Will it be Hillary vs. Cruz? It’s not too early to consider how today’s stories could become tomorrow’s political realities. The first presidential primary is still more than two years away and the midterms will almost certainly reshuffle the White House deck of cards, but it’s not too early to consider six events in 2013 […]

For Chris Christie, a YouTube moment is about as common as a traffic jam on the George Washington bridge. But NJ.com attempts to pinpoint five flashpoints from the year that reveal the governor’s inner ID. It includes three quotes that encapsulate what Christie is known for: Being blunt, brash and unapologetic. His moment calling a New York […]

Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul was the most traveled potential candidate to early presidential primary states in 2013, racking up eight visits over the last year. Paul ventured twice to Iowa, once to New Hampshire and four times to South Carolina — in addition to touching down in Nevada, which is expected to host the second […]

What a difference a year makes — especially when you spend the first portion of it working on a policy at odds with your base. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio lost 12 percentage points in 12 months, according to an analysis of national Republican primary polling in 2013. That’s the most significant change in support over […]

Mike Huckabee on Sunday put the odds of him running for president in 2016 at a coin flip. “At this point it is 50-50,” the former Arkansas governor told Fox News Sunday. He indicated he’ll make a decision after the 2014 midterm elections. “It would be a decision of the heart,” he said. Recent polls have […]

A Kentucky lawmaker has drafted legislation that would permit Sen. Rand Paul to run for re-election to his senate seat at the same time he pursues a bid for president. Paul, who is clearly eyeing a 2016 presidential run, also faces a campaign for a second term in the U.S. Senate the same year. Kentucky […]

The fact that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker lacks a college degree is gaining more scrutiny given his splash on the national scene. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s PolitiFact arm does a deep dive into the reasons surrounding Walker’s abrupt departure from Marquette University and truth-squads two central claims. First, there’s zero tangible evidence Walker was booted from the school, a […]

If Republicans are to take back the White House in 2016, they’ll need to vastly improve their performance in the Midwest. That’s why some GOP operatives are pitching the idea of a Midwestern regional primary. The proposal was first publicly floated by consultant Mike Murphy, who raised it in his TIME column: Some GOP operatives are […]

The Mike Huckabee for president movement is picking up steam. Conservative activists trying to convince him to take another shot at the White House in 2016 have commissioned polls showing the former Arkansas governor leading Republican primary races in the two key early primary states of Iowa and South Carolina. In Iowa, the caucus state he won […]

Mike Huckabee was on the precipice of giving up his cushy media enterprise and entering the 2012 presidential campaign until he decided he couldn’t trust his top political hand, Ed Rollins, according to Double Down. There isn’t any hard evidence Huckabee has designs on a run in 2016.  But a South Carolina primary poll testifies […]

Sen. Rand Paul previewed a plan Thursday that would drastically lower taxes in economically devastated pockets of the country, as he attempts to make political inroads in the nation’s historically Democratic cities. On the eve of a trip to Detroit — where he’ll deliver a speech before the city’s Economic Club and open a local […]

The Sioux City Journal is priming to post a story Sunday looking at the potential alternatives to Hillary Clinton if she decides against a 2016 presidential run. But Bret Hayworth has published a preview that includes an eye-popping on-the-record quote from an Iowa Democratic party official. Call Woodbury County Democratic Party chairman Greg Guelcher the dissenter […]

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is 72-years-old and an avowed socialist who doesn’t even formally identify as a Democrat. But he’s signaled that he may just be willing to run for president in 2016 if the field lacks a progressive voice. If Hillary Clinton decides to embrace the policy menu of liberals, Sanders would likely render his […]

The Post’s Ezra Klein passes along a nugget from last week’s Scott Walker media tour that grants one a glimpse into his theory against divided government: Walker did something amazing at this breakfast. He did something I’ve never seen a presidential aspirant do. When asked about the gridlock and polarization in Washington, he refused to say […]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has overtaken Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul in The CHASE for the 2016 Republican nomination. Christie’s ascension to the top slot of TheRun2016.com’s rolling monthly rankings of the presidential nomination battles comes after his crushing re-election victory earlier this month and a band of new polling charting his upswing. A national Quinnipiac University survey released Nov. […]

Scott Walker’s national tour promoting his new book recounting his vigorously contested 2012 recall win is essentially a belated victory lap designed to elevate his stature in anticipation of a White House run. The 46-year-old Republican governor of Wisconsin has barely hidden the fact he’s testing the waters for a 2016 presidential bid, a prospect […]

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz heaped effusive praise on South Carolina Tuesday night during a conference call with college Republicans, promising to return to the early presidential primary state soon. Cruz spoke for just under 20 minutes and answered a final question about his future political aspirations by pointing to his experience in the Palmetto State […]

The most talked about Scott Walker interview Sunday was with ABC’s Jonathan Karl, where the union-busting Wisconsin governor said that Republicans should turn to chief executives for both positions on their ticket in 2016. But in an interview with USA Today’s Susan Page, which also posted on Sunday, Walker took another glancing swipe at 2012 GOP […]

Paul Ryan admitted it took him a good six months to get over his loss to President Obama and Joe Biden. And a year later, the wounds on the former GOP vice presidential nominee still seem raw. At a fundraiser for Gov. Terry Branstad in Iowa Saturday night, the Wisconsin congressman bemoaned the 2012 defeat […]

Ted Cruz’s 21-hour pseudo-filibuster handed him a moment that vaulted him to the top of the polling pack. Now it’s Chris Christie’s turn at the top. Except that his reward is the first public general election poll of 2016 showing Hillary Clinton trailing. Quinnipiac University, which dove into the field the day after Christie’s 22-point reelection […]

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., outlined a humble foreign policy doctrine at The Citadel Tuesday, stressing the objective of peace through strength in an attempt to allay fears among some Republicans about his commitment to the military. The libertarian-minded freshman’s goal before this decorated audience was twofold: To assert his support for the […]

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Rand Paul’s pragmatic vein may just give Lindsey Graham a pass. The Kentucky senator signaled Monday he’s unlikely to delve into the South Carolina Senate contest, which includes three challengers trying to unseat Graham. “I’m going to try not to be involved,” Paul said in response to a reporter’s question.   ”We’re unlikely to, […]

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Sen. Rand Paul kept up his conservative critique of Gov. Chris Christie Monday, accusing him of displaying big spending tendencies in the wake of Hurricane Sandy last year. “The main theme of his candidacy seems to be, I got you a lot of federal money. It doesn’t sound like a conservative message. It […]

Sen. Ted Cruz signaled Friday he’s content with allowing states to decide how to define marriage, a careful distinction that aligns him with Sen. Rand Paul but could unsettle conservatives who wish for a federal amendment to address the issue. “I support marriage between one man and one woman. But I also think it’s a […]