President Obama has yet to make known whether or not he supports gay marriage. Coming out in favor could satisfy and energize his base, but Obama needs to appeal to both bases in 2012, and likely won't take a firm stance before the race is over.

Days after New York passed a law legalizing gay marriage, President Obama was asked where he stood on the controversial issue.

His response? "I'm not going to make news on that today. Good try though."

The White House has previously acknowledged that Obama's past opposition to gay marriage is "evolving" but have been unwilling to say when he might have more to say on the issue -- and when he might say it.

The new New York law coupled with the fact that gay men and women comprise a not-insignificant chunk of the Democratic base and donor community will ramp up the pressure on Obama to say something sooner rather than later about where he stands on gay marriage.

But, political reality suggests Obama will continue to not make news on the issueRead More »

Fundraising is vital to a successful presidential bid, and the Republican 2012 hopefuls are already raking in cash to put toward their campaigns. But money equates to power in more than one way this early in the race: it means strength, and hopefully, support down the line.

The chase for campaign cash in the presidential race is heating up.

Fundraising is seen as an early sign of strength for a candidate. Donors invest in people they think can win. If you can't get someone to write you a check, it's not likely you'll win their vote.

That makes Thursday a very important day in the 2012 presidential race. It's the deadline for fundraising over the past three months and every candidate is pushing hard to collect as many checks as possible before the clock strikes midnight.

For Republicans, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney will be the cash king. He raised more than $10 million in a single day last month and is likely to raise as much as $20 million for the entire quarter.

Read More »

Michele Bachmann makes a compelling and confident 2012 Presidential candidate. She needs to keep that spark up--but avoid a tendency to misspeak as she moves forward.

If you haven't heard of Michele Bachmann yet, you will soon enough.

The Minnesota Republican Congresswoman officially enters the 2012 presidential race today in Waterloo, Iowa. She'll also make trips to New Hampshire and South Carolina to declare her intentions.

Bachmann has been in the U.S. House since 2006 and has rapidly emerged as one of its most outspoken and controversial members.

Her comments that Barack Obama might hold "anti-American" views during the 2008 election nearly cost her her seat.

But she's emerged as a champion of the tea party for her willingness to stake out conservative positions on the federal debt, slashing government spending and virtually every other issue. That has turned her into a very hot commodity in the GOP these days.

And Bachmann has a compelling personal story to tell. She is the Read More »

One of the most popular public figures in the country, First Lady Michelle Obama will undoubtedly play a prominent role in her husband's 2012 reelection campaign, but how much can she affect the voters?

Michelle Obama is in the midst of a high profile tour of South Africa, the latest reminder of the prominent role she will play in the 2012 reelection race of her husband.

Michelle Obama is among the most popular public figures in the country.  A May Associated Press poll showed that 71 percent of people had a favorable opinion of the First Lady. Those sort of numbers make her the envy of most politicians -- including her husband.

The popularity of the First Lady makes her a force to be reckoned with as a presidential surrogate on the campaign trail.

Michelle Obama told ABC News this week that she "loves" the job of First Lady and made clear she is committed to re-visiting her active schedule from the 2008 campaign. "I think there's so much more work to do," she told ABC. "We've Read More »

Five months after being shot in the head, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords recently returned to the public eye with a trip to Tucson.  Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, is retiring from NASA to support her continued recovery. One question remains: Will she return to politics?

It's been five months since Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head at an event in Tucson.

Her recovery has become a national drama and her release from a Houston-area rehabilitation center last week was greeted with cheers.

Now comes the more difficult question: Will Giffords ever return to public office?

The honest answer is that no one really knows.

Giffords chief of staff told the Arizona Republic that the congresswoman was using hand signals and pointing to communicate but that "when it comes to a bigger and more complex thought that requires words, that's where she's had the trouble."

Another Giffords strategist said that the congresswoman is entirely focused on her recovery Read More »

Jon Huntsman  is running for president, but can the former Utah governor  get the GOP nod with his ties to Obama's administration?

Meet Jon Huntsman.

Huntsman is, among other things, a former Utah governor and most recently the Obama Administration's ambassador to China.

As of Tuesday, he's also a formally announced candidate for the Republican presidential nomination as he makes it official with the Statue of Liberty as the backdrop.

Huntsman's unorthodox resume has attracted considerable interest in his candidacy but is also a major hurdle as he tries to win over Republican voters.

Serving in a Democratic president's administration is not the typical training ground for a Republican president.

Huntsman and his political team are casting him as a patriot, willing to serve his president if and when asked.

But Republican voters are likely to be suspicious of anyone with ties to the current president and Huntsman is going to have convince them of his GOP bona fides to get Read More »

To run for political office you don't just need support from your constituents, you need it from your partner as well. Many political spouses have been in the news lately, and not all necessarily want to be.

Running for president is tough. Being married to someone running for president may be even tougher.

Political spouses have been all over the news lately--and not in a good way.

Newt Gingrich went on an angry rant on Fox News Channel earlier this week, reacting to reports that his wife, Callista, played a role in cause the across-the-board resignations of his senior staff.

But, Callista Gingrich was only the latest example of a political spouse in the national limelight.

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels decided against running for president last month due to family concerns. His wife, Cheri, was publicly opposed to her husband running and in a statement announcing his decision, Daniels said that "I love my country; I love my family more."

Mississippi governor Haley Barbour also Read More »

Texas Republican governor Rick Perry may be looking to run in 2012, but would the GOP support another Texan governor while still recovering from Bush fatigue?

Is America ready for another Republican governor from Texas to be president?

We may just find out in 2012 as Rick Perry is actively considering a run for the GOP nod.

Perry's had a long history in Texas politics, dating back to his time as a yell leader at Texas A&M. Perry served as George W. Bush's lieutenant governor for six years before ascending to the top job in 2000 when Bush became president.

Since then Perry has won three elections in his own right, raising and spending more than $40 million on his 2010 race against a serious Democratic opponent.

Perry has long denied any interest in running for president but the wide open nature of the field has clearly piqued his interest.

If he does run, Perry would bring several major assets to the Republican primary race.

First, he was the first high profile politician to link Read More »