Paul Contests Delegate Credentials in Louisiana

Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul's campaign said Saturday that it has filed a complaint with the state GOP over what it calls problems and inconsistencies in Louisiana's process of choosing delegates. "At this point right now, we're not going to charge anything nefarious is going on, but it's a very confusing process, and there have been inconsistencies, and we're voicing our complaints now" and hoping to work out their concerns with state party leaders, Paul spokesman Jesse Benton said.

Senator Barack Obama proved in South Carolina on Saturday that he could not only endure everything the Clinton campaign threw at him in the most confrontational week of the presidential contest so far but also draw votes across racial lines even in a Southern state.

In Race, Texans Play Wait and See

by John Moritz

Texans who follow politics for a living or just for sport are salivating at the prospect of presidential primary that could decide the nomination for one or both major parties, but like fans of the Texas Rangers, they are a little reluctant to place too much stock in what they see in the early season.

Kennedy Chooses Obama, Spurning Plea by Clintons

Senator Edward M. Kennedy, rejecting entreaties from the Clintons and their supporters, is set to endorse Senator Barack Obama's presidential bid on Monday as part of an effort to lend Kennedy charisma and connections before the 22-state Feb. 5 showdown for the Democratic nomination.

S.C. Repudiates Clintons' Retro Politics

by Carolyn Barta

South Carolina has spoken. But are the Clintons listening? The state soundly rejected Bill Clinton's attack dog style, his race-baiting and the bad cop-good cop routine of Bill and Hill. It's instructive to compare the divisiveness of the former president's rhetoric with the uplifting note of Barack Obama in his Saturday night victory speech.

The Dismantling of the Clintons

by Rufus Shaw

Sen. Barack Obama's stunning rout of Sen. Hillary Clinton in the South Carolina primary was more then just a small state primary victory before the Feb. 5th Super Tuesday event. There is no doubt that the South Carolina Democratic electorate is unique because African-Americans make up over 50% of the state's Democratic electorate. Still, what the nation witnessed as Obama garnered 80% of the Black vote in South Carolina, even as Bill Clinton campaigned heavily there, is the dismantling of Bill Clinton as an icon in the Black electoral community. The race card that the Clintons hoped would drive white voters away from Obama has instead driven Black voters away from the Clintons.

Whose Primaries are They?

by Jed Babbin

Just whose primary elections have we been following so closely? If you think they were Republican affairs, think again. Iowa, New Hampshire, Michigan and South Carolina all allow crossover voters -- independents and Democrats -- to vote in the Republican primaries. In Florida, only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. Though Florida isn't a typical Red state, it will be the first real barometer of Republican voters' thinking.

Florida Votes - What Does It Mean?

by Gary Bauer

As I write, voters are streaming to the polls all over Florida. In fact, voters were casting ballots long before today. Florida is one of the states that allows early voting, and estimates are that several hundred thousand residents cast their votes before the polls opened this morning.

Could the Republicans Win This One?

by Bill Murchison

The impression takes root and grows. Say! -- the Democrats could lose this one. Could lose big, in fact.

The Kennedy Mystique

by David Brooks

Last week there was the widespread revulsion at the Clintons' toxic attempts to ghettoize Barack Obama. In private and occasionally in public, leading Democrats lost patience with the hyperpartisan style of politics - the distortion of facts, the demonizing of foes, the secret admiration for brass-knuckle brawling and the ever-present assumption that it's necessary to pollute the public sphere to win. All the suppressed suspicions of Clintonian narcissism came back to the fore. Are these people really serving the larger cause of the Democratic Party, or are they using the party as a vehicle for themselves?

Texas Republicans Ponder a Post-Giuliani Primary Race

A number of prominent Texas Republicans, including Gov. Rick Perry, gambled substantial political capital and financial support on the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani.

Seeking a Change, but Finding Few Choices

by Adam Nossiter

The domed courthouse clock tower tolls the hour, but not much else breaks the stillness in this centuries-old county seat where politics seems to have reached equilibrium, balanced between ancient Democratic traditions and newer Republican ones.

Will Mike Huckabee Be a Spoiler in the Republican Presidential Primary?

by Tom Pauken

With his victory in Florida, Sen. John McCain has become the frontrunner in the race to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. It now appears to have become a two man race between McCain and Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination. Rudy Giuliani is dropping out of the race and will endorse John McCain. On the other hand, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has given every indication that he is staying in the race to the end. That could hurt Romney's bid to overtake McCain. Romney probably prevented Mike Huckabee from winning in South Carolina by taking enough conservative votes away from Huckabee in that state to allow McCain to win there. The reverse may have happened in Florida where Huckabee took conservative votes from Romney.

Quotes from Republican Presidential Debate

Republican presidential front-runner John McCain and his chief rival Mitt Romney clashed over Iraq and their conservative credentials during a debate on Wednesday in California at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.

Texas Conservatives Not Inspired by Options

by John Moritz

For the first time in a generation, Tom Pauken sees trouble on the right flank of the Republican Party in Texas. A one-time Reagan administration official and GOP state chairman, Pauken said that no matter the outcome of next week's Super Tuesday primaries, true Texas conservatives will not have a natural candidate to rally around.