National Election News

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, savoring a convincing primary win in New Hampshire, declared a "historic" victory to his supporters Tuesday and immediately turned his sights on the man he would replace, President Barack Obama.

In the kickoff contest of the 2012 presidential race, Republican candidates argued up to Tuesday's finish line in Iowa over which candidate is a conservative that voters can trust and who they can count on to defeat President Barack Obama.

FILE - In this Nov. 12, 2011, file photo, Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah, speaks at the CBS News/National Journal foreign policy debate at the Benjamin Johnson Arena, in Spartanburg, S.C. When it comes to education, ...

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, speaks at the CBS News/National Journal foreign policy debate at the Benjamin Johnson Arena, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2011 in Spartanburg, S.C. Republican presidential hopefuls sharply criticized President Barack Obama's efforts to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions ...

SHREVEPORT, La. (AP) - A Louisiana pediatrician says he and his ex-girlfriend spent time with Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain more than a decade ago.

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman announces his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Tuesday, June 21, 2011, at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, N.J. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (AP) - Calling the condition of America "totally unacceptable," former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is formally entering the 2012 Republican presidential sweepstakes, promising new jobs, energy independence and a simpler tax code.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A Barack Obama impersonator was ushered off the stage after he mocked the Republican presidential hopefuls and joked about the real president's biracial roots to a room full of conservative activists Saturday.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Rep. Ron Paul of Texas has won the presidential straw poll at the Republican Leadership Conference.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A left-wing activist group is claiming responsibility for a copycat confetti attack on Republican presidential hopeful Tim Pawlenty in San Francisco.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is knocking his Republican debate performance in his personal scorebook while getting in another dig at rival Mitt Romney's health care record.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney gestures as he watches a baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Boston Red Sox, Wednesday, June 15, 2011, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty is introducing himself to Iowans by mail this week, sending his first mailing advertisement of the 2012 caucus campaign.

This 2005 photo provided by Michele Bachmann shows then-state Sen. Michele Bachmann as she poses with her state permit to carry a concealed weapon nestled in a folded U.S. flag at her office in the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul. ...

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are disagreeing on how quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.