Recent News

Crowded Field of Dreams

Some 20 minutes after an appearance at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa, that would dominate the news in the coming days, Donald Trump walked into the industrial-looking basement area designated for press conferences, surrounded by tough-looking men in slick business suits, ostensibly there to provide security but whose real role, one suspects, was to make the man they were following feel important. A wooden podium faced nearly a dozen television cameras and twice as many journalists, all arrayed in a semicircle about 10 feet away.

Candidates Scramble to Make Republican Debates

The first Republican debate will be held on Aug. 6 in Cleveland. Because only the top 10 candidates according to national polls will be on stage, six candidates and possibly seven (if Jim Gilmore enters the race by that date) will likely miss the cutoff. (“Likely” because in the event of a tie for 10th place, the tied candidates will be allowed on stage.)

Politico has an interesting article on several of the candidates who could be excluded from the first ... Read More >>

The Second-Tier GOP Debate May Be the One to Watch

Fox News delivered yet another blow to the presidential hopes of those Republican candidates polling relatively poorly ahead of the first televised presidential debate. Those six candidates who do not make the top 10 in the most recent national surveys will fail to qualify for the prime time debate.

Fox News changes plans for GOP forum

The Fox News Republican presidential forum on August 6 — also known as the mid-day consolation event for GOP candidates who fail to make the channel’s primetime debate — is being moved to 5 p.m. and shortened to one hour, the On Media blog has learned.

Poll: Trump surges to big lead in GOP presidential race

Businessman Donald Trump surged into the lead for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, with almost twice the support of his closest rival, just as he ignited a new controversy after making disparaging remarks about Sen. John McCain’s Vietnam War service, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Campaigns shatter spending records

The crowded field of 2016 presidential candidates spent $48 million through the first half of the year — nearly twice as much as their counterparts had at this point in the 2012 cycle — reflecting the new realities of fast, expensive campaign launches.

Biggest losers in 2016 money count

In pure numbers, Rick Santorum came in near the bottom of the heap in a crowded field of GOP contenders filing fundraising results this week. He reported $607,000 in contributions, compared to frontrunner Jeb Bush’s early haul of $11.4 million.