PBS NewsHour: U.S. Presidency Archive | 2012

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U.S. PRESIDENCY


	2012 MAY May 25, 2012 Financially Struggling Voters Split Between Obama and Romney As the nation prepares to spend a long weekend honoring the armed forces and gathering in backyards for barbecues, the economy continues to be the dominant issue in politics.

	May 24, 2012 Five Months - But Who's Counting? With a little more than five months to go until Election Day, Memorial Day about to signal the start of summer, and polls showing the presidential race very close, it's a good time to think about what to keep an eye on as the campaign kicks into high gear.

	May 24, 2012 The Daily Frame President Obama receives a painting of Air Force One during the U.S. Air Force Academy's graduation ceremony in Colorado Springs on Wednesday.

	May 24, 2012 New Romney Ad Gives Another Preview of 'Day One' in Office Mitt Romney continues to frame his campaign as the answer to a simple question: What would his presidency be like on Day One. A new television ad out Thursday -- like his first, also released in Spanish -- details three things the Republican would do on Jan. 20, 2013.

	May 23, 2012 New Poll, Same Story: Obama Holds Narrow Lead Over Romney For the second day in a row, a new national poll gives President Obama a narrow lead over Mitt Romney despite apprehension among voters about the state of the economy.

	May 22, 2012 Poll: Obama, Romney Deadlocked; Economy Remains Top Concern Will President Obama's re-election fate mirror what happened to Presidents George W. Bush or George H.W. Bush? A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday gives reasons to support both outcomes, depending on which metrics are examined.

	May 21, 2012 Obama: Romney's Bain Record 'Worth Examining' President Obama called Mitt Romney's business experience at Bain Capital fair game Monday during a press conference at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Chicago.

	May 21, 2012 Obama Campaign Renews Attacks on Romney's Tenure at Bain On Monday, the Obama campaign will again go after Mitt Romney's record as an executive at Bain Capital by focusing on a paper company that closed a plant in Marion, Ind. It's the second attack in a week that goes directly after Romney's business record.

	May 18, 2012 History's Romance: Why Politics Past Beats Politics Present Is it just my imagination, or have politics and politicians grown smaller?I've been flirting with this conclusion after diving into two enjoyable presidential history books by night while covering 2012 politics by day.

	May 18, 2012 In New Ad, Romney Previews Agenda for First Day in Office So, what would a Mitt Romney presidency be like? His campaign is giving voters a preview of what the Republican just might do on January 20, 2013, outlining a positive message in Romney's first television ad of the general election, a spot featuring upbeat music and three key promises.

	May 17, 2012 Conservative Group Rejects Ad Proposal Tying Obama to Wright A proposed $10 million TV ad campaign linking President Obama to his controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, right, will reportedly not make it to the small screen.

	May 17, 2012 Report: Conservative Super PAC Planning 'Provocative' Attack on Obama The New York Times reports that a Republican super PAC is planning a major attack on President Obama, rehashing a ghost from the 2008 campaign. A 54-page document leaked to the newspaper suggests that the president's one-time, controversial pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is the subject of a proposed ad campaign.

	May 16, 2012 Obama Campaign Raises $43.6 Million in April The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised $43.6 million in April, a sign of the president's continued fundraising advantage over Mitt Romney.

	May 15, 2012 New Polls Show Public More Optimistic About Economy If polls are just a snapshot in time, then the picture at the moment reveals a growing sense of optimism among voters about the country's economic future.

	May 14, 2012 Obama Campaign Slams Romney's Business Record The Obama campaign is out Monday with a harsh new attack on presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, a multi-platform push that outlines what his re-election team says is Romney's "business philosophy and what it would mean for the American economy."

	May 11, 2012 Donations Flood Obama Campaign After Gay Marriage Announcement President Obama's change of heart on same-sex marriage is helping him raise some serious coin. Since his announcement Wednesday, the president's re-election campaign has experienced "a major surge in contributions," reports the Washington Post.

	May 10, 2012 LBJ's 'Passage of Power': The Transformation of a 'Legislative Genius' Historian Robert Caro has spent nearly four decades telling the story of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. Gwen Ifill and Caro discuss the pivotal four years between 1960 and 1964 when Johnson rose from senator to an overshadowed vice president, and then to president -- the premise of his latest biography, "The Passage of Power."

	May 10, 2012 Biographer Caro: LBJ Used 'Full Potential' of Presidential Power Historian Robert Caro has spent nearly four decades telling the story of President Lyndon Baines Johnson. On Thursday's NewsHour, Caro sits down with Gwen Ifill. Here is an extended exchange from their discussion plus some photos from his latest book.

	May 10, 2012 Obama: Support for Gay Marriage 'May Hurt' Politically President Obama said it would be hard to argue that his personal support of same-sex marriage and his reversal on the issue are for political advantage. The president's team doesn't seem to think so, however.

	May 9, 2012 NRCC Chairman: Romney on Ticket Will Boost GOP House Candidates Mitt Romney's candidacy will help the GOP pick up seats in Congress this fall, Rep. Pete Sessions, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee told reporters Wednesday.

