Mini-Timeline - A Surprise Announcement

[Maxwell]

October 4th, 2011 - Christie enters the race



In a surprise move, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announces his candidacy for President of the United States. Christie's move shakes the field entirely as the more moderate Mitt Romney no longer has the field all to himself.

October 8th, 2011 - Christie surges to the top of the polls
Christie is the first Romney challenger to give the Governor a run for his money in the state of New Hampshire.

Iowa Polling
20% Cain
18% Romney
16% Christie
12% Perry
8% Paul
5% Gingrich
4% Bachmann
2% Santorum
0% Huntsman

Quinnipiac National
25% Christie
18% Romney
12% Cain
10% Perry
10% Paul
7% Gingrich
3% Bachmann
1% Santorum
1% Huntsman

PPP New Hampshire
30% Christie
24% Romney
12% Paul
6% Huntsman
5% Cain
5% Perry
3% Gingrich
1% Bachmann
1% Santorum


October 11th Republican Debate - Romney and Christie battle to a draw, Perry fades



October 14th, 2012 - Club For Growth criticizes Christie's record, calling him a liberal Governor



The group is planning on spending $1.5 Million in attack ads against the New Jersey Governor, even as they leave Former Governor Mitt Romney alone to also bury Christie in ads.


October 18th Republican Debate - Everybody hates Christie



A concerted effort by Governor Romney, Speaker Gingirch, Senator Santorum, and Congressman Paul was made to pull an all-out blitz on Governor Christie after it's been revealed his record isn't quite conservative gold. Romney probably knocked him the hardest, and hit him as a "pro-amnesty" Governor. Santorum hit him hard on global warming, and Gingrich flailed Christie for his inability to get the budget under control in the state. Paul labeled Christie a "phony". For the most part, Christie showed his ability to fight back, so despite everything thrown at him, it wasn't a complete loss, but there were signs of slipping in the New Jersey Governors favorable ratings and poll numbers.

November 1st, 2012 - Negative ads have marked effect on Christie campaign, as his numbers begin to fall quickly

PPP National
23% Romney
18% Christie
16% Cain
12% Gingrich
10% Paul
8% Perry
4% Bachmann
2% Santorum
1% Huntsman

New Hampshire Quinnipiac
29% Romney
23% Christie
12% Paul
8% Cain
7% Huntsman
5% Gingrich
4% Perry
2% Bachmann
1% Santorum

[Maxwell]

November 4th - Revealed: Herman Cain Sex Scandal, vows to remain in the race!



"I will fight fight fight these accusations!"

November 9th Debate - Gingrich rises



Gallup National Poll
26% Gingrich
17% Romney
11% Christie
10% Cain
9% Paul
8% Perry
3% Bachmann
1% Huntsman
1% Santorum

November 10th - Huckabee does not enter the race



After some speculation that there would be another very late entry into the Republican primary, Former Governor Mike Huckabee has announced he would not enter the arena, citing the concerns of his current position and that of building a campaign apparatus on very short notice.

November 22nd - Gingrich at the other end of attacks, complains about Romney ads

After two debates of Gingrich as the frontrunner, we begin to see him face attacks. In Iowa, Gingrich's standing has stood still thanks to mountains of Romney cash barraging him. Gingrich attacked Romney at the debate for supposedly false advertisements at his expense. Romney, in typical fashion, attacked Gingrich for not being able to handle the "rigors of the campaign".

Mid-December - The Rise of Paul, Fall of Gingrich



As attacks began to wear down on the Gingrich machine, Ron Paul began rising in the polls, and finally took a lead in the state of Iowa. Paul's operation, dominated by grassroots activists, has been very active there and in the state of New Hampshire, where Paul is beginning to register in second place ahead of Governor Christie's freefalling campaign. With how fast the campaign is moving, some think Paul may be growing too late, and another potential competitor may rise before election day.

[Maxwell]

ROMNEY EDGES PAUL IN THE IOWA CAUCUSES



Iowa Caucus Results
23.5% Romney
23.3% Paul
14.4% Santorum
12.2% Gingrich
9.0% Christie
8.9% Perry
4.3% Cain
3.5% Bachmann
0.5% Huntsman
0.4% Others

January 1st, 2012 - Former Governor Willard Mitt Romney scored a crucial victory in the state of Iowa.  Despite constantly trading polling leads, Romney's infrastructure remained strong and in tact, and after carpet bombing all the rest of his opponents Romney finally managed to latch on to Iowa. But the number of votes he received and the percentage he got are both behind his numbers in 2008, showing the benefit of a large and divided field.

Congressman Ron Paul maintained a very strong showing in the state of Iowa, getting second place despite being universally talked about as a fringe candidate. This showing gives the Congressman momentum going into New Hampshire, a state that may find his libertarian stands on the issues more appealing than the ethanol-fueled Iowa.

Other major surprises include the rise of Rick Santorum, who scored an impressive third place showing despite barely registering anywhere else in the polls. Santorum, however, has raised little money and has no structure anywhere else, leading many to believe that Santorum will have to think about ending his bid sooner rather than later. The other surprise is the previously sinking Christie edging out Rick Perry in Iowa. Christie never seriously contested the state, and his showing gives some reason to believe his candidacy may be back on the upswing after a few bad weeks on the trail. Christie still maintains a strong percentage of the vote in New Hampshire, a state he needs to win if he is to remain viable.

[NHI]

Go Christie!

[Maxwell]

CHRISTIE CRUSHES ROMNEY IN NH DEBATE

January 7th and 8th - After a stronger than expected performance in Iowa, many eyes are on New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's campaign. The Governor started the race in October leading in the polls but stagnated in the months following thanks to negative spending by Romney and Club For Growth, and accusations that the Governor isn't conservative enough.

So Christie came back stronger than ever tonight after a couple of stale performances. He lambasted Romney for his Massachussets healthcare package, and denounced Romney as the face of corporate greed and tone deaf to the needs of ordinary Americans. It's a notable shift in strategy for Christie, who had largely spent his time defending his conservative credentials.

Another notable thing about Christie's performance is that it took the shine off of Gingrich, who had been hoping to give a round the world debate performance in New Hampshire, as well as Huntsman, whose campaign centered around New Hampshire. Huntsman had also been blasted by negative ads by the Romney campaign and hasn't gained traction since.

The person who got to largely skate was Ron Paul. Following his narrow loss in Iowa, Paul continued his message and sent attacks to Christie over his eagerness for war. Paul and Christie, as the usual, got into a brawl over the necessity of the United States to be able to spy and to have as many resources as they do, but nothing beyond the usual debate.

Quinnipiac NH Poll
23% Romney
22% Paul
21% Christie
8% Gingrich
5% Huntsman
2% Santorum
0% Perry