2012: The Fight for Liberty!

[ChairmanSanchez]

Did Rudy and Pataki make the ballot in Iowa?

They did, just performed poorly, so weren't on the list.

Gotcha

[Jayhawker]

Just Barely! Mitt Romney Narrowly Wins New Hampshire Primary

With 95% of precincts reporting, we can confirm that Mitt Romney will hang on in New Hampshire. The state was a make or break for his campaign, and after a poor debate performance this past weekend, many questioned whether he'd be able to pull it out.

The story of the night, however, is Ron Paul's late surge in New Hampshire, which resulted in him overtaking Rudy Giuliani for second place and almost defeating Romney.

Following the New Hampshire primary, George Pataki announced his withdrawal from the race. Neither Huntsman or Giuliani gave an indication of what their future plans would be.

Results
Mitt Romney - 27.43% (Green)
Ron Paul - 25.86% (Yellow
Rudy Giuliani - 21.68%
Jon Huntsman - 10.34%
Rick Santorum - 6.98%
George Pataki - 5.65%
Rick Perry - 2.60%

[ChairmanSanchez]

Rudy, Pataki, and Huntsman are finished.

[Jayhawker]

Moderate's Dropping Like Flies!

Simply put, we had to do well New Hampshire to stay alive. We put in a great effort, but we just couldn't get the job done. Today, I'm announcing that I will be ending my campaign for Presidency.

Looking forward, I think it's important that Republicans unite behind someone who is fiscally conservative and can defeat Barack Obama in November. With that in mind, I'm giving my endorsement to Rudy Giuliani, in hopes that he will be able to unite the party and win it all.
- George Pataki

After many prayers, my family has decided it is best for me to stand aside in this race. We have fought a hard fought, but simply haven't had the results we were hoping for.

It is with great pride, though, that I announce my endorsement for Rudy Giuliani. He's someone who, I believe can unite this party and also attract moderate support needed to defeat Barack Obama.
- Jon Huntsman

At this point in the race, I think everyone was expecting a candidate to claim some momentum. At this stage, instead, we have several candidates all claiming they have the momentum. Mitt Romney, even though he only won one of his homestates by less than 2%, is claiming victory after strong showings in the first 2 states. Ron Paul probably has the best argument, after pulling off an upset in Iowa and nearly pulling one off in New Hampshire. His numbers have spiked, and reports suggest that in the past week, he's ran even with Romney in terms of fundraising.

Then, you got Rudy Giuliani. After New Hampshire, I thought he was done for. Now, all of a sudden, he has Pataki and Huntsman both throwing their support behind him, and he's also starting to get moderates to coalesce around him. Just today he picked up the endorsement of former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, and also has an endorsement from Olympia Snowe.

Rick Santorum is still in the thick of things, claiming he is the only real conservative left in the race, while Rick Perry still has a breathing hope in South Carolina. This is anyone's race!


National Republican Primary Poll (Rasmussen Reports)
Mitt Romney - 22%
Ron Paul - 20%
Rudy Giuliani - 15%
Rick Santorum - 14%
Rick Perry - 11%

[Jerseyrules]

Great update!

[JulioMadrid]

Great update!

[Jayhawker]

January 16th, 2012: The remaining GOP candidates debate in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was aired on Fox News.

Some key moments of the debate.

Now is not the time for more division and partisanship in America - it is time for new hope, and a new leader that's ready to put American's back to work. I have the proven leadership experience, leading the people of New York City through the most trying of times. It's time to once again make America a beacon of hope throughout the world.
- Rudy Giulani


I am the only true conservative remaining in this race. Congressman Paul has a foreign policy plan that will cripple our nation, both Governor Romney and Mayor Giuliani have questionable positions on social issues, and Governor Perry is one of the most pro-immigration candidates we've had. This party was founded on conservative principles, and I'll restore them.
- Rick Santorum

There he goes again, creating more lies and trying to say whatever he can to win votes. Rick Santorum is not conservative, he's lying. Don't let him fool you. He voted for all of the big spending bills under Governor Bush, and repeatedly compromised his beliefs for backroom politics. There's a reason he lost by the biggest margin of any incumbment in 2006, and that's because he forgot the people he represented and the need to fight for liberty!
- Ron Paul


We can have all of this bickering, or we can focus on the real opponent in this election - President Barack Obama. I think we all know that I'm not the greatest debator, but I have something none of the other candidates have - a proven record as Governor that shows that smart, conservative policies work. We've created more jobs in Texas than anywhere else. I'll take our blueprint in Texas to the national stage, and we're going to get America working again!
- Rick Perry

Analysis on the Debate:
Karl Rove - This was the most watched debate of the year, and that's because a majority of Republicans still have no clue what they're going to do. The biggest winner for tonight, in my opinion, was Rick Perry. He avoided gaffes and did a successful job at touting his plans and his experience as Governor.