	May 9, 2012 Lugar's Loss Raises Questions for November s longtime senators, the media's chattering class and political consultants ponder the meaning of Sen. Richard Lugar's overwhelming loss in Indiana's Republican primary, the prevailing question will be: What does it mean for November?

	May 8, 2012 Santorum Endorses Romney Via Email, Offers Political Advice Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum finally endorsed presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, but he made clear he wants to have a say in the direction of the campaign.

	May 7, 2012 Obama, Romney in Tight Race for Battleground States President Obama and Mitt Romney received a fresh sign Monday of their standing in a dozen key battleground states where the fall election is likely to be decided.

	May 4, 2012 Romney Knocks Obama on Economy Ahead of Rally in Ohio With a mixed jobs report out Friday, Mitt Romney is keeping up his attacks on President Obama's economic record. The issue is where Romney stands strongest in a general election matchup -- one reason he keeps returning to it after diversions on other issues.

	May 3, 2012 Poll: Obama, Romney in Dead Heat in Florida, Ohio President Obama and Mitt Romney are locked in a dead heat in two states that will likely play a deciding role in November's election: Florida and Ohio.

	May 2, 2012 Obama's Trip to Afghanistan Eclipses Bin Laden Debate Mitt Romney got a stark reminder Tuesday of just how difficult it is to run against an incumbent president who has command of the bully pulpit.

	May 1, 2012 Obama Ad Knocks Romney for Outsourcing Jobs, Swiss Bank Account This May Day marks President Obama's first television attack ad aimed squarely at Mitt Romney.



	APRIL April 30, 2012 Former President Clinton: Obama 'Deserves to Be Re-Elected' Former President Bill Clinton summed up his arguments for the re-election of President Obama to high-dollar donors in Northern Virginia on Sunday night and issued a sharp rebuke of eventual GOP nominee Mitt Romney as too extreme for the country.

	April 27, 2012 House Speaker Boehner Enters Presidential Campaign Fray House Speaker John Boehner endorsed Mitt Romney just last week, and by Thursday he had turned into one of the presumptive GOP nominee's fiercest allies on Capitol Hill, launching a sharp rebuke of President Obama's trip to three college campuses, where he urged Congress to prevent a doubling of student interest loan rates.

	April 26, 2012 Obama Campaign: 'Welcome to the General Election' President Obama plans to kick off his general election campaign next weekend with a pair of rallies in two key battleground states -- Ohio and Virginia. Both events will be held at universities -- Ohio State in Columbus and Virginia Commonwealth in Richmond.

	April 25, 2012 Romney Sweeps Primaries in Five States, Turns Focus to Obama With his sweep of five states Tuesday, Mitt Romney seized the GOP nomination and made clear that his focus would now be directed squarely on President Obama.

	April 24, 2012 Romney Set to Take Care of Unfinished Primary Business While the GOP primary battle is all but over, Mitt Romney remains 447 delegates short of the total needed to clinch the nomination. But he is expected to put a serious dent in that number Tuesday, when voters in five states -- worth 231 delegates -- head to the polls to cast ballots.

	April 23, 2012 Economic Picture in Swing States Could Boost Obama While a pair of recent surveys have shown Mitt Romney with an advantage when it comes to having better ideas to fix the economy, the economic data in key battleground states appear to favor President Obama.

	April 20, 2012 GOP Establishment Gets Behind Romney It's a big day for Mitt Romney, who will be embraced by GOP establishment figures during the Republican National Committee's meeting of state chairmen and officials in Scottsdale, Ariz.

	April 19, 2012 Obama, Romney Set Sights on Battleground Ohio President Obama marked his 20th trip to Ohio on Wednesday, illustrating that while the path to re-election might go through multiple states, this crucial battleground will remain ground zero for his contest with Mitt Romney.

	April 18, 2012 Obama, GOP Begin Major Push for Hispanic Voters The next stage in identity politics has arrived, with both President Obama's campaign and the Republican Party making a major push to win over the growing number of Hispanic voters in major battleground states.

	April 17, 2012 New Polls Offer Different General Election Previews Three new polls took their first crack at the race between President Obama and Mitt Romney, and they each paint a different picture of the Nov. 6 contest.

	April 16, 2012 Obama, DNC Raise $53 Million in March President Obama's re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised $53 million in March, a figure they announced Monday morning via a peppy web video starring donors who outlined the totals.

	April 13, 2012 Mommy Wars Erupt in Campaigns' Fight for Women Voters While campaigns attempt to capitalize on a Democratic consultant's dig at Ann Romney, most of America likely isn't caring that much about what a television pundit thinks of the woman who could become first lady.

	April 12, 2012 Female Voters in Spotlight of Romney, Obama Battle A newly emboldened Mitt Romney, bolstered by his now-inevitable claiming of the GOP nod to challenge President Obama, knows his weakness. Multiple polls showing a gender gap between the Republican contender and the Democratic president were a clear warning sign for Team Romney.

	April 11, 2012 Game On! General Election Begins In this week's Political Checklist, political editor Christina Bellantoni chatted with senior correspondent Judy Woodruff about the challenges facing Mitt Romney and President Obama as they look at the general election.

