2012 Candidates Weekly Update 1/4/11

Mitch Daniels

Social issues: Candidates for RNC Chair pan Daniels’s “truce” proposal (GOP12, 1/3).

2012: Claims that a potential presidential bid scares his family “to death” (The Hill, 1/3).

Newt Gingrich

Religious Right: Bryan Fischer of AFA thinks his history of extramarital affairs will doom him among social conservatives (RWW, 1/3).

Fundraising: Confirmed to address, along with Mike Pence, Illinois GOP fundraiser celebrating Ronald Reagan’s birthday (Chicago Tribune, 1/3).

Mike Huckabee

Arkansas: Enthusiasm builds for a second presidential run in his home state of Arkansas (Politics Daily, 1/2).

Poll: Two out of three Republicans said that they were “very or somewhat likely” to back Huckabee, leading the field (CBNNews, 1/2).

Jon Huntsman

2012: Still open to presidential bid despite his appointment as Ambassador to China (Newsweek, 1/1).

Sarah Palin

Social issues: Re-tweets Tammy Bruce, who said that “the more someone complains about the homos the more we should look under their bed” (Gawker, 1/4).

GOP: Conservative writer George Will and blogger Erick Erickson dismiss Palin’s chances of winning the Presidency (Salon, 1/3).

Book: Reviewer of America By Heart finds that “there is no identity she embraces with more alacrity than that of victim” (Religion Dispatches, 1/2).

Tim Pawlenty

2012: With Mark Dayton’s inauguration as governor, Pawlenty now “full-time candidate” (The Atlantic, 1/3).

Book: Will begin tour for new book, Courage to Stand (Minnesota Public Radio, 1/3).

Mike Pence

Indiana: Fundraising plans point to potential gubernatorial bid (TPM, 1/4).

GOP: Wins the endorsement of RedState’s Erick Erickson (RedState, 1/3).

Fundraising: Confirmed to address, along with Newt Gingrich, Illinois GOP fundraiser celebrating Ronald Reagan’s birthday (Chicago Tribune, 1/3).

Mitt Romney

Massachusetts: May have a “Willie Horton” situation from his parole board appointments as Massachusetts governor (UPI, 1/3).

South Carolina: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) calls Romney “the most electable conservative” (Greenville Online, 1/3).