the…

Matthew Continetti, writing at the Washington Free Beacon, explains why Jeb Bush has a problem in his foreign policy adviser James Baker. Baker recently spoke at a conference for the left-wing group J Street. Here's an excerpt from Continetti's column:

Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee met with about 40 conservative scholars in California Thursday in preparation for a potential presidential run in 2016. The discussion and Q&A session occurred at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, and included in attendance George Shultz, Ronald…

The super PAC supporting former Texas governor Rick Perry has a new web ad focusing on the Republican's farming roots and showcasing his recent trips to Iowa. "My background is off of a dry-land cotton farm 200 miles west of Fort Worth, Texas," says Perry in the video. "I understand blue-collar,…

Governor Chris Christie has a big fan in Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. The New Jersey governor posted a video on the social media website from his latest town hall event. Zuckerberg "liked" the post and even commented. Check out a screenshot below:

Lynchburg, Va.

Former Texas governor Rick Perry responded to news that the Obama administration is instituting new regulations on hydraulic fracturing.

Scott Walker may not be a candidate for president yet, but the Wisconsin governor’s growing political action committee staff is already going after a potential rival in the Republican primary. GOP strategist Liz Mair, CNN reports, has just signed on to consult for Walker’s Our American Revival PAC,…

A new poll from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News shows Florida senator Marco Rubio and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker have the most goodwill among Republican primary voters ahead of both men's possible bids for the presidency.

Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who made political waves in 2013 with a pointed critique of President Obama at the National Prayer Breakfast, is taking a step closer to a presidential campaign of his own. Carson announced Tuesday he is launching an exploratory committee for a run in 2016.…

By most accounts, former Florida governor Jeb Bush performed well (to some observers, “very, very” well) in his Friday appearance at the Conservative Political Action Conference outside Washington. The likely presidential candidate succeeded in defying expectations by receiving a warm reception at…

Supporters of Carly Fiorina, the former Hewlett Packard CEO and Republican Senate candidate from California, have started a new political action committee ahead of a possible Fiorina presidential run. The PAC, called Carly for America, will be separate and distinct from Fiorina's Unlocking…

Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey will announce in a speech in Trenton Tuesday that the New Jersey Education Association has endorsed the Republican's "roadmap" for pension reform. Christie, who made a national name for himself over his public battles with teachers unions in the Garden State,…

Former Florida governor Jeb Bush, who is considering seeking the Republican nomination for president in 2016, will deliver a foreign policy address in Chicago Wednesday morning. Bush is expected to speak about his vision for how the United States can "regain its leadership in the world" and to…

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker leads an early poll of New Hampshire Republican primary voters, NH1 reports:

Jeb Bush had fighting words at his Wednesday speech at the Detroit Economic Club. The former Florida governor, who is actively thinking of running for president, said he was down for a rumble—at least, if anyone tried to say a bad word about his father, George H.W. Bush.

Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard and 2010 Republican candidate for Senate in California, is moving closer to a formal run for president. According to someone close to her, Fiorina will make an announcement about her candidacy in late April or early May, shortly before the release of…

South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham has launched a new political action committee for "testing the waters" for a presidential run in 2016. The Republican, in his third term, has started Security Through Strength, a PAC that bluntly describes itself as a group to "fund the infrastructure and…

The boss was on the set of MSNBC's Morning Joe Friday to discuss Iraq, the Tea Party, and the midterm elections. Watch the videos below:

Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander is making his final pitch to primary voters with a radio ad in which the two-term Republican claims he has voted to "end amnesty" for illegal immigrants. Alexander has been hit hard on the issue of immigration by his chief GOP challenger, state representative Joe…

It's still a year and a half before the first presidential primaries of 2016, but Gallup has a new survey out asking Republicans and Democrats about the potential GOP candidates. Analyzing those candidates' familiarity and favorability among Republicans, Gallup has discovered the best known and…

Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi edged out challenger Chris McDaniel in the Republican primary runoff Tuesday, ending a hard-fought, often bitter campaign for the party's nomination for the Senate. Cochran won the runoff by just around 4000 votes, and is a favorite to win the general election.

