Republican Party

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a GOP presidential hopeful, is seen through a window on a door as he spoke to students at the University of Iowa College of Public Health in Iowa City on Wednesday. Mr. Gingrich has been criticized for a $500,000 jewelry bill at Tiffany's. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, meets Dec. 13, 2011, with reporters on Capitol Hill before a crucial vote on a GOP effort to renew an extension of the payroll-tax cut. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John Boehner (center), Ohio Republican, and fellow Republican leaders meet Dec. 13, 2011, with reporters on Capitol Hill before a crucial vote on a GOP effort to renew an extension of the payroll-tax cut. From second from left are Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, Boehner, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas. (Associated Press)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich participates in a one-on-one GOP presidential candidate debate with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in Manchester, N.H., on Monday, Dec. 12, 2011. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

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** FILE ** Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich speaks Dec. 10, 2011, during a GOP presidential debate in Des Moines, Iowa. (Associated Press)

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has campaigned for his preferred GOP presidential hopeful this week in Iowa, whose caucuses are set for Jan. 3. (Associated Press)

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Illustration: GOP embrace of Tea Party by Linas Garsys for The Washington Times

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GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich, now the front-runner, addresses a tea party rally Saturday in Staten Island, N.Y. (Associated Press)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has turned his front-runner position into fundraising success that would allow him to join other GOP presidential hopefuls now stepping up their presence with ads on TV and online. (Associated Press)

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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican, campaigns for GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney in Manchester, N.H., on Nov. 9. Surrogates such as Mr. Christie have been scarce thus far this election cycle, partly because voters want to meet the candidates themselves. (Associated Press)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, speaks during a GOP presidential debate in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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To become the GOP standard-bearer, Mr. Santorum must leapfrog past rivals (from left) Mitt Romney, Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich. (Associated Press)

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RIGHT TURN: GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, an unabashed conservative, says that "when we nominate moderates ... we lose." (Associated Press)

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CROWD PLEASER: GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich presses the flesh Thursday in Jacksonville, Fla. "The surge of support for me is a result of a steady focus on substance, on large-solution proposals," he says. (Associated Press)

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After a meeting with GOP members of the supercommittee, House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, walks to vote on the House floor at the Capitol in Washington on Nov. 16, 2011. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks Nov. 9, 2011, during a GOP presidential debate at Oakland University in Auburn Hills, Mich. (Associated Press)

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Carter Mead shows off designs on his prosthetic leg as GOP presidential candidate Jon Huntsman tours a prosthetics firm Friday in Manchester, N.H. (Associated Press)

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U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, a Democrat, decided not to seek re-election this year, presenting an opportunity for the GOP to pick up another seat. (Associated Press)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich could become the GOP presidential nomination race's new magnet for Republicans looking for an alternative to the current front-runners, some political analysts say. (Associated Press)