Another reason why tonight was a big night for Perry - Santorum fell apart. He was repeatedly labeled a "big-government Republican", with Paul attacking him in almost every answer he gave. Some Americans may look down on Paul's negative approach, but he made Santorum look like a fool tonight, while successfully making some points as well.

Tonight, Giuliani established himself as the moderate choice in this election, and reminded voters that he's the most electable of the bunch. Finally, tonight was a wash for Governor Romney - he did nothing to hurt his status as "weak frontrunner", but didn't help his cause either.

Post-Debate Polls:
National Republican Primary Poll (Rasmussen Reports)
Mitt Romney - 21% (-1)
Ron Paul - 18% (-2)
Rick Perry - 16% (+5)
Rudy Giuliani - 16% (+1)
Rick Santorum - 10% (-4)

South Carolina Primary Poll (Gallup)
Perry - 29%
Romney - 21%
Santorum - 15%
Paul - 14%
Giuliani - 10%

[ChairmanSanchez]

That debate was interesting. Rudy, as pointed out, is the new moderate. Romney is nothing for the time being. Paul and Perry are going to be the Conservatives in the race, as Santorums record is out for everyone to see. Great timeline

[Jerseyrules]

That debate was interesting. Great timeline

[Jayhawker]

Perry Power! Rick Perry wins South Carolina Primary

With the votes counted, we can easily project that Texas Governor Rick Perry will win the South Carolina. Governor Perry benefited from strong debate performances in recent week, and also spent more money than any other candidate in South Carolina. When adding in the endorsement of Senator Jim Demint, it was fully expected that he would win.

Results:
Rick Perry: 38%
Mitt Romney: 28%
Ron Paul: 14%
Rick Santorum: 10%
Rudy Giuliani: 9%

Florida Poll (Post South Carolina):
Rick Perry - 25%
Rudy Giuliani - 23%
Mitt Romney - 17%
Ron Paul - 8%
Rick Santorum - 6%

[Jerseyrules]

It's back!

[Jayhawker]

Santorum Withdraws from Race

After prayerful consideration, today, I announce that I will be suspending my race for President of the United States. We have fought a good fight, but at the end of the day, we just weren't able to capture the momentum needed to win the White House.

Rick Santorum declined to make an endorsement, but an insider in the Santorum camp states that the former Senator plans to make an endorsement soon, and that endorsement will likely be either Governor Romney or Governor Perry.

National Republican Primary Poll (Rasmussen Reports)
Rick Perry - 30%
Mitt Romney - 22%
Ron Paul - 17%
Rudy Giuliani - 16%

Florida will be a huge test for our campaign. It is imperative that we win here.
- Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani

January 24th: In a surprise move, former Florida Governor Charlie Crist announces that he will be voting for Rudy Giuliani, but will not make any appearances with him.

Having Crist's support will certainly hurt Giuliani's support with conservative voters, but then again, he wasn't strong with them to begin with. What it will do, though, is help Giuliani with Independents. Can Giuliani get enough Independents to vote with him to win Florida? We'll see.
- Chuck Todd

We won't be contesting Florida. We will appear in a debate there next week, but that's about the extent of it. Rather, we will be focusing on upcoming caucus states, as well as the Missouri primary.
- Ron Paul

Florida Polling:
ARG:
Perry - 27%
Giuliani - 26%
Romney - 20%
Paul - 7%

CNN/Time:
Giuliani - 26%
Perry - 24%
Romney - 22%
Paul - 11%

PPP:
Giuliani - 29%
Perry - 28%
Romney - 25%
Paul - 8%

Analysis: It's a three-way race. Romney appears to have the late momentum, an he has spent more in Florida than his opponents combined. Florida could become one of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, primary in American history. Giuliani, Perry, and Romney all have a lot riding here, while Paul has decided to skip out on the state.

[Jerseyrules]

Santorum Withdraws from Race

Let me take this post to say that I'm praying for the day I see this when I open up my email

[NHI]

Santorum Withdraws from Race

Let me take this post to say that I'm praying for the day I see this when I open up my email

Amen!

[Jerseyrules]

Santorum Withdraws from Race

Let me take this post to say that I'm praying for the day I see this when I open up my email

Amen!

.  I look forward to future installments; all your TLs are great.