Free Republic

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker appears to have an early edge in Iowa. Craig Robinson, founder and editor of TheIowaRepublican.com, calls Walker the “clear frontrunner” following the weekend Faith and Freedom Coalition event in that state, which hosts the country’s first caucuses. A number of the potential GOP presidential candidates attended the summit and addressed an audience of Iowa voters. Sen. Marco Rubio delivered “one of the best-delivered speeches of the night,” Robinson writes. The political observer added that Sen. Rand Paul and Carly Fiorina got people talking. Fiorina “is going to be a surprise on caucus night if she keeps...

Here’s one name you haven’t seen here at Hot Gas quite so much this election cycle… at least so far: Rick Santorum. After a somewhat shocking start to the 2012 election trail, followed by a gritty, “outlast everyone else” campaign against Mitt Romney, Santorum seemed to have cemented a place as a serious contender in national GOP politics. Further more, he’s made no secret that he’s interested in another grab at the brass ring this time. But where is the splash for him this year? One reason for the lack of media coverage is that the former Pennsylvania Senator hasn’t...

For Christian evangelical voters in Iowa this election cycle is an embarrassment of riches. They're having a hard time picking a candidate because, for the first time many can remember, they have several options to choose from. Nine Republican presidential hopefuls spoke Saturday at an event hosted by the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, a successor to the the now-defunct Christian Coalition. They hoped to win over supporters for the state's presidential caucus, the first major event in the presidential primary. The Iowans could not agree on who did best. "I'd like to elect all of them," said Doug Brown,...

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told a gathering of conservative Republicans that there was “no room for Christians in today's Democratic party,” in a speech Saturday, according to reports.Speaking at the Faith and Freedom summit in Iowa, along with several other GOP 2016 hopefuls, Cruz said: “There is a liberal fascism that is dedicated to going after believing Christians who follow the biblical teaching on marriage," according to CNN.The Texas lawmaker told his audience that the issue of same-sex marriage had produced rabid zealotry in Democratic ranks. This ideology, he argued, was excluding people of faith, the Hill reported.Cruz's speech, and...

Presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Scott Walker exchanged fire over foreign policy in Iowa on Saturday, hours before the two are scheduled to appear together at a Faith and Freedom Coalition summit outside of Des Moines. Speaking to The Des Moines Register editorial board on Saturday morning, Rubio said his seat on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees lends him a distinct advantage on “the most crucial obligation the president faces, as commander in chief.” “Governors can certainly read about foreign policy, and take meetings and briefings with experts,” the Florida Republican said, “but there’s no way they’ll be...

Bobby Jindal is barely breaking 2 percent in Iowa polls — but you’d never know it from the way he wowed the crowd at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition summit on Saturday. The Republican governor from Louisiana is one of nine presidential hopefuls speaking at the Des Moines-area confab, which gathers evangelical Christians together to judge the GOP candidates’ social conservative bona fides. Freshman senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, the first candidates to speak, were both well received by the Iowan audience. Former Texas governor Rick Perry was next, though he didn’t exactly capture the same enthusiasm. But...

Rick Santorum was the returning champion at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition forum on Saturday. But inside Waukee, Iowa’s Point of Grace Church, it certainly didn’t feel like it. After his upset victory in the 2012 Iowa caucus – driven largely by the state’s powerful evangelical voting bloc – many expected the former Pennsylvania senator to be welcomed back with open arms. But compared to the other eight Republican candidates present at the Des Moines-area conference, Santorum’s speech fell strangely flat. The audience didn’t clap much, and when they did it was usually polite and perfunctory. Lines that felt...

Jeb Bush drifted into the room to a smattering of claps compelled by his aides – sporadic applause that quickly evaporated into the ether once he paused for an autograph. (SNIP) After his remarks, 24-year-old Eddie Failor approached Bush to commend him for hanging tough on immigration reform, another issue that’s raised the ire of conservatives. “Unlike some candidates recently in the news, he hasn’t backed down from what he believes on the issue,” Failor told U.S. News after his exchange, declining to name names.

".....In contrast to a Republican summit in New Hampshire last week, Saturday’s event was largely devoid of attacks on the national Common Core education standards and overhauling entitlement programs. There were far fewer references to tax policy, trade or regulation. Instead, speakers gave full-throated endorsements of their religious beliefs and the role Christianity has played in shaping American values. Speaking at an evangelical church with a large wooden cross near the stage, would-be candidates detailed the role of faith in their life, quoted Biblical passages and gave personal anecdotes about the power of prayer. Mr. Jindal opened his speech by...