	April 11, 2012 Romney Racing to Retool For November, Obama Team Readies Attacks Rick Santorum's exit from the presidential primary race made the next 140 days a whole lot easier for Mitt Romney. Instead of conversations about delegate counts, Team Romney will be laying out paths to victory in swing states.

	April 10, 2012 Poll Shows Obama vs. Romney Is Pitched Battle Over Economy A Washington Post-ABC poll finds that President Obama leads Mitt Romney in a general election matchup, 51 percent to 44 percent. The survey also shows that Mr. Obama "has a better than 2-to-1 advantage as the more friendly and likable of the two," but offers another indication this battle will be waged over the economy.

	April 9, 2012 American Crossroads Plans Anti-Obama Push, Romney Looks to Close Deal in Pa. With the day mostly quiet on the campaign trail and 30,000 kids and family members at the White House rolling Easter eggs on the South Lawn, it could be one of the last somewhat friendly days of this election season.

	April 6, 2012 Obama Campaign Slams Romney Over Financial Disclosure, Personal Taxes The disclosure wars began in earnest on Thursday, with President Obama's campaign lighting up the outcry machine over a Washington Post story about Mitt Romney's finances.

	April 5, 2012 Romney Takes Lead in Pennsylvania, Santorum Takes a Break A new survey from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling shows front-runner Mitt Romney leading Rick Santorum, 42 percent to 37 percent, in Pennsylvania, a swing of "23 points in the last four weeks."

	April 4, 2012 SCOTUS v. POTUS: The Role of the Supreme Court, Historically President Obama made his feelings known this week on the Supreme Court, "judicial activism" and "those who would overturn" the health reform law. Some say he's gone too far. Jeffrey Brown discusses the historical tug-of-war between the president and the Court with Georgetown Law's Louis Michael Seidman and Randy Barnett.

	April 4, 2012 For Santorum, Writing Is on the Wall Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sounded defiant as ever in his speech Tuesday night, but after a sweep by Mitt Romney in contests in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Wisconsin, the writing on the wall looks like it's been done in permanent marker.

	April 4, 2012 General Election Begins After Romney's Sweep Mitt Romney's decisive sweep Tuesday of Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C., solidifies what President Obama's team in Chicago has thought all along: The former Massachusetts governor is the president's sole foe.

	April 3, 2012 Translate This: a Campaign in Every Language Do you read or write a language other than English? If so, we need your help. In partnership with the Participatory Culture Foundation through the Universal Subtitles project, the all-volunteer PBS NewsHour captioning and translation team is up and running.

	April 3, 2012 Stakes Are High in Wisconsin for Santorum, Romney As former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has picked up momentum and endorsements over the last few weeks, his armor of inevitability has grown and the campaign of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has seemed to struggle.

	April 3, 2012 For Romney, Wisconsin Might Be Final Hurdle to Nomination As voters in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Wisconsin head to the polls Tuesday, there are nearly 100 delegates at stake in the GOP presidential primary. Mitt Romney is poised to net at least half of those, with Wisconsin being the prime target as he starts ignoring Rick Santorum and focusing on President Obama.

	April 2, 2012 Obama Leading Romney Among Women in Swing States President Obama leads Mitt Romney by 2-to-1 among women under 50, according to a new Gallup/USA Today poll.



	MARCH March 30, 2012 Court Arguments, Budget Debate to Shape Presidential Campaign While no presidential primary contests were held this week, two key events from the last few days are shaping how the general election will be framed this fall: the Supreme Court arguments on the health reform law and a House vote on the GOP budget blueprint.

	March 28, 2012 Gingrich Cuts Staff, Schedule in Bid to Revive Struggling Campaign Newt Gingrich is laying off staff and cutting back his campaign schedule to focus on wooing delegates in the event Mitt Romney fails to reach the 1,144 needed to claim the nomination before the GOP convention.

	March 27, 2012 Court of Public Opinion Weighs In on Health Care Reform Law The Supreme Court justices will hear arguments Tuesday about whether a national insurance mandate is constitutional. At the same time, the health care law is getting a fresh look in the court of public opinion.

	March 26, 2012 Santorum: Romney 'Worst Republican' to Face Obama; Picks Fight With Press During an evening rally in Wisconsin, Rick Santorum called on a crowd of supporters to reject former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. "Pick any other Republican in the country. He is the worst Republican in the country to put up against Barack Obama," Santorum said.

	March 23, 2012 Political Animals: Taming Campaign Creatures A major part of a politician's daily life has always been the ubiquitous photo-op, and besides kissing babies, nothing may be used more than animals to try to highlight the candidate's softer, more human side to the American public.

	March 23, 2012 Political Animals: Taming Campaign Creatures A big part of a politician's daily life is the photo-op, and besides kissing babies, nothing is used more often than animals to help highlight the candidate's softer, more human side to voters. Here's a look back at some political animals - and their pets - from the grueling campaign trail to the lawns of the White House.

