Republican Front Runners

The 2012 Presidential race is heating up as candidates prepare for the New Hampshire Republican Primary. With every candidate rising and falling in popularity, no one can say with any degree of certainty which candidate is going to win N.H. on Jan. 10, 2012. With the primaries right around the corner, it's important for students to stay informed and get prepared to vote.

Front-runner Willard Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, is a man with a successful record in the private sector. His accomplishments include taking over the 2002 Winter Olympics, in which he turned a complete disaster into a profitable success. Mitt Romney stands behind economic reform based on free enterprise. He wants to decrease taxes, spending, regulation, and government programs. Mitt Romney's political ideology used to be much more liberal than it is today. Being branded a flip-flop, Romney was unsuccessful in his 2008 presidential candidacy. 

Businessman and radio host Herman Cain is a republican candidate to keep an eye on. Serving as the CEO of Godfather's Pizza, Cain was able to successfully pilot a large, profitable company. Cain was also the CEO of the National Restaurant Association for a number of years. Cain believes strongly in deregulation, promoting private investment in domestic energy such as oil. He also wants tighter illegal immigration policies, less government spending, and fewer entitlement programs. Hindrances to Cain's campaign have included sexual harassment charges from his time in the restaurant industry as well as his inability to defend his 9-9-9 tax plan during a televised debate. In the debate, Herman was asked by fellow republican Mitt Romney to explain the national tax plan in relation to the state sales taxes; Cain tried to use a fruit metaphor comparing his 9-9-9 plan (apples) to the state sales taxes (oranges). Cain made it clear that, "You can't mix apples and oranges."

Coming out of a political hiatus that lasted over a decade, Newt Gingrich is back in politics representing the Republican Party once again. Recently endorsed by N.H.'s own Union Leader, Gingrich strongly advocates against what he calls Obamacare and instead supports a different, less expensive type of healthcare reform with fewer regulations. He also wants to see change in public and private education, allowing parents to pick schools and providing monetary support to parents and students that choose homeschooling over public school. Gingrich has had a few defects in his career that will certainly come under fire as he continues to gain popularity. 

Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is in the running, representing the Tea Party. If elected, Bachmann plans to decrease the size of the government. She would like to see cuts in spending, regulation, and dissolve Obamacare. As a strictly conservative republican candidate, Bachmann is opposed to gay marriage and abortion. Bachmann saw serious declines in support when she showed a misunderstanding of the Founding Fathers, claiming that they "worked tirelessly" to end slavery. The history mishap was a small obstacle to Bachmann's candidacy.

The upcoming New Hampshire primary is a critical piece of the upcoming elections. It's important for students and community members to stay informed and exercise their civic responsibility by voting. Be sure to register, stay informed, and stop by your local polling station on Jan. 10 to exercise your right!