Recent News

USA TODAY GOP Power Rankings: Cruz rises, Fiorina falls

Watch out, Donald Trump — Ted Cruz is sneaking up on you.

Political experts in our weekly ranking of the Republican candidates have seen a gradual rise for the Texas senator, moving him from 6th place last week to 4th place this week.

Which Republican presidential candidate will drop out next? Maybe these two.

Over the past month, the crowded Republican presidential primary field saw its first two casualties: former Texas governor Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. These early exits surprised some. Walker was as an early front-runner in the polls owing to his conservative record and ability to win statewide office in a traditionally blue state. Perry was seen as a dark horse with untapped potential.

Why I Keep Forgetting About John Kasich

The Republican contest for president probably will boil down to a fight between a pragmatic conservative, such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, and either an uncompromising conservative, such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, or an outsider, like Ben Carson.

USA TODAY GOP Power Rankings: Trump back on top

Perhaps the reports of Donald Trump’s collapse were premature.

The Donald returns to the top spot in our Power Rankings this week.

Memo: John Kasich’s PAC to position him as shakeup agent

John Kasich’s political action committee is planning to position him as someone who has challenged the status quo, as the Ohio governor’s polling slides while political outsiders like Ben Carson, Donald Trump and Carly Fiorina continue to lead national polls.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich is one of several candidates banking on a good showing in the first primary state of New Hampshire to propel his campaign to the nomination. National Journal has a story on Kasich this morning regarding his efforts to “thread the needle” on policy, but that description could just as easily apply to his strategy:

John Kasich Tries to Thread the Needle on … Pretty Much Everything

Now that Wis­con­sin Gov. Scott Walk­er is out of the race, Kasich ... Read More >>

Scramble Intensifies to Court Iowa Republicans in ‘Economic Conservative Lane’

Steve Gaer’s phone rang within minutes after Gov. Scott Walker quit the Republican race on Sept. 21. An influential Walker supporter in Iowa, Mr. Gaer took three calls from rival campaigns. Two more chimed in the next morning. Last week, Jeb Bush called him personally.