Free Republic

In March of 2011, former Rep. John Leboutiller predicted in a News Max article that, “the tea party will select the 2012 GOP nominee.” At the time, it was a safe prediction given the strength of the tea-party movement in the 2010 elections and the influence it was expected to have on the GOP presidential primaries just over a year later. But something went terribly wrong in the meantime. Many politicians heavily supported by the tea-party movement seem to have switched sides, pursuing their own agenda at the expense of the conservative movement and the tea party. Take Christine O’Donnell,...

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a key supporter of Mitt Romney, received $62,500 in campaign contributions since 2008 from state and federal political committees set up by supporters of Mitt Romney, records show. Funds came from so-called “leadership PACs” in five different states and the nation’s capital. By spreading the funds around, Romney’s supporters were able to give far more than the state limit of $3,500 per election. The contributions came from “Free & Strong America” leadership PACs, run by Romney supporters, a Center for Public Integrity analysis of campaign finance records found. Leadership PACs are separate from campaign committees...

The race for the Republican presidential nomination has pivoted towards South Carolina’s January 21 primary. Because the state’s primary voters have selected the eventual GOP nominee in every contested White House race since 1980, every campaign is putting out a maximum effort. One of the aces that Mitt Romney believes he holds in the Palmetto State is the endorsement of Nikki Haley, the new 39-year-old governor who rocketed to political stardom last year by challenging the good-ol’-boy political network in the state. Fueled by endorsements from both Sarah Palin and Romney, Haley was able to marshal tea-party support to crush...

Haley Barbour spoke with the Clarion-Ledger editorial board where they talked about his interest in running for president, among other things. Barbour said that he will wait until after the 2011 legislative season ends, which is scheduled to happen April 3. In today’s world, that is just very late in the game. Barbour has been going around, visiting key states, giving speeches; usually in his previous capacity as chairman of the RGA. It isn’t as if his name is already out there, but other potential candidates like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich have certainly...

Barbour spent $174,248 and raised $108,152 between Oct. 14 and Nov. 22, leaving his Haley’s PAC with $389,518 still in the bank. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin raised nearly $500,000 in that period, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty raised $140,000. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s federal PAC reported $394,557 in contributions. Notably, the congressional candidates to whom Barbour donated in the campaign’s waning days were all in early primary states that will be key in 2012. Barbour gave $1,000 each to Reps.-elect Allen West in Florida, Frank Guinta in New Hampshire, Joe Heck in Nevada, Mick Mulvaney in South Carolina....