	March 23, 2012 Pew Poll: Voters Have Negative Impression of Romney "No way." That was the reaction from 31 percent of a pool of potential voters when asked by Pew pollsters to use one word to describe Mitt Romney. The most frequent words used were "no," "no way," "rich," "flip-flopper," "idiot" and "arrogant."

	March 22, 2012 Romney Draws Fire Over Aide's 'Etch A Sketch' Comment The morning after Mitt Romney's double-digit victory in Illinois and on the same day he received the endorsement of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, those gains were, shall we say, wiped clean. By a gaffe. Again.

	March 21, 2012 Romney's Win in Illinois Not Enough to Shake Up GOP Race Mitt Romney's victory in Illinois is less a triumph showing the GOP coming together behind a single force than it is about showing the socio-demographics and geography of Illinois were simply better suited to him.

	March 21, 2012 After Illinois Victory, Romney Tries to Turn Focus to General Election Mitt Romney did what he needed to do Tuesday in Illinois by decisively beating Rick Santorum by more than 100,000 votes. But the former Massachusetts governor remains in the same place having massively outspent his foes and still facing a slew of primary contests that will prevent him from sealing the deal.

	March 20, 2012 City of Big Shoulders Likely to Lift Romney in Illinois Primary With a big lead in delegates and a solid lead in national polls, Mitt Romney is seemingly past the "must-win" primaries and caucuses that seemed to line up in front of him in February and early March. Tuesday's Illinois primary marks a different territory for the former Massachusetts governor: should win.

	March 20, 2012 Romney Looks to Strengthen Lead With Win in Illinois Voting is underway in Illinois, where Mitt Romney is looking for a decisive victory to cement his status as the Republican front-runner, while Rick Santorum hopes to pull off an upset.

	March 19, 2012 Political Checklist: Two-man Race in Illinois Monday's NewsHour Political Checklist was all about how it's starting to feel like a two-man race.

	March 19, 2012 Race Moves to Illinois, Louisiana After Romney Wins Puerto Rico Mitt Romney pulled further ahead in the race for the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the Republican Party nomination with an overwhelming victory Sunday in the Puerto Rico primary, but the GOP presidential contest showed no signs of coming to an end anytime soon.

	March 16, 2012 Obama Confronts GOP Candidates, Pushes Message in Documentary After months of dipping their toes in the re-election waters, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have jumped full-on into the general election expanse.

	March 15, 2012 Biden to Kick Off Re-election Campaign Touting Auto Rescue With less than eight months until President Obama faces re-election, Vice President Joe Biden is hitting the campaign trail in earnest for the first time, signaling a willingness to engage even before the Republicans settle on a nominee.

	March 14, 2012 Pew Poll: Obama's Approval Rating Climbs, Has Lead Over GOP Candidates A new survey by the Pew Research Center found that President Obama's approval rating stood at 50 percent, continuing an upward trajectory from 47 percent in February and 44 percent in January.

	March 14, 2012 Santorum Sweeps Alabama, Mississippi; Romney Takes Third In the battle for the hearts and minds of Republican voters, it appears that the hearts won out on Tuesday. Rick Santorum clinched narrow victories in Alabama and Mississippi over Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, who finished second and third, respectively.

	March 14, 2012 Santorum Wins Alabama, Mississippi; Gingrich Takes Second Two Southern presidential primaries remained too close to call late Tuesday, with Rick Santorum leading Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in Alabama and the candidates locked in a 3-way battle in Mississippi.

	March 13, 2012 Divining the Demographic Terrain in Mississippi, Alabama Primaries It may be tempting to simply think of Mississippi and Alabama as two states in the Deep South, but that misses a lot of the subtle -- and not-so-subtle -- differences now being magnified by this GOP presidential field.

	March 13, 2012 High Gas Prices Fuel Dip in Obama's Approval Rating The Republican presidential candidates are duking it out Tuesday in the South, which is also the direction President Obama's poll numbers are headed with gas prices on the rise.

	March 12, 2012 Romney, Santorum Split Weekend Results In the battle for delegates, the weekend resulted in a split decision for the Republican front-runners. Rick Santorum won the Kansas caucuses, while Mitt Romney won contests in Wyoming, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands.

	March 9, 2012 For Romney, Race Is a Numbers Game When the news cycle is dominated by questions of when -- not if -- your rivals should exit the race, it's probably been a good day for Mitt Romney. But as the contest slogs on, Romney will also have to deal with questions over his enthusiasm gap.

	March 8, 2012 Rivals Refuse Romney's Call to Step Aside On Wednesday, Mitt Romney's campaign made the case that the former Massachusetts governor's lead in the hunt for delegates was nearly insurmountable, signaling to the three other contenders that the time had come to step aside. They declined.

	March 7, 2012 Romney Narrowly Wins Ohio, Fails to Deliver Knockout Blow "I'm going to get this nomination," Mitt Romney told supporters Tuesday night. Mathematically, he's probably right, hut he won't be able to claim that mantle any time soon, even after racking up six Super Tuesday wins, including an important victory in Ohio.

	March 7, 2012 Romney Biggest Winner in Super Tuesday Split Decision Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney garnered the most wins on Super Tuesday, but failed to deliver a knockout punch against the campaigns of former Sen. Rick Santorum and other GOP rivals.