On Tuesday, Eric Cantor, the Republican congressman from Virginia, became the first sitting House majority leader to lose a primary for reelection. The victor, political newcomer and college professor David Brat, won nearly 56 percent of the vote to win the GOP nomination for the Republican-heavy…

The WEEKLY STANDARD podcast with editor William Kristol on Eric Cantor's surprise primary loss in Virginia's seventh congressional district.

Dave Brat, a college professor challenging House majority leader Eric Cantor in next week's Republican primary in Virginia, has a 60-second ad touting his conservative credentials.

In the lead-up to Georgia's July 22 GOP runoff election for U.S. Senate, Congressman Jack Kingston of Savannah has received an endorsement from the Heisman Trophy-winning University of Georgia football legend Herschel Walker. Walker, a Georgia native and star running back of UGA's undefeated 1980…

The Associated Press reports that former CEO David Perdue and congressman Jack Kingston won first and second place, respectively, in Tuesday's Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia. Because Perdue, at 30 percent, did not win an outright majority, both he and Kingston (who got 26 percent)…

If there’s one thing we know about today’s Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate, it’s that we really don’t know who will win. Or, more precisely, we don’t know which candidates will come in first and second to proceed to the inevitable runoff election in July. With five major candidates in…

Monica Wehby, a Republican candidate for Senate in Oregon, leads her primary opponent Jason Conger by 17 points in a new poll by a GOP polling group supporting Wehby. New Republican, which has been running TV ads on Wehby's behalf, polled 500 likely primary voters in Oregon and found 41 percent…

Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst of Iowa has a double-digit lead over her closest primary opponent in a new poll from Loras College. The survey of 600 likely Republican primary voters found Ernst, a state senator, with 30.8 percent support, while businessman Mark Jacobs comes in second with…

With just days before Georgia's May 20 primary election, the leading Republican candidate has suggested he would support raising taxes as a way to fix the economy. Speaking to editorial board of the Macon Telegraph, businessman David Perdue said he supports "both" curbing government spending and…

Republican Senate candidate Tom Cotton holds a small lead over Democratic senator Mark Pryor in an internal poll released today by the Cotton campaign. The poll of 600 likely voters in Arkansas found 42 percent support Cotton and 40 percent support Pryor. See the full release here.

A new internal poll of the Georgia Republican primary for U.S. Senate finds David Perdue, Karen Handel, and Jack Kingston all within a few points of each other. The poll conducted by Rosetta Stone Communications on behalf of the Handel campaign, found Perdue leading the pack with 22 percent…

Governor Rick Perry of Texas criticized President Barack Obama's Washington-centric approach to solving problems in a Sunday appearance on NBC's Meet the Press. Perry was asked by host David Gregory about the recent botched execution of a convicted murderer in neighboring Oklahoma and the…

A GOP super PAC is spending more than $75,000 on TV ads supporting Oregon Senate candidate Monica Wehby ahead of the state's May 20 primary. The Oregonian reports that New Republican, headed up veteran consultant Alex Castellanos, will be airing ads in the Portland market touting Wehby as an…

Sarah Palin has endorsed Taylor Griffin in the Republican primary for North Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Griffin announced the endorsement on his campaign website:

Savannah-based congressman Jack Kingston is getting some support in his bid for the U.S. Senate in Georgia by way of a new ad from the Chamber of Commerce. The ad calls Kingston a "consistent conservative." Watch it below:

With a week to go before the North Carolina Republican primary for U.S. Senate, Thom Tillis has broken 40 percent support, according to a new poll. Tillis, the state speaker of the house, has 46 percent support, with top rivals Greg Brannon and Mark Harris receiving 20 percent and 11 percent,…

Republicans in two Northern Virginia House districts selected their nominees Saturday, one of them a three-term female delegate and the other an African American Marine veteran. Barbara Comstock, a former congressional aide, won her firehouse primary to be the GOP nominee for Virginia's 10th…

Mark Jacobs, a Republican candidate for Senate in Iowa, has donated more of his own money to his campaign than any candidate in Hawkeye State history. The Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs (no relation) has the story:

Texas senator Ted Cruz has endorsed Ben Sasse in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Nebraska. From the Sasse campaign announcement:

A new ad from a Republican primary challenger to Michigan congressman Justin Amash notes he has voted for bills supported by Barack Obama more than any other Republican in Congress. Brian Ellis, a businessman from Grand Rapids, released the 30-second ad on Tuesday.

