Seth McLaughlin

Accuser says Cain groped her in car in D.C.

A fourth woman on Monday accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexually inappropriate behavior. Published November 7, 2011

Romney vows to cut spending

Mitt Romney vowed Friday to dramatically shrink the size of the federal government by capping spending at pre-Obama levels, and to do it without cutting defense. Published November 4, 2011

Romney avoids distractions on the stump

While some of his GOP rivals are fending off accusations and pointing fingers at each other, Mitt Romney keeps chugging along, staying above the fray and focusing this week on his budget proposal. Published November 3, 2011

Cain says Perry staff behind harassment story

After a two-day blitz of awkward interviews, partial explanations and sometimes contradictory answers, the Herman Cain campaign employed new strategies Wednesday to deal with accusations of sexual harassment from two employees while he was head of the National Restaurant Association in the 1990s. Published November 2, 2011

Cain stands by, clarifies denials

A day after denying he sexually harassed two women while serving as president of the National Restaurant Association, Herman Cain sought to smooth out some of the inconsistencies in his story Tuesday, saying the passage of time, jargon and a busy schedule had muddled his memory and affected his initial reaction to the allegations. Published November 1, 2011

Cain: Harassment allegations ‘totally false’

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain moved belatedly but forcefully Monday to deny allegations that he sexually harassed two female subordinates while serving as president of the National Restaurant Association in the mid-1990s. Published October 31, 2011

GOP candidates’ budgets not realistic, some analysts say

Republican presidential candidates are pledging to slice a quarter or more out of the federal budget — proposals that would take spending back to levels unseen in decades, and would require the equivalent of axing a major program such as Medicare or cutting the entire defense budget. Published October 30, 2011

Romney blasts Perry’s Social Security plan

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign rolled out a fresh attack Thursday against Texas Gov. Rick Perry, saying that Mr. Perry's new plan to reshape Social Security doesn't square with his previously stated stances on the issue. Published October 27, 2011

Referendum poses problems for GOP in Ohio

It was seen as a big victory for the GOP at the time, but Ohio's six-month-old law curbing the power of public-sector unions is causing serious political heartburn for two prominent Republicans. Published October 26, 2011

Romney tries to clarify stance on Ohio union vote

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said he backs an Ohio law curtailing public-sector-union bargaining rights. Published October 26, 2011

Perry plan makes flat tax optional

Hoping to breathe new life into his flagging presidential campaign, Texas Gov. Rick Perry rolled out a sweeping economic plan Tuesday that would give taxpayers the option of paying a 20 percent flat income tax, balance the budget by 2020 and cap federal spending at levels not seen since Lyndon B. Johnson was president. Published October 25, 2011

GOP hopefuls embrace ‘anti-Romney’ role

Though the front-runners have changed, the 2012 Republican presidential race has been remarkably consistent: Mitt Romney versus the rest of the field. Published October 23, 2011

Cain tops field again in Nevada GOP straw poll

The good news continued for Herman Cain on Friday as the former Godfather’s Pizza CEO won the Western Republican Leadership Conference straw poll of GOP presidential contenders, edging out former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich — and leaving Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a distant fifth place. Published October 21, 2011

Revived Perry presses Romney, pushes for flat tax

Texas Gov. Rick Perry followed up a feisty debate performance with a pledge Wednesday to fight for a flat tax and with another round of thinly disguised jabs at rival Mitt Romney — the man he sees as his chief obstacle to winning the GOP presidential nod next year. Published October 19, 2011

Cain: Lobbyist heads are exploding over tax plan

Presidential contender Herman Cain defended his 9-9-9 tax plan, saying that vested interests in Washington are fighting to block what taxpayers are demanding, so much so that their heads are about to burst. Published October 19, 2011

GOP front-runners hit hard in debate

Republican presidential candidates sharpened their attacks on the front-runners as they took the stage Tuesday for the latest GOP debate, taking turns slamming Herman Cain's "9-9-9" tax-reform plan and calling former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's health care reform the model for the Obama administration's Affordable Care Act. Published October 18, 2011

‘9-9-9’ tax plan raising Cain, doubts

Herman Cain's signature "9-9-9" tax-reform plan has been the battle cry accompanying his meteoric rise through the Republican presidential ranks. But political insiders in New Hampshire say the simple formula that has helped propel his candidacy also could derail it. Published October 17, 2011

Perry plan: Boost energy, curb EPA

Rick Perry rolled out part of his long-awaited economic plan Friday, saying the nation could create more than a million jobs in the energy industry by opening up federal lands and waters to drilling, scrapping federal regulations and overhauling the Environmental Protection Agency. Published October 14, 2011

Romney hauls in $14 million for quarter

The former Massachusetts governor collected $14 million in the third quarter of the fundraising calendar. Published October 14, 2011

GOP hopefuls to Nevada: Don’t leapfrog N.H.

Vying for the support of New Hampshire voters, several Republican presidential contenders threatened Thursday to skip the Nevada caucuses if the state GOP sticks with jumping the line by moving its contest into early January. Published October 13, 2011