	March 7, 2012 Romney Projected Winner in Ohio Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney pulled out a narrow victory in Ohio over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the Associated Press projected early Wednesday.

	March 6, 2012 PBS NewsHour Special Report: Super Tuesday Wrap-up PBS NewsHour correspondents and analysts discuss the latest Super Tuesday results from contests around the country in this special 11 p.m. ET report.

	March 6, 2012 Shields, Gerson on a 'Race Far From Over' After Super Tuesday Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson discuss Super Tuesday wins and losses by Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. Then Political Editor Christina Bellantoni and The Rothenberg Political Report's Stuart Rothenberg discuss polling numbers in Ohio's critical contest.

	March 6, 2012 Super Tuesday: Live NewsHour Coverage As Republicans battle for votes and delegates this Super Tuesday, stay with the PBS NewsHour all evening as we bring you the latest results from contests across the country. Our livestream will bring you the latest NewsHour broadcasts, candidate speeches and results from the primaries and caucuses.

	March 6, 2012 Romney Projected Winner in Mass. as Okla., Tenn. Polls Close As Super Tuesday polls closed at 8 p.m. ET in three states, Mitt Romney was projected by The Associated Press to be the winner in Massachusetts, where he was governor from 2003 to 2007.

	March 6, 2012 Polls Close in Ohio; Race Too Close to Call Voting ended at 7:30 p.m. ET across Ohio, where exit polls showed a tight race between former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

	March 6, 2012 Gingrich Projected Winner in Georgia; Awaiting Virginia, Vermont Results As Super Tuesday polls at 7 p.m. ET in Georgia, Virginia and Vermont, Newt Gingrich is projected by The Associated Press to win his home state of Georgia with Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum battling for second place.

	March 6, 2012 Ohio: One State, a Lot at Stake There are 11 states voting on Super Tuesday and more than 400 delegates at stake. Even with those numbers in play, most eyes will be on Ohio.

	March 6, 2012 5 Things to Watch on Super Tuesday If you follow politics, you already may have read all the pregame analysis you can stand in advance of the pivotal Super Tuesday primaries. What? You say you haven't? Then please allow me.

	March 6, 2012 Super Tuesday Stakes: 424 Delegates in 11 States Up for grabs Tuesday are 424 delegates in 11 states: Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Wyoming, Vermont and Virginia. While Georgia has the most delegates at stake with 76, all eyes are on the general election battleground of Ohio.

	March 5, 2012 Scenes From Ohio's Campaign Trail The PBS NewsHour politics team has been reporting on the run-up to Super Tuesday, including on-the-ground reports from Ohio. Take a look back with tweets, photos and video after the jump. Don't forget to tune in to PBS NewsHour's live coverage of results all night Tuesday.

	March 5, 2012 Republicans Bracing for Super Tuesday Showdown Mitt Romney is on a roll, and things are looking even brighter for Super Tuesday. Over the weekend, Romney won Washington's caucuses, received an endorsement from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and closed the gap on Rick Santorum in the polls.

	March 5, 2012 In Ohio, Friday Fish Fry With a Side of Politics St. Mary's Romanian Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland has been serving up fried fish every Friday during Lent for nearly three decades. This year, the GOP primary was on many attendees' minds.



	FEBRUARY Feb. 29, 2012 Romney Hits Reset Button as Field Looks to Super Tuesday By winning the Arizona and Michigan primaries Tuesday night, Mitt Romney hit the reset button yet again on a turbulent Republican presidential nominating campaign that has been marked by sharp momentum swings.

	Feb. 28, 2012 Michigan's Auto Industry Workers, Republicans at a Crossroads If you want a sense of the challenges Mitt Romney and the GOP have in Michigan, you could learn a lot from standing on the corner of Mound and East 9 Mile roads here in suburban Detroit.

	Feb. 28, 2012 Arizona, Michigan Head to the Polls Republican voters in Michigan and Arizona will have their say Tuesday, with a grand total of 59 delegates at stake, not to mention needed momentum heading into next week's Super Tuesday, when 10 contests -- and 419 delegates -- will be up for grabs.

	Feb. 27, 2012 Political Checklist: Watching Arizona and Michigan The NewsHour Political Checklist returns as senior correspondents Judy Woodruff and Gwen Ifill talk with political editor Christina Bellantoni about what to watch during Tuesday's primaries.

	Feb. 27, 2012 It's Down to the Wire in Mich. for Romney, Santorum Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum remain locked in a dead heat for Tuesday's Michigan primary, according to a Public Policy Polling survey released Sunday. The PPP poll put Romney at 39 percent and Santorum at 37 percent. The margin was within the poll's 4.8 percent sampling error.

	Feb. 23, 2012 Republican Rivals Clash in Heated Arizona Debate The 20th -- and potentially final -- debate of the Republican presidential hopefuls taught the nation a lot about Senate process.

	Feb. 22, 2012 GOP Rivals Set to Meet in Ariz. for 20th Debate With no other debates scheduled before Super Tuesday, Wednesday offers the last chance for each of the four remaining Republican presidential hopefuls to make a final impression to a national audience before voters in more than a dozen states cast their ballots.

