Free Republic

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee lead the field of potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates, according to a poll released Saturday. Huckabee and Paul each won support from 13 percent of likely Republican voters when asked whom they would vote for if the 2016 Republican primary were held today. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush was close behind with 11 percent, while New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz each received 9 percent. Rand Paul tallied 13 percent again when respondents were asked which candidate they thought could defeat Hillary Clinton in the general...

After a horde of Republican Presidential contenders from Gov. Chris Christie to Sen. Ted Cruz descended on Las Vegas to speak in front of the Republican Jewish Coalition — and kiss the ring of PAC billionaire benefactor Sheldon Adelson — one contender’s absence was noted. Sen. Rand Paul was nowhere to be found. His positions on Israel, foreign aid, drone warfare and intervention make him unpalatable to this particular crowd. GOP donors there were vocal in their opposition to Paul’s candidacy. According to Time magazine’s Zeke Miller, “Five donors huddled with a reporter pledged to reach into their deep pockets...

To defeat Romney and Paul, I believe that we should pledge to support the non-Romney non-Paul candidate with the most delegates going into South Carolina. Perry, Bachmann, Gingrich, or Santorum are the candidates that we can back. The one with the most delegates after NH is the one we need to back to make sure Romney does not win SC. Oh, and Huntsman is not a choice here either.

Newt Gingrich might have dropped to third in Iowa — and he and Romney might be neck-and-neck in the latest CNN poll, but, among thousands of Tea Party activists from across the country, Gingrich retains a clear lead. Tea Party Patriots — the nation’s largest Tea Party organization — last night hosted a Presidential Tele Forum with Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. (The other candidates were invited to participate, but declined because of scheduling conflicts, said Jenny Beth Martin, the co-founder and national coordinator of Tea Party Patriots.) Each candidate had 10 minutes to respond to...