Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Romney works to cut Gingrich lead in South Carolina
Fresh off the final GOP presidential debate before the nomination race begins, Mitt Romney turned his attention Friday from Iowa's caucuses to chasing down Newt Gingrich in South Carolina, where the former House speaker holds a commanding lead in the polls. Published December 16, 2011
GOP’s millionaire candidates claim to know struggles of real people
Class warfare has broken out on an unlikely battlefield: the Republican presidential primaries. Published December 14, 2011
Cain wishes America ‘Merry Christmas’
Herman Cain wished the United States merry Christmas via the worldwide Web Wednesday - sending out a video where he's sitting fireside with his wife, Gloria, and reading passages from the Bible. Published December 14, 2011
Romney slams Gingrich for flip-flopping on Freddie Mac
For the third time in as many days, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign kicked off the morning by casting former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as an unreliable conservative leader — this time turning Mr. Gingrich's own words against him. Published December 14, 2011
Gingrich bashes, employs media to get ahead
Newt Gingrich has made a point of ridiculing the press during his presidential campaign, but he actually owes the media a debt of gratitude. Without the free coverage he has received, the money-challenged Gingrich campaign might never have gotten off the ground. Published December 12, 2011
Gingrich, Romney engage in surrogate wars
Borrowing a page from Mitt Romney's playbook, Newt Gingrich deployed a couple of his surrogates Friday to criticize the former Massachusetts governor's attempts to "tear down" the former House speaker and question his ability to lead the nation. Published December 9, 2011
GOP hopefuls passing on Trump debate
Donald Trump's stature within Republican ranks appears to be waning, after most of the party's presidential hopefuls have shot down the billionaire developer's invitation to take part in a "debate" moderated by "The Donald." Published December 9, 2011
Former Hill allies call out Gingrich
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's political past is starting to haunt him on the campaign trail, where several of his ex-colleagues are saying his surplus of ideas often left political messes that they had to clean up, and that this harmed the conservative cause he championed. Published December 8, 2011
Tea Party Caucus doesn’t back Bachmann
Rep. Michele Bachmann founded and leads the House Tea Party Caucus, but the Minnesota Republican's presidential bid has won only one endorsement from its five dozen members — putting her well shy of Mitt Romney, who leads the presidential field with eight supporters from the caucus. Published December 7, 2011
Gingrich: John Bolton will be my secretary of state
Newt Gingrich promised conservatives on Tuesday he would ask former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton to be his secretary of state if he's elected president next year, according to several of those who met with him Published December 7, 2011
Ads blitz in Iowa: More spots more often as caucuses near
Less than a month before the Iowa caucuses, the ad wars are intensifying in the Hawkeye State, with both Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul rolling out new commercials Monday aimed at seizing the electoral high ground in a state that's had five GOP presidential front-runners in as many months. Published December 5, 2011
Romney uses new ad, adrenaline to woo Iowa
After spending most of the presidential primary tamping down expectations in Iowa, Mitt Romney is cranking up his campaign efforts in the Hawkeye State, including running his first TV ad almost exactly a month before Republican voters hold their first-in-the-nation caucuses. Published December 1, 2011
For Republican candidates, mum’s the word on Bush
George W. Bush left office less than three years ago, but for the Republicans seeking to fill his shoes as the next president, the mere mention of his name has been all but absent. Published November 30, 2011
Arizona’s Sheriff Arpaio endorses Perry
One of the nation's leading immigration hard-liners threw his support behind three-term Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday, saying Mr. Perry has done more to combat illegal immigration and secure the border than any other candidate in the Republican presidential field. Published November 29, 2011
Cain denies new claim of 13-year-long affair
An Atlanta businesswoman said Monday that she had a 13-year extramarital affair with Herman Cain — an accusation he went on television to deny, but that is likely to continue as a storyline that has dented the presidential hopes of the onetime Republican front-runner. Published November 28, 2011
Dems’ ads riff on ‘flip-flopping’ Romney
The Democratic National Committee is out with new ads playing up Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's reputation as a flip-flopper, criticizing his evolving positions on issues ranging from abortion and climate change to health care and gun rights. Published November 28, 2011
Gingrich snags N.H. newspaper’s nod
The surging Newt Gingrich presidential campaign scored a key win over Republican primary rival Mitt Romney on Sunday when New Hampshire's largest newspaper, the Union Leader, endorsed the former House speaker over the former Massachusetts governor. Published November 27, 2011
Year later, tea party’s profile low but focused
A year ago, the tea party was the focus of Washington, praised by Republicans for the punching power it displayed in the 2010 election fight and derided by Democrats as an unhealthy influence on the ascendant GOP. Published November 27, 2011
Santorum eyes brass ring on anti-Romney ‘carousel’
Rick Santorum is on the verge of becoming the Republican presidential front-runner. At least, that's the case if there's another round of the recurring story line of the 2012 GOP primary race — one candidate after another taking a short-lived spin as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. Published November 24, 2011
Immigration a tough GOP sticking point
Twice this year, Mitt Romney has turned to illegal immigration to try to blunt the rise of opponents in the Republican presidential field, including most recently on Tuesday, when he accused Newt Gingrich of supporting "amnesty." Published November 23, 2011