Free Republic

Mitt Romney didn't want to be president, anyway. That's what Tagg Romney, Mitt's oldest son, told the Boston Globe for its big post-mortem on his father's failed presidential bid published on Sunday. “He wanted to be president less than anyone I’ve met in my life," Tagg Romney told the paper. "He had no desire to ... run. If he could have found someone else to take his place ... he would have been ecstatic to step aside.

Newt Gingrich appeared incredulous after being told of the latest attacks by GOP presidential rival Mitt Romney. ”Wait, wait, wait.  Hold on. They’re saying I helped re-elect a Democrat?” Mr. Gingrich told reporters in Winnsboro, S.C., adding, “That’s just stupid.” Earlier Wednesday, the Romney campaign set up a conference call with two former lawmakers who lashed out at his leadership as House speaker, saying it helped to re-elect President Bill Clinton. The campaign also released a new Web ad,  calling him “unreliable.”Mr. Gingrich said he helped create the GOP’s first House majority since 1928. “So what did Mitt Romney do?  Who...

If Mitt “Peacetime” Romney Can Only Get to 23% Post-Announcement, He’s Not Going To End Up Breaking 30% in A Multi-Candidate Field Posted on June 13 2011 - 7:56 AM - Posted by: Ian Lazaran Here is what the race looks like when you average the six polls (the polls are from the Washington Post/ABC News, Quinnipiac, Reuters/Ipsos, Fox News, and the two polls released this morning from CNN and Gallup) that have been conducted after Mitt “peacetime” Romney formally announced that he was running for the presidency. Romney 23% Palin 17% Cain 8% Gingrich 7% Paul 7% Bachmann 5%...

In an article for the Washington Examiner Byron York writes: “The bottom line is Sarah Palin is not going to run for president,” says a Republican adviser close to front-runner Mitt Romney. “She’s making money, she’s moved on, she’s kind of an entertainer rather than a politician. She still has some sway with the grass roots, but she is not going to run.”“I don’t think she’s going to run,” says a Republican close to Tim Pawlenty. “She has faded a lot in the last few months. I look at what she’s doing now and say that she’s found a way...

Palin moves spark 2012 speculation By: Andy Barr May 25, 2011 07:41 PM EDT Sarah Palin is fond of saying she’ll feel compelled to run for president “if nobody else were to step up.”It just might come to that.The recent departures of Mitch Daniels and Mike Huckabee from the 2012 GOP field, combined with a flurry of recent moves by Palin—staff changes, the purchase of a home in Arizona, the Iowa premiere of a new feature-length film extolling the former Alaska governor—is rekindling speculation that she sees an opportunity in 2012 and may be thinking more seriously than ever about...

Mitt Romney is the choice of nearly one in four of those who agree with the tenets of the tea party, according to a new Pew poll, a surprising result that suggests the former Massachusetts governor’s support heading into 2012 may be broader than previously assumed. Among tea party supporters, Romney took 24 percent to 19 percent for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, 15 percent for former House speaker Newt Gingrich and 13 percent for Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, long considered the tea party’s 2012 candidate-in-waiting, took just 12 percent — another piece of evidence...

Sarah Palin’s unfavorable rating is off the charts. Continue Reading The former Alaska governor’s numbers are astonishingly upside-down, according to a new Bloomberg poll showing a 32 percentage point spread between those who have an unfavorable rating of Palin and those who view her favorably. Of the 60 percent in the poll who have an unfavorable opinion of Palin, more than half of them – 38 percent among the whole survey – said they have a “very” unfavorable view of Palin. Her “very” unfavorable rating is higher than the total favorability ratings of Newt Gingrich, Donald Trump and Chris Christie....

Our new National Poll shows that Mitt Romney could beat Barack Obama in 2012. In our national poll conducted this week, we asked voters where they stand with Obama and the 2012 Presidential election. First, our poll showed Obama with a 46% approval rating and 54% disapprove. Which is a -4% spread from Real Clear Politics approval average. Overall though, Obama still beats all GOP candidates in a general election.

10 Yardsticks to Measure where Palin stands in relation to Obama: Regardless of whether Sarah Palin runs or not here is where President Obama stands: 1)Only 40% of the electorate feel that Obama deserves to be re-elected while over 50% would vote for a generic GOP nominee or someone else. 2)Yet any re-election campaign has been proven to be a referendum on the job performance of the incumbent regardless of who it is. Obama will be no different. The question is not whether Palin or anyone can beat Obama in 2012 but whether the American people will permit Obama to...

Sarah Palin just offered a surprise endorsement of insurgent Delaware Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell, calling in to Sean Hannity's radio show to offer her support. The news broke mainly on Twitter, after O'Donnell and Hannity tweeted it. Dave Weigel points out some back-story here: O'Donnell's campaign manager, Matt Moran, comes from the campaign of Dave Hoffman, the Conservative Party candidate in upstate New York who briefly captivated people who follow special House elections when he ran a campaign, fueled party by Palin's endorsement, that eventually forced the Republican candidate out of the race and handed the seat to Democrats. It...

SUMMARY Nikki Haley was one of two conservative minority Republicans to post primary wins in South Carolina, thanks to strong backing from tea party voters. Judy Woodruff talks to two political watchers about what those wins mean for the general election. JUDY WOODRUFF: And for more on the primaries and the historical results in South Carolina, we're joined by Amy Walter, editor in chief of The Hotline, "National Journal"'s political daily, and Adolphus Belk Jr. He's a professor of political science and African-American studies at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He joins us now from Charlotte, North Carolina....

I’m surprised. Granted, it won’t sell remotely as well as Palin’s book did, but for a guy who sometimes seems lost in the shuffle of outsized conservative personalities, it’s a nice prize.

A poll of GOP insiders suggests that ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) has little support among the party's professional class -- and maybe that's just how she wants it. In a survey of 109 party leaders, political professionals and pundits, Palin finished 5th on the list of candidates most likely to win the party's '12 WH nomination. Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) was the overwhelming choice of the Voters were asked to rank 5 candidates in the order of likeliness to capture the GOP nod. The results: Likely To Win WH'12 Nomination (First place votes) Ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney 81...