Recent News

Trump leads ’16 GOP rankings one month from Iowa

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is the biggest upward mover in The Hill’s new rankings of the Republican presidential contenders, while Ben Carson has plunged.

Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas has also strengthened his standing in the two months since our last rankings while former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has seen none of the momentum he so badly needs.

Graham’s Exit Could Affect GOP Race as His Supporters Mull Their Options

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s exit from the 2016 nomination contest could help reshape the Republican race, according to some news reports and analysis. Politico reports on other candidates who are seeking the backing of Graham’s campaign supporters, and the importance of those supporters:

Graham’s rivals scramble to scoop up his supporters

Lindsey Graham’s departure from the race set off a scramble among his rivals to try to pick up the support of the South Carolina senator and his backers, a valuable ... Read More >>

It looks like a quiet Christmas on Iowa’s campaign trail

Iowans will have some political respite around Christmas: The nonstop presidential candidate blizzard is forecast to die down for three days straight.

We haven’t had a three-day candidate-free spree since Thanksgiving, The Des Moines Register’s candidate visit tracker shows.

Donald Trump, the national front-runner, keeps his big lead in two of the three early states of New Hampshire and South Carolina, but now Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has moved past Trump into a lead of his own in Iowa.

Christie Could Face Rocky Road After New Hampshire

Candidates who either start at the back of the pack or drop there later often pin their hopes on doing well in a single state, usually Iowa or New Hampshire, with the thought that a good showing there will catapult them into contention for the nomination. It’s not a bad strategy, but it does have a huge weakness – the difficulty in quickly building the sort of organization needed in the later states to remain competitive.

Politico this morning focuses on ... Read More >>

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio turned in another credible debate showing, but New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie also took advantage of his return to the main GOP debate stage and former Florida Gov. Jeb Brush turned in the kind of performance that many had been waiting for. In a survey of Republican political Insiders by Ballotpedia, 31 percent judged Rubio to be the “biggest winner” of the December 15 GOP presidential debate in Las Vegas conducted by CNN, while 21 percent awarded that title to Christie, and 21 percent gave the nod to Bush.

In typical post-debate coverage and analysis, most observers offer multiple “winners” and “losers” based on a variety of factors. Some of last night’s declared “winners” are no stranger to the label.

However, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was criticized for lackluster performances in previous debates, is being widely praised for his showing last night. From National Journal:

Winners and Losers in the Las Vegas GOP Presidential Debate

Bush finally seemed to find his voice Tuesday night. But was it too little, too ... Read More >>