Karen Handel, the former secretary of state of Georgia, has raised $200,000 in the past two weeks for her campaign for Senate, according to a spokesman. The cash-strapped Republican, who is facing better financed primary opponents, has raised more in that time than she had in the previous quarter.

Republican Senate candidate Chris McDaniel supported an earmark in the Mississippi state senate that would have given $2 million in taxpayer money to the Grammy Awards to build a museum in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Republican congressman Paul Broun is leading a field of five Senate candidates in Georgia, a new poll has found. Broun has 27 percent of the GOP primary vote, according to a poll commissioned by liberal group Better Georgia. Broun's competitors came in relatively far behind, with fellow congressman…

Jack Kingston, the longtime Republican congressman from Georgia and a U.S. Senate candidate, is out with his first TV ad of the primary season. The 30-second spot will introduce Kingston, a South Georgian based in Savannah, to the rest of the state, particularly the Atlanta media market. The…

A Republican congressman will run for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Mark Udall, the Denver Post reports:

The 2014 Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia remains effectively tied up among the five top candidates, according to a new poll. Businessman David Perdue, a first-time candidate and cousin of former governor Sonny Perdue, has the lead with 12.7 percent, the Daily Caller reports.

The campaign of Lindsey Graham, the two-term Republican senator from South Carolina facing several primary challengers this year, is making significant radio and TV ad buys this week in markets around the Palmetto State. The purchase price of the ads is reportedly $220,000.

Another conservative organization has endorsed congressman Paul Broun in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Georgia. The Madison Project, headed up by former Kansas congressman Jim Ryun, endorsed Broun over four other major GOP candidates.

A new poll of Georgia voters found the likely Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate is slightly ahead of four the candidates in the crowded GOP primary. PPP, working on behalf of the liberal group Americans United For Change, found that Democrat Michelle Nunn leads Republican congressmen Paul Broun,…

Republican state senator Dick Black of Virginia is considering running for the House seat currently represented by retiring Republican Frank Wolf. Black announced on Facebook he was forming an exploratory committee.

Longtime Mississippi senator Thad Cochran, who will be 76 at the end of this year, hasn't said whether he'll run for a seventh term in 2014. But late last week another Republican entered the primary race for Senate, and he's challenging Cochran from the right. Chris McDaniel, a state senator,…

The National Right to Life Committee, which typically endorses pro-life incumbents, has endorsed Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell for reelection in 2014. WDRB.com has the story:

The 2016 presidential primary season doesn't begin for another two and half years, and a new poll from Rasmussen shows there's no consensus among Republican primary voters about the preferred candidate. Chris Christie, the governor of New Jersey, leads the poll of 1000 likely primary voters with 21…

Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, the five-term Republican from Kentucky, has drawn a primary challenge for his reelection effort next year from businessman Matt Bevin. Bevin, who will likely self-finance part of his campaign, is out with his first ad Wednesday. The 30-second spot purports to…

David Perdue, a Georgia businessman and cousin of former governor Sonny Perdue, has announced he will run for the Senate as a Republican. The Associated Press has the story:

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum spoke Thursday at the Faith and Freedom Conference in Washington about the failure of the Republican party and its presidential nominee to speak to the concerns of middle class and working people. Politico's James Hohmann reports:

Karen Handel, the former secretary of state of Georgia and a potential Republican Senate candidate, sent this email to her supporters:

Rep. Walter B. Jones of North Carolina occupies a strange place on the spectrum of American politics. An 18-year House veteran from the conservative coast, Jones is a pro-life former Democrat, raised Baptist but a Catholic convert. The 70-year-old Republican’s biggest claim to fame may have come in…

Republican Karen Handel, the former Georgia secretary of state, gubernatorial candidate, and vice president for the Susan G. Komen Foundation, is moving closer to running for the Senate next year to succeed Republican Saxby Chambliss. Georgia political blog Peach Pundit reports:

Republican Ken Cuccinelli and Democrat Terry McAuliffe are tied at 38 percent in the latest Quinnipiac poll of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race. According to the poll, if Republican lieutenant governor Bill Bolling runs as an independent (as he has suggested he might), McAuliffe would have a…

“I have some discomfort with all Republican primaries because they’re all family squabbles,” said Tom Price, the 58-year-old Republican House member from north of Atlanta. “My brother and I used to fight almost daily,” Price, the middle child among five brothers and sisters, said. “My mom’s only…

Paul Broun, the Republican congressman from Georgia, may be getting closer to announcing a 2014 run for Senate to succeed retiring Republican Saxby Chambliss. Via Jim Galloway, GOP consultant Andrew O'Shea sets the scene at a meeting of conservative activists Tuesday night in metro Atlanta, where…

Is Mitch McConnell already losing his reelection campaign? That's what a new poll from the Louisville Courier-Journal released Tuesday suggests. According to the survey of 609 registered voters in Kentucky, just 17 percent say they would vote to reelect the Republican and Senate minority leader,…

House Republican Tom Price of Georgia refused to say whether he would challenge Senator Saxby Chambliss in the 2014 GOP primary. In a Tuesday afternoon appearance on CNN, Price was asked by host Brooke Baldwin if he would "mount a primary challenge" against Chambliss. He at first dodged the…

Georgia-based blogger and radio host Erick Erickson will not be running for the U.S. Senate, Erickson writes at RedState.com:

Republican Bill Bolling, the two-term lieutenant governor of Virginia, has dropped out of the race for governor, CNN reports. Bolling was challenging Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for the Republican nomination. Here's more from CNN:

Erick Erickson, a conservative blogger, radio talk show host, and CNN contributor, may be considering a run for Senate in Georgia. On his radio show Tuesday, Erickson stated there are "a lot of people pledging a lot of money" for a primary challenge against incumbent Republican senator Saxby…

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum says he is “open” to another run for president in 2016. Santorum was asked about a possible presidential campaign Monday at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. 

Republican congressman Ben Quayle of Arizona may have received the most critical endorsement of his primary against fellow congressman David Schweikert. Black civil rights activist Reverend Jarrett Maupin of Phoenix has endorsed Quayle over Schweikert, the Phoenix New Times reports, with some…

U.S. Senator John McCain has endorsed Ben Quayle over David Schweikert in the Republican primary for Arizona's Sixth Congressional District. McCain endorsed Quayle, a House freshman and the son of former vice president Dan Quayle, in a press conference Wednesday in Phoenix. Dan Nowicki of the…

Conservative congressman Todd Akin has won a tough three-way Republican primary for Senate in Missouri, the Associated Press reports. In a race that had been close between Akin, businessman John Brunner, and former state treasurer Sarah Steelman, the seven-term representative from northeastern…

Former congressman Pete Hoekstra has won the Republican primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, reports the Associated Press.

Senate candidate Ted Cruz is projected to win the Republican primary runoff for U.S. Senate in Texas. With 37 percent of precincts reporting, Cruz has won nearly 53 percent of the vote over Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, who has won just under 46 percent. Dewhurst won the four-way GOP primary…

A final poll of Texas Republican voters from PPP shows Ted Cruz leading David Dewhurst by 10 points in Tuesday's runoff election for U.S. Senate. Cruz, the former state solicitor general and favorite of conservative activists, has 52 percent support compared to 42 percent for Dewhurst, the…

Republican Senate candidate David Dewhurst received the endorsement Tuesday of former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert. Leppert, who came in third in the May 29 GOP primary behind Dewhurst and Ted Cruz, did not qualify to run in this month's runoff election.

Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed Sarah Steelman in the Missouri Republican primary for U.S. Senate. "I am deeply honored and humbled to have earned the endorsement of Governor Palin, whose willingness to stand up and fight for what is right, regardless…

Former Texas solicitor general Ted Cruz has taken a four-point lead over Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst in the Republican Senate primary runoff race, according to a PPP poll released Thursday. PPP found that 49 percent of likely Texas GOP runoff voters support Cruz, while 44 percent support…