Recent News

Trump soars, Bush sinks in latest N.H. poll

Donald Trump is now the choice of nearly one-in-three likely Republican primary voters in New Hampshire, while Jeb Bush, who once pledged that he would win in the state, plummeted to just 4 percent in the latest Monmouth University poll.

With less than a month before the New Hampshire primary, the Republican polls are showing significant movement, and a competitive battle for second and third place within the margin of error.

In the January edition of AEI’s Political Report, we provide profiles of the 2012 Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada Republican electorates. What makes each of these electorates distinct? Will their profiles be similar in 2016?

Bush, Rubio Poised to Gain Critical S.C. Endorsement?

While the focus for the next month is likely to be almost exclusively on the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, a few news items this morning out of the Palmetto State suggest the third contest of the 2016 nomination process could be just as important as the first two.

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who recently dropped out of the race, sits at the head of a well-regarded political machine, and his endorsement could provide a much-needed boost to anybody ... Read More >>

USA TODAY GOP Power Rankings: Carson and Fiorina fading

2016 begins with some outsider candidates finding themselves out of the picture in USA TODAY’s weekly GOP Power Rankings.

Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina tallied their worst scores this week since we started this survey Sept. 1, asking 30 political experts who is the strongest candidate in the GOP field.

Republican presidential candidates Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina seem likely not to get an invitation to the next primetime debate, according to the criteria unveiled by the FOX Business Network on Tuesday.

With just a handful of weeks until the Iowa Caucuses, the race for the Republican presidential nomination is entering the home stretch.

Here’s a look at the 13 candidates remaining in the Republican field - and their path to victory … or defeat.

To get Graham’s endorsement, a presidential candidate must challenge Trump, Cruz

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said Wednesday that he’ll expect any presidential candidate who gets his endorsement to challenge Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, the two candidates currently leading the contest for the Republican nomination.

The Republican Graham said he hasn’t decided whether to endorse one of his former competitors for the White House, but it won’t be Trump or Cruz because he considers them too extreme to beat Hillary Clinton, the likely Democratic nominee.