	Feb. 21, 2012 For Romney's Presidential Chances, Is It Michigan or Bust? Mitt Romney was matter of fact when he dismissed the prospect of losing his native state of Michigan in next Tuesday's GOP primary, saying, "That won't happen." But now his aides seem to be downplaying expectations.

	Feb. 20, 2012 For Santorum, Front-runner Status Comes With Scrutiny Cash and fawning crowds aren't the only things that accompany a surge in national momentum. Rick Santorum is getting plenty of those, but also he is also seeing increased scrutiny on every front.

	Feb. 17, 2012 Obama Re-election Effort Raises $29 Million in January President Obama's poll numbers have been looking up, and Friday morning brought a fresh reminder of his campaign's financial strength. The Obama re-election team, along with a joint Democratic Party fundraising committee, hauled in more than $29 million in January.

	Feb. 16, 2012 Santorum Erases Romney's Home-field Advantage in Mich. Rick Santorum is doing very well in the polls in Michigan, which holds its primary Feb 28.

	Feb. 15, 2012 President Obama's Rise Fueled by Improving Economy With the economy showing signs of life, so too are President Obama's re-election hopes, according to a poll released Tuesday by the New York Times and CBS News. The president's overall approval rating has climbed to 50 percent, up five points from the beginning of the year.

	Feb. 14, 2012 Polls Show Romney, Santorum in Dead Heat Recent polls show that Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are virtually tied at the top for the Republican presidential nomination, as key primaries in Arizona and Michigan loom on the horizon.

	Feb. 13, 2012 Rivals Dismiss Romney's Weekend Gains Mitt Romney's rivals are looking to take the luster off of his pair of weekend victories by casting doubts on the outcomes in hopes of preventing the GOP front-runner from regaining his momentum following losses in three states last week.

	Feb. 10, 2012 Romney Faces Conservative Test at CPAC Four years ago, Mitt Romney ended his presidential campaign at the Conservative Political Action Conference. This time around, he hopes to give his current White House bid a jolt with a speech he is set to deliver on Friday.

	Feb. 9, 2012 Romney Readies His Conservative Pitch Mitt Romney is taking a break from the campaign trail, no doubt preparing for his big moment Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington.

	Feb. 8, 2012 Santorum Sweeps Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado; Slows Romney's Momentum Rick Santorum's sweep of the three contests Tuesday night revived his presidential prospects and stalled Mitt Romney's momentum after his two convincing victories in Florida and Nevada.

	Feb. 7, 2012 Obama Plays the Super PAC Game, Endorses Priorities USA President Obama's re-election team announced Monday night that it will openly support Priorities USA Action, a super PAC run by former White House aides Bill Burton and Sean Sweeney to "fill a hole in our side."

	Feb. 6, 2012 Romney Coasts to Win in Nevada Primary, but Hurdles Remain Mitt Romney scored a 25-point victory in Saturday's Nevada caucuses, performing strong with every key demographic. What's more interesting was the battle for No. 2. It took a day after the caucuses before there was a final tally, but Newt Gingrich edged Ron Paul for second place by less than 800 votes.

	Feb. 3, 2012 Romney on Solid Ground in Nevada Despite Admitting He 'Misspoke' Mitt Romney admitted Thursday that he "misspoke" when he said he was "not concerned about the very poor," a comment that put him on the defensive just hours after winning a decisive victory in the Florida primary.

	Feb. 2, 2012 Romney's Comments on 'Very Poor' Anger Left, Concern Right During his Florida primary victory lap on the morning shows Wednesday, Mitt Romney got himself into a bit of trouble talking about how his campaign was mostly focused on middle-income Americans.

	Feb. 1, 2012 Romney Back in the Driver's Seat After Decisive Florida Victory With his decisive victory in the Florida primary Tuesday night, Mitt Romney regained command of the Republican nomination battle, rebounding from a disappointing second-place finish in South Carolina 10 days earlier, and now enters February with a full head of steam.



	JANUARY Jan. 31, 2012 A PBS NewsHour Special Report: Sorting Through Florida Results Analysts Mark Shields, David Brooks, Stuart Rothenberg and Christina Bellantoni discuss the results from the Jan. 31 2012 Florida primary in this PBS NewsHour Special Report.

	Jan. 31, 2012 Shields, Brooks on Romney's Battle Wounds, Gingrich's Resilience Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks dissect the results of the Florida primary, including Newt Gingrich's showing among married women who voted and whether the battle between Mitt Romney and Gingrich has been good for President Obama's chances of re-election.

	Jan. 31, 2012 Shields, Brooks on GOP's Negative Campaigning, Romney's Fighting Style Syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks discuss the day's top political news, including some Republicans' concerns over the prospects of a Newt Gingrich nomination, Mitt Romney's political toughness and the state of play in Florida's primary.

	Jan. 31, 2012 Romney in a Sunny State on Primary Day Mitt Romney holds a campaign rally Monday in Dunedin, Fla.