Ted Cruz remarks to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition Spring Summit.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal warned "corporate America" Saturday that it needed to "be careful" and not ally itself with liberals on cultural issues. Jindal, a 2016 Republican presidential hopeful, issued the warning in a speech at a multi-candidate event in West Des Moines, Iowa.While many at the event argued that the Christian faith was being antagonized from both the cultural left and government entities, Jindal added a third entity that is usually seen as being on the side of conservatives, big business. He cited the recent controversies in Indiana and other states over adoption of religious freedom bills liberals opposed...

"...Meadowbrook did not escape the political convulsions touched off during Mr. Walker’s first term as governor. In a speech to the congregation during its annual meeting in 2013, Mr. Mackett pleaded for an end to the “turmoil” caused by “slander” and “name calling” among members divided by politics.He declined to elaborate in an interview. But Lee Heyward, who succeeded Mr. Mackett as head pastor, said,“John and Meadowbrook were going through a really tumultuous time during that whole season of Act 10,” referring to the law Mr. Walker signed in 2011 that stripped Wisconsin’s public employees of most bargaining rights.The church...

DES MOINES, IOWA — Nine Republican presidential hopefuls will share a stage Saturday here in the hopes of winning the backing of the state's socially conservative GOP activists, whose support can be crucial to winning the state's presidential caucus, the first major event in the presidential primary..... Notably absent are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both of whom were invited. "The event will have a definite religious cast to it," said Don Racheter, chief operating officer of the Public Interest Institute, an Iowa nonprofit free-market group. The coalition evolved from the state branch of the...

Cedar Rapids, Iowa — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker told about 200 Republicans here Friday that if he runs for president, he will campaign in Iowa up until November 2016, and not just through the crucial caucuses in the early part of the year. "We wouldn't be here just for the caucus we'd be back here for the full haul," he said. Walker said winning the Midwest will be crucial for Republicans. Walker is on a two-day swing through Iowa — home to the nation's first presidential contest — as he prepares to launch an almost-certain bid to take the White...

"Diane," played by Marsai Martin, exclaimed, "I'm my hero, Sarah Palin. I came within a few votes of the vice presidency. I would have won if not for the liberal gotcha media." -- You go girl.

In a Gravis Marketing poll released today Jeb Bush leads fellow GOP rivals among Republican Party Iowa voters while Senator Marco Rubio and former brain surgeon Ben Carson have increased their popularity while Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has taken the largest fall. In a telephone survey conducted April 13, former Governor Bush (R-FL) led with 16 percent of voters surveyed with Walker coming in at 13 percent, followed closely by fellow Floridian Rubio at 12 percent. The poll was conducted the same day as Rubio's announcement of his 2016 Presidential bid. The biggest gainers were Marco Rubio, who improved five points from his...

Hillary Decimated by Palin in Today’s Poll Palin Wins Hands Down The results of today’s poll are: 1. Palin 79% 2. Neither 14% 3. Clinton 7%

"....This development, perhaps one of if not the biggest of the 2016 presidential campaign so far, comes as Walker has taken a commanding lead in polls in all three of the first GOP primary states: Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. The reason why this development is so significant is that the two establishment-backed candidates, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both have an in-depth understanding of the immigration issue and come down on the side that supports special interests’ desire for a massive increase in legal immigration that hurts American workers. Meanwhile, Sens. Ted Cruz...

The Obama administration is unfairly blocking tens of thousands of military veterans from owning guns, a Republican senator is charging. The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) is filled with military veterans who are essentially banned from owning guns, even though they may not be a danger to society, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) wrote this week in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder. The gun ban "effectively voids their Second Amendment rights,” Grassley said. At issue is whether these veterans are suffering from mental illnesses. According to a 2013 Senate report, the Department of...

Earlier this week we took a look at the GOP efforts to repeal the death tax, including some of the political pitfalls involved as well as reasons why it’s still a hill worth fighting on. In a rare moment of taking a position on a policy issue, Hillary Clinton has chimed in on the so called estate tax several times over the years. She has referred to it as a “wealth tax”, which works out quite well for her this year if she’s trying to angle her way into a more Elizabeth Warren style position on the subject. So...