Republicans Step in to Challenge President Obama in 2012 Election

Next year's presidential election is likely to be a tough contest between President Obama and the nominee chosen by the Republican Party in primary elections and caucuses. 

President Obama has already announced that he will run for a second term -- the most allowed by the U.S. Constitution. The two presidents who came before him, President Bill Clinton and President George W. Bush, each won second terms that enabled them to stay in office for eight years. The last two presidents to lose re-election were President Bush's father, Republican President George H.W. Bush in 1992 and Democratic President Jimmy Carter in 1980.

Republican candidates must first win state primaries and caucuses

	Candidates for the Republican nomination have to withstand a series of caucuses and state primary elections.

To become the Republican nominee, candidates must be chosen in state primaries and caucuses.  As of May, 39 states were planning to hold primary elections in which voters go to polling stations and choose a party candidate. Some states, such as Iowa, hold caucuses, which are town-hall style meetings that don't end until the group has agreed on a single candidate.

These elections are held on different days, unlike the general election, and are staggered over a period of months, from January to June. The two political parties then have conventions at the end of the summer where they officially choose a candidate. There, they also hold a big celebration to energize their party faithful and try to convince the rest of the country to choose their side.

Some candidates decide to run in the November presidential election as independents or as representatives of smaller third parties, but they face very tough odds without the money and networks of the Republican and Democratic Parties.

Several Republicans considering run for White House

	Newt Gingrich, who used to be the Speaker of the Hosue, is seeking the 2012 presidential nomination.

This week, Gingrich, the former House speaker from Georgia, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul formally launched bids for the Republican nomination. 

Others have announced "exploratory" committees, which means that they are exploring whether they have enough money and support to run. They include former Massachusetts Gov. Romney, who ran for the nomination in 2008, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Other contenders have indicated a decision on running is imminent. They include former Alaska Gov. and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin; Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels; former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who just stepped down as ambassador to China; Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; businessman Herman Cain; and real-estate-tycoon-turned-reality-TV-star Donald Trump.

You can read more about the Republican potential candidates here.

According to NewsHour Political Editor David Chalian, polling shows that Gingrich has the best name recognition: 84 percent of the adults in the country know who he is.

"He's in the upper tier with Romney, Huckabee, if he runs, the former governor of Arkansas, Sarah Palin, the former vice presidential candidate. Those two have not decided at all what they're going to do and have not been building organizations at all. But those are the four that are sort of polling at the top of the tier right now," Chalian said.

President Obama must improve approval rating to get re-elected

	President Obama's approval rating among the public needs to climb if he hopes to get re-elected.

At the moment, none of the Republican candidates are more popular than President Obama.
But according to a NBC poll this week, only 36 percent of the country thinks we're on the right track.

"Those numbers have to improve for the president to get re-elected," Chalian explained. “He's going to have to spend the next 18 months talking to the American people and making them feel better about the future of the economy and the country."