	Jan. 31, 2012 Florida's Time to Shine Polls are open in Florida, which becomes the fourth state to weigh in on the GOP presidential nomination fight. All the latest polls show Mitt Romney poised to claim a decisive victory, a result that would give him a boost of momentum following his defeat to Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary 10 days ago.

	Jan. 31, 2012 Gwen's Take: 5 Things to Watch for in Florida For some reason in modern politics, it always seems to come down to Florida. As Florida Republicans head to the polls, this is what I will be watching for here.

	Jan. 30, 2012 Gingrich, Romney Make Last-Minute Pitches on Eve of Florida Primary The latest polls in Florida suggest Mitt Romney is leading Newt Gingrich, but he is not letting the former House speaker out of his sights. At a rally in Naples on Sunday, Romney unleashed a scathing attack on Gingrich, accusing him of making excuses for his downward slide in the Sunshine State.

	Jan. 29, 2012 Florida Republicans, in Their Own Words Even with the hot lights of the national news media pointed in their direction, the majority of Florida's 18 or so million residents are managing not to focus on next Tuesday's Republican primary, Judy Woodruff reports.

	Jan. 27, 2012 Rivals Clash in Final Florida Debate Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich clashed early and often during Thursday night's debate in Jacksonville, a reflection of Florida's importance to their hopes of claiming the Republican presidential nomination.

	Jan. 26, 2012 Gingrich, Romney Slug It Out in Florida A new CNN/Time/ORC poll released Wednesday of likely GOP primary voters in Florida showed former House speaker Newt Gingrich running a close second to Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, narrowing a 25-point deficit to two points in the span of a week.

	Jan. 25, 2012 Fact-Checking President Obama's Third State of the Union Congressional correspondent Kwame Holman recaps President Obama's third State of the Union address, then The Washington Post's Glenn Kessler grades the speech on accuracy and provides more context on topics that may have been glazed over.

	Jan. 25, 2012 Obama Makes Fairness Centerpiece of State of the Union, Re-election Pitch President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address Tuesday night -- a preview of the general election argument to come over the next nine-and-a-half months -- calling for the restoration of economic fairness and pledging to confront Republican opposition to his policies in Congress head-on.

	Jan. 25, 2012 Help Translate the State of the Union, Republican Response If you speak more than one language, please join The PBS Newshour's volunteer translation team. Help us translate the words of both President Barack Obama's 2012 State of the Union address as well as Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels' Republican response into as many languages as possible.

	Jan. 25, 2012 State of the Union Hangout With the PBS NewsHour Politics Editor Christina Bellantoni hosted a Google+ hangout during the 2012 State of the Union and the GOP response. Among the guests were Talking Points Memo reporter Evan McMorris-Santoro, Tufts history professor Peniel Joseph, Huffington Post reporter Jon Ward and University of New Hampshire historian Ellen Fitzpatrick.

	Jan. 24, 2012 David Brooks, Ruth Marcus Review President Obama's SOTU and the GOP Response New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus discuss President Obama's third State of the Union address, as well as the response by the Republican party.

	Jan. 24, 2012 As Prepared for Delivery: Obama's 2012 State of the Union Address This text is as prepared for delivery and released by the White House.

	Jan. 24, 2012 David Brooks, Ruth Marcus on Romney's Money, SOTU, Gingrich Lobbying Definition New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus discuss Tuesday's top political news including the release of financial documents by Republican hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, plus a preview of President Obama's election-year State of the Union address.

	Jan. 24, 2012 Carney to GOP on State of the Union: Don't Criticize a Speech You Haven't Heard In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama is expected to touch on American manufacturing, new worker-training programs and alternative energy sources, according to White House aides. Ray Suarez reports and Gwen Ifill discusses the president's election-year agenda with White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

	Jan. 24, 2012 Excerpts of the President's State of the Union Address President Obama will stress fairness as a way to strengthen the economy during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, according to excerpts released by the White House.

	Jan. 24, 2012 First Lady's Guests Showcase President's Initiatives The White House announced the list of guests that will be joining Michelle Obama in the first lady's box for the State of the Union speech Tuesday evening. As in years past, they were selected for their service, for an outstanding contribution they made to the country over the past year, and in some cases, for political reasons.

	Jan. 23, 2012 Brave Newt World: 3 Contests, 3 Winners In a 40 percent to 28 percent rout, Newt Gingrich won more raw votes Saturday in South Carolina than Mitt Romney won in New Hampshire and Iowa combined.

	Jan. 21, 2012 Live Blog: South Carolina Primary Results Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was projected to defeat Mitt Romney Saturday in South Carolina's Republican presidential primary, according to The Associated Press. Follow a live blog with updates from NewsHour staffers.

	Jan. 20, 2012 Gingrich's Ex-wife, Romney's Taxes, CNN's King Fuel Combative GOP Debate Thursday night's GOP presidential debate capped perhaps the most surreal 24-hour period of the 2012 campaign and might have altered the shape of the race as Republican voters in South Carolina go to the polls on Saturday.

	Jan. 19, 2012 Perry Quits GOP Race, Endorses Gingrich Texas Gov. Rick Perry is expected to announce Thursday morning that he is ending his bid for the GOP presidential nomination and will instead endorse former House speaker Newt Gingrich.

