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NASHUA, N.H. (AP) - Nearly 20 Republican White House prospects will court presidential primary voters in New Hampshire this weekend at a state GOP meeting in Nashua. It's the first gathering of its kind in the first-in-the-nation primary state this year and offers no shortage of intriguing storylines as Republican contenders across the political spectrum deliver speeches, answer questions and work to stand out in the crowd. Five things we'll be watching for: [SNIP] Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, will be in New Hampshire as well to make sure Republicans don't get a free pass. [SNIP]

<p>WASHINGTON (CNN) – Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush suggested in New Hampshire on Thursday that Senate Republicans should allow a vote on Loretta Lynch, the White House attorney general nominee.</p> <p>“I think presidents have the right to pick their team,” Bush said at a “Politics and Pies” event in Concord, where he is testing the message he will deliver if he runs for president. “The longer it takes to confirm her, the longer Eric Holder stays as attorney general.”</p>

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has joined Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid in calling for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to abandon his pre-election promise to fight President Obama’s executive amnesty by holding a vote to confirm U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch as Attorney General. “I think that presidents have the right to pick their team,” Bush said in New Hampshire at an event with about 95 voters and “a horde of media,” according to Time Magazine’s Zeke Miller. “The longer it takes to confirm her, the longer Eric Holder stays as Attorney General,” Bush said, echoing a talking point that...

As the Republican presidential candidates gather this weekend in New Hampshire, they’re all chasing a midwestern governor. The latest survey of New Hampshire Republicans, by liberal-leaning Public Policy Polling, finds Wisconsin’s Scott Walker with a strong lead at 24 percent, followed by a rising Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Establishment favorite Jeb Bush is currently mired in fourth place, with 10 percent support, a drop from the last PPP poll of the first-in-the-nation primary state. Other polls show the race remains tight. The RealClearPolitics average has Walker at 19 percent, followed by Bush at 15 percent and Sen. Rand Paul at...

<p>Rick Perry says he won't make the same mistakes he made in New Hampshire four years ago if he chooses to make another run for the Republican presidential nomination.</p> <p>"Coming here and spending the time in New Hampshire is invaluable, and I didn't realize that in '11," the former Texas governor told a handful of voters Friday at the Waterhouse Country Store in Windham.</p>

Chris Christie can be Hillary Clinton’s running mate. They’re both liberals, they’re both clueless, they’re both egocentrics. And they’re both wrong. We’ll talk about Hillary another day. Today’s subject is Christie. Specifically, his announced intent to “take on” entitlements. He rightly points out that entitlements consume some 70 percent of the federal budget and are a fiscal and social cancer that is destroying America. Entitlements – the “rights” of the welfare state – oblige the taxpayer to fund a limitless number of people receiving a limitless number of dollars over a limitless series of programs. Entitlements are automatic theft, redistribution...

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas got the ball rolling: On March 23, he announced he was running for president and became the first Republican to enter the 2016 presidential race. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky quickly followed suit and became the second Republican to officially declare his candidacy. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida officially joined the race Monday. They could all face New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the Republican primary. Though the governor of the Garden State hasn’t officially declared, Christie has formed a political action committee to explore a run is in New Hampshire for a week...

Oh, Look Who’s Suddenly Tied With Hillary… Just About Everybody! D.C. Conventional Wisdom: “Hillary’s unstoppable, Republicans begin with giant disadvantages, Rand Paul is this wacko Libertarian fruitcake, and he could never wiiiii -WHA?”>>>>Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s lead is wilting against leading Republican presidential candidates in three critical swing states, Colorado, Iowa and Virginia, and she finds herself in a close race with U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky in each state, according to a Quinnipiac University Swing State Poll released today. In head-to-head matchups, every Republican candidate effectively ties her in Colorado and almost all Republicans effectively tie...

Hillary launches her campaign on Sunday – and, some Dems say, it’s about damn time.At long last, the campaign has a candidate. After playing one of the more tedious games of cat and mouse in recent American political history, Hillary Clinton stands now ready to admit that she is what she has been for the last two years: an actual contender for the Democratic nomination for president. The announcement comes as Democrats in DC have fretted that without an organized infrastructure Clinton has been a glutton for Republican attacks, and ill-equipped to respond to the news of the moment, whether...

As a declared presidential candidate, Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) should generate even bigger headlines when he addresses black audiences, as he has at Howard University and other venues. When he was executive of mainly Democratic Milwaukee County, Governor Scott Walker (R., Wis.) appealed to black voters; his reelection majorities consistently increased. These and other Republicans should ask black Americans for their votes from now through November 2016. They should do so by challenging blacks to ask themselves an honest question: “What, exactly, have you gained by handing Obama 95 percent of your votes in 2008 and 93 percent in...

With Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) beginning his run for the Presidency today, I should make public the question I've suggested to reporters in private. Senator Cruz is for certain going to be joined by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who will announce in a few weeks. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who I think is underrated in his bid for the Presidency even though Jeb Bush is intent on locking up Florida, will also most likely declare his candidacy. All three of these men would make excellent Presidents. I know them personally. I backed them when they were at single digits in...

According to a New York Times report, Sen. Ted Cruz is making some critical inroads in Iowa, including gaining the support of “more than a dozen party leaders for his statewide campaign.” Some of that support is coming from the state’s libertarians, or Liberty movement, generally assumed to be aligned with Rand Paul. One, Iowa state Senator Jason Shultz, endorsed Rand’s father, Ron Paul, in 2012–and two others, Joel Kurtinitis and Chad Steenhoek, are former members of the Iowa GOP’s central committee. NYT reports: “The assumption of lot of people has been that the Liberty movement would roll over and support Senator Paul,’’...

<>Politico writes that Rand Paul is losing support among key followers. One of the most prominent defectors is Drew Ivers, chairman of Ron Paul’s 2012 Iowa campaign, who says he will not endorse Rand Paul for president. On Tuesday, three members of Iowa’s Ron Paul-aligned Liberty movement — state Sen. Jason Shultz and former Iowa Republican Party central committee members Chad Steenhoek and Joel Kurtinitis — announced the same, adding that they will support Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. Ivers, who had dinner with Rand Paul in August, said the Kentucky senator has abandoned many of the stances that made Ivers...

U.S. Senator Rand Paul is running for president … in fact, he announces his candidacy next week in Louisville, Kentucky. From there he travels to early voting Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina – including a big fundraiser in the Palmetto State the day after he announces. As we write this, money is being collected. Speeches are being vetted. He’s 100 percent in … and not only that, Paul is one of the few candidates in the race with (we believe) a path to victory. And one of the few candidates (we believe) to be worthy of real consideration. Is...

A new Quinnipiac poll has Rand Paul tied for 5th. That’s eight different polls since November showing Paul in 4th place or worse. There was a moment in 2013 when political realignment was within our grasp– a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unite conservatives and progressives under the banner of classic Jeffersonian liberalism. That window is closed– squandered by the mind-boggling incompetence of senior adviser Doug Stafford. I know what you’re thinking: It’s still early! Polls don’t matter until [some arbitrary future date]. (SNIP) Rand could meet with Al Sharpton again. Because that went over so well the first time. Rand could...

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is the only major Republican likely 2016 presidential candidate who hasn't weighed in on the controversy over Indiana's "religious freedom" law that erupted this week — and his explanation for avoiding the issue is questionable.

Shaneen Allen, a single mother of two young children, had a concealed carry permit in her home state of Pennsylvania. But when she crossed the line into New Jersey and was pulled over for a minor traffic infraction, the ensuing discovery of her weapon, which she disclosed to the officer, meant she was facing a mandatory 3-5 year sentence in prison if convicted. Allen worked as a phlebotomist in Pennsylvania and had been robbed twice during the course of the year, leading her to purchase a firearm to protect her family. She had no prior convictions.Gun activists rushed to...

Republican presidential hopefuls are united in blasting President Obama for his chaotic enforcement of marijuana laws, but the unity quickly breaks down when they are asked how they would handle things if they were in the White House. Some have sent mixed signals, saying state decisions should be respected while questioning how Mr. Obama has respected those decisions. Others have refused to say how they would wield the federal bureaucracy against marijuana. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is one of the few potential candidates to take a firm stance, saying he would insist on following federal statutes that outlaw the drug....

Thought exercise: What if the indictment of Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez ... could once again potentially place an appointment of a U.S. senator in the hands of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie? To trigger this scenario, Menendez, who was indicted Wednesday on corruption charges, would first have to step down or be convicted. Menendez has given no indication he's going anywhere. Then again, stranger things have happened. Consider why Christie might want to think about appointing himself IF a Senate seat were to be vacated: 1.He's term-limited as governor. He can't run again after serving two consecutive terms; and 2.His...

Nearly a week since Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), igniting a nationwide debate about whether the controversial law invites discrimination based on sexual orientation, most potential Republican presidential candidates have taken the opportunity to bolster their conservative credentials. "Governor Pence has done the right thing," said former Florida Governor Jeb Bush on Monday. “I want to commend Governor Mike Pence for his support of religious freedom, especially in the face of fierce opposition,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in a written statement. “Governor Pence is holding the line to protect religious liberty in the...