Seth McLaughlin

Chris Christie pushes to expand drug treatment in State of the State address

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie used his State of the State address Tuesday to call for a world where drug offenders get treatment rather than prison, as he and the rest of the Republican presidential field sought to draw clear contrasts with the grim dystopia they said President Obama laid out for the country in his State of the Union speech. Published January 12, 2016

Rand Paul, Carly Fiorina bumped from main stage at next Republican debate

Sen. Rand Paul and businesswoman Carly Fiorina missed the cut for this week's prime-time Republican presidential debate in South Carolina, Fox Business Network announced Monday, dealing a blow to their presidential aspirations three weeks out from the first binding votes in the Republican nomination race. Published January 11, 2016

Donald Trump and Ted Cruz running circles around the GOP field in Iowa: poll

Businessman Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas are locked in a tight race for first place in Iowa, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll that showed the two 2016 GOP presidential candidates are easily outpacing their closest rivals three weeks out from the state's caucuses. Published January 11, 2016

Donald Trump extends lead in New Hampshire: poll

Donald Trump has extended his lead in New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, according to a new Monmouth University poll. Published January 11, 2016

Undecided voters give hope to struggling candidates

Six months, six debates and unprecedented media attention still haven't been enough for GOP voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, most of whom say they still haven't completely decided who they'll back when the voting starts Feb. 1. Published January 10, 2016

Donald Trump says Obama gun control executive orders ‘no good,’ ‘no fair’

Businessman Donald Trump touted his Second Amendment chops at a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday by panning President Obama's latest push to tighten the nation's gun-control laws. Published January 5, 2016

2016 Republican hopefuls take aim at ISIS, Obama, each other in campaign ads

GOP presidential contender Rick Santorum, the winner of the 2012 Iowa caucus, launched his first campaign ad this week characterizing Sen. Ted Cruz, the current Iowa front-runner, as a Mr. Rogers-like figure better suited for reciting lines from children's books than tackling terrorist threats. Published January 5, 2016

Marco Rubio ratchets up attacks against Ted Cruz, Chris Christie

Criticized for keeping a less-than-rigorous campaign schedule, Sen. Marco Rubio and his allies are starting to make more noise in the early primary states, leveling stiff attacks against a couple of the Florida Republican's closest rivals in the hopes of bolstering his bid four weeks from the beginning of the nomination race. Published January 5, 2016

Ted Cruz knocks mainstream media over immigration in new ad

GOP presidential contender Ted Cruz took aim at the "mainstream media" Tuesday by charging in a new television ad that it would see the issue of illegal immigration through a different prism if a herd of lawyers, bankers and journalists were charging across the U.S.-Mexico border. Published January 5, 2016

Ted Cruz: Armed protesters in Oregon should stand down

GOP presidential contender Ted Cruz said Monday that the armed anti-government group that took over a national wildlife refuge in Oregon should stand down. Published January 4, 2016

Ben Carson calls for 14.9 percent flat tax

GOP presidential contender Ben Carson detailed his plan Monday to overhaul the federal tax code, calling for it to be scrapped in favor of a 14.9 percent flat tax on individual and business income. Published January 4, 2016

Nevada could lose early-voter status with messy caucuses in 2016

The Nevada Republican Party's ability to run snag-free caucuses this year could go a long way in deciding whether the state keeps its spot near the front of the nomination calendar in 2020. Published January 3, 2016

Donald Trump, 2016 Republican rivals picking fights, alliances to survive

It's the price of success this primary season: As New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie surges in the polls in New Hampshire's Republican presidential primary, he has drawn the attention of front-runner Donald Trump, who has started aiming some well-placed barbs accusing Mr. Christie of being a party turncoat. Published December 31, 2015

Jeb Bush beefing up ground forces in early-primary states: Report

Republican presidential contender Jeb Bush is rejiggering his approach to the 2016 presidential race, shifting resources away from television advertising and toward beef up its ground troops in the key early primary states, according to the The Des Moines Register. Published December 30, 2015

Republicans applying 2012 lessons to 2016 race

Shrinking the primary season -- beginning it later and ending it earlier -- was one of the more than 200 recommendations for how the party could right itself in the wake of Mitt Romney's loss to President Obama. Published December 29, 2015

George Pataki to drop out of race for 2016 Republican nomination

Former New York Gov. George Pataki is dropping out of the 2016 Republican presidential race, according to the Boston Globe. Published December 29, 2015

Ted Cruz to blaze through Southern states with eye on March’s ‘SEC Primary’

He tops the polls in Iowa, but rather than sit on his lead Sen. Ted Cruz is running an aggressive presidential campaign targeting a swath of Southern states in what has been dubbed the "SEC Primary." Published December 23, 2015

Presidential candidates offer campaign Christmas stocking stuffers

Christmas doesn't usually scream "presidential campaign" -- but a number of 2016 White House hopefuls are eager for Santa to put their hats, sweatshirts and trinkets under your tree this year. Published December 23, 2015

Rand Paul flops as Ron Paul’s successor, loses libertarian voters to Donald Trump

Diana Orrock was a loyal foot solider in the Ron Paul revolution in Nevada four years ago, fighting to put the libertarian icon's imprint on the 2012 presidential race, and she had every hope his son, Sen. Rand Paul, would be the natural successor. Published December 22, 2015

DNC: Lindsey Graham’s failed bid reflects GOP’s misguided immigration views

The Democratic National Committee pounced on Sen. Lindsey Graham's decision Monday to pull out of the 2016 GOP presidential race, saying it is symbolic of how the GOP has scrapped its Hispanic outreach efforts and plans to support "comprehensive immigration reform." Published December 21, 2015