The first Republican presidential debate of 2012 is just hours away — 9 p.m. on ABC (or WMUR if you are in New Hampshire) to be exact — and we are, admittedly, a little too excited. Since the last time the GOP candidates shared a debate stage, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich peaked too soon, Iowa voters, well, voted and one-time top-tier candidate Michele Bachmann ended her campaign . (Texas Gov. Rick Perry hinted at doing the same but decided to stay in while on a run in Iowa . Not kidding — that really happened.) Read full article > >

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New Hampshire debate: What to watch for

Fresh from a victory in Iowa and enjoying a lead in the polls, Mitt Romney is nevertheless facing history that suggests New Hampshire is not a done deal.

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Political Memo: Front-Runner Role Could Thwart Romney in New Hampshire

Iowa front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have a little problem. Both are too nice to be mean to each other. Who can throw the first punch in a tight race growing tighter? This is why God made Newt Gingrich. The formerly self-anointed “nice guy,” the one who wasn’t going to go negative, has flip-flopped on protocol. Insisting that he lost Iowa to these lesser mortals because of Romney’s negative ads, he has declared that he’ll no longer make nice. Read full article > >

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The battle of the GOP nice guys

Iowa front-runners Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum have a little problem. Both are too nice to be mean to each other. Who can throw the first punch in a tight race growing tighter? This is why God made Newt Gingrich. The formerly self-anointed “nice guy,” the one who wasn’t going to go negative, has flip-flopped on protocol. Insisting that he lost Iowa to these lesser mortals because of Romney’s negative ads, he has declared that he’ll no longer make nice. Read full article > >

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The battle of the GOP nice guys

The political world is once again buzzing about evangelical Christians. Former senator Rick Santorum ’s near-victory in the Iowa caucuses and his ascent in the ranks of Republican presidential contenders have fueled this new fervor, which is leading to the same tired debates and conversations that we’ve heard about evangelicals for a generation now. Read full article > >

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God’s quarterbacks: What Tebow and Roethlisberger reveal about evangelical politics

From making a recess appointment to inserting itself into the Iowa caucuses, the Obama campaign is trying to tie his rivals to the unpopular Congress.

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Political Memo: President Obama Unveils Aggressive Re-election Strategy Against G.O.P. Rivals

On Aug. 13, 2011, Michele Bachmann was on top of the world — the winner of the Ames Straw Poll and presumptive frontrunner in the Iowa caucuses. On Wednesday, Bachmann left the presidential race after placing sixth in those same caucuses. What happened in the 144 days between those two dates was a mix of bad luck, bad strategy and a candidate who opted for a national rather than Iowa-focused campaign, according to a series of conversations with former strategists and advisers to the Minnesota Republican. That series of factors created a potent concoction that left Bachmann out of money and options less than 24 hours after the first vote of the 2012 presidential primary. Read full article > >

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How Michele Bachmann went bust

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Independents are a finicky and fickle bunch. They are deeply dissatisfied with the direction of the country, with an overwhelming majority saying things are badly off track. Social issues do not concern them. Many of them voted for President Obama. And now, this critical voting bloc — which makes up as much as 45 percent of the New Hampshire electorate — is about to take center stage. If the Iowa contest exposed the conflicted mood and sharp divisions within the GOP, then New Hampshire will offer a broader snapshot of a hard-to-pin-down sliver of the electorate that has an outsize impact on elections, particularly in this swing state. Read full article > >

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Independents represent a major unknown in the N.H. primary

The Iowa caucuses came too close to call.

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Betting Site Refunds Santorum Wagerers

Why did Rick Perry decide to remain in the race? Knowing the answer is crucial to understanding whether Mr. Perry has any chance of mounting a comeback.

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FiveThirtyEight: Perry, Perry, Quite Contrary

After Iowa win.

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GOP Elite: Romney Hard to Stop Now

The six hopefuls vying for the Republican nomination focus on the New Hampshire primary, as Michele Bachmann steps aside after Iowa’s caucuses.

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US rivals focus on New Hampshire

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Fresh off the slimmest of victories in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney landed here Wednesday and immediately faced intense attacks from Republican presidential rivals who vowed to challenge him more aggressively. Newt Gingrich held a news conference in Concord to say that Romney is a liberal and a political chameleon, willing to change positions to suit his needs. wallstenp@washpost.com Read full article > >

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Mitt Romney comes under attack after win in Iowa

MANCHESTER, N.H. — If this is Mitt Romney’s idea of a victory rally, one shudders to think what would have happened if he had lost the Iowa caucuses. The day after his impossibly thin eight-vote victory, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination flew here for a town hall meeting at Manchester Central High School, where he was to bask in the endorsement of his 2008 arch rival, John McCain. Read full article > >

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Mitt Romney out of control

After a last-place finish in the Iowa caucuses, Michele Bachmann exited the presidential race just as she entered it, painting “Obamacare” as the socialist undoing of the United States of America. But it was a real painting, she said, that had urged her into the race in the first place, on the night of March 21, 2010, after health-care reform passed in the House of Representatives. Read full article > >

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Michele Bachmann exits the GOP race as she entered it