	Jan. 18, 2012 Romney Facing Scrutiny Over Personal Tax Rate, Releasing Returns Mitt Romney admitted for the first time Tuesday that he pays an effective income tax rate of about 15 percent, raising questions about the front-runner's wealth and providing his Republican rivals and Democrats fresh ammunition.

	Jan. 17, 2012 Rivals Batter Romney in Feisty South Carolina Debate The five Republican presidential candidates met in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Monday night for what became a feisty forum showcasing four hopefuls trying to dent Mitt Romney's front-runner armor.

	Jan. 16, 2012 Then There Were Five: Huntsman to Quit Race, Endorse Romney Jon Huntsman, who attracted votes from Democrats and worried President Obama's team in Chicago, will step aside and embrace front-runner Mitt Romney for the GOP presidential nomination Monday morning in South Carolina.

	Jan. 13, 2012 Romney Launches Bain Defense Mitt Romney, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, pushed back on criticism from his rivals of his tenure at the private equity firm Bain Capital, and he's putting a new ad on the air saying those attacks are a mistake.

	Jan. 12, 2012 Obama, Democrats Raise $68 Million in 4th Quarter Now that Mitt Romney has won two nominating contests, President Obama is starting to step it up. Mr. Obama and the Democratic National Committee pulled in $68 million in the fourth quarter from 583,000 people. Donations that went straight to the campaign totaled $42 million.

	Jan. 11, 2012 For Romney, Everything Falls into Place Mitt Romney had a lot of advantages going into New Hampshire -- from residency to voter demographics -- and in the end it all showed up on Tuesday night.

	Jan. 11, 2012 Tickets to Ride: Romney Heads South, Rivals Not Bowing Out Mitt Romney made history. The former Massachusetts governor is the first non-incumbent Republican in modern times to win nominating contests in both Iowa and New Hampshire.

	Jan. 10, 2012 Breaking Down Where Romney Needs to Win If you were devising a state where GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney could do well in a vote, it would probably look a lot like New Hampshire.

	Jan. 10, 2012 Romney Eyeing a Second Win, Rivals Look South New Hampshire primary voting has begun, and as has been the case since 1960, Dixville Notch went first, right after midnight Tuesday. Barring a startling surge by one of his rivals, it appears Mitt Romney will likely score a decisive victory for the GOP nomination.

	Jan. 9, 2012 With One Day to Go in N.H., Who Can Catch Romney? Voters here in the Granite State are a day away from becoming the second state to weigh in on which Republican presidential candidate will represent the party against President Obama in November.

	Jan. 6, 2012 New Hampshire Giving Santorum a Fresh Look Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is getting a fresh look from some New Hampshire voters, coming off his strong second-place showing in the Iowa caucuses.

	Jan. 5, 2012 The NewsHour Takes New Hampshire: Huntsman's Turn After having the Granite State almost entirely to himself the past few weeks while six GOP contenders slugged it out in Iowa, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman tells NewsHour senior correspondent Gwen Ifill things are about to change.

	Jan. 4, 2012 Results Show Divides in Romney's Win Everyone will talk about who won in Iowa. But the real story out of the state is the sharp divide in the vote -- and one that might be expected.

	Jan. 4, 2012 Romney Takes Narrow Iowa Win to N.H. Mitt Romney's foes made clear they have no plans to cede the presidential contest to him after Iowa's caucuses delivered a split result that found him barely edging Rick Santorum Tuesday night. Texas Rep. Ron Paul placed third.

	Jan. 3, 2012 Interviews With the GOP Candidates Tuesday's Iowa caucuses will help determine who among the Republican presidential contenders goes forward. Catch up on all of the candidates' views with the conversations and links below, as well as on our politics page.

	Jan. 3, 2012 Viewer's Guide to the Iowa Caucuses Join the PBS NewsHour live online and on air as we report on the results from the Iowa caucuses and what they mean for the race for the Republican nomination.

	Jan. 3, 2012 In Sioux County, Is 2nd Place Best? Up in the northwest corner of Iowa is lightly populated Sioux County, an agricultural "Tractor Country" community in Patchwork Nation. It is not prone to picking the eventual Republican nominee in the caucuses. Rather it tends to side with the candidate who has the strongest cultural conservative credentials.

	Jan. 3, 2012 Occupy Des Moines Steps Onto the Political Stage The NewsHour talked to members of the Occupy Des Moines movement about their plans to get engaged in Iowa's caucus process, or at least to participate in the political theater surrounding the first voting event in the 2012 presidential election.

	Jan. 3, 2012 Iowa's Moment Has Arrived Here we go! After 13 nationally televised debates, some 900 campaign events, candidates rising and falling in the polls and months of speculation about the shape of the GOP presidential field, Iowa's moment has arrived.

	Jan. 2, 2012 Candidates Enter Iowa Homestretch It's the final full day of campaigning for Republicans hoping to win the Iowa caucuses Tuesday night. The candidates are putting it all on the line as they barnstorm the state, and undecided Iowa voters have no easy task ahead.