18. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Fitch Ratings downgraded Greece one notch from B- to CCC.  A lower grade would place Greece in default.  The Greece downgrade was partially due to the risks associated with a possible exit from the European Union.  Greek elections are expected to be held in mid-June and could produce a government that does not support the austerity plan.

To read a related Businessweek article, please click here:

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-05/D9UQLLJO1.htm

James Sutliff

Posted in Budget, International, Economy, General, Business, Election, Administrative | No Comments »

15. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Reuters provides the latest election news and polling data for races across the country.  Current polling data on Reuters Election 2012 indicate that Obama has a 227 to 180 advantage over Romney in the electoral college.  However, most of the ten states listed as toss-ups lean towards the Republican.  A few of the toss-up states are Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia.  The four states account for 68 electoral votes.

To visit the Reuters Election 2012 site, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/politics/elections-2012

Jim Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Presidential, RNC, Debate, Redistricting, Primary, Caucus, Governor, Congress, Election, Democrat, DC, Fundraising, General, Republican, Politics, Administrative | No Comments »

10. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Indiana Republican Senator Dick Lugar was defeated in a Republican primary by Richard Mourdock.  Senator Lugar has held the Indiana Senate seat for 35 years.  Mourdock is the Indiana State Treasurer and won the election despite being heavily outspent by Senator Lugar.  Mourdock will face Democratic candidate Joe Donnelly in the November election.  The Indiana Senate seat is likely to remain Republican.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/05/08/longtime-gop-sen-richard-lugar-loses-indiana-primary-to-challenger-richard/

James Sutliff

Posted in Economy, 2012, Primary, Congress, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

7. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Francois Hollande won the French Presidential election on Sunday.  Hollande defeated Nicolas Sarkozy and became the first Socialist candidate to win the Presidency since 1985.  Francois Mitterand was the last Socialist French President from 1981-1995.  Hollande is expected to raise taxes and increase government spending.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/05/06/sarkozy-expected-to-be-defeated-as-polls-open-across-france-in-presidential/

James Sutliff

Posted in Budget, International, 2012, Politics, General, Election | No Comments »

1. May 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Standard & Poor’s cut the credit rating for Spain to BBB+ from A.  The two notch downgrade came with a negative outlook and a cut to the gross domestic product growth forecast.  Standard & Poor’s has a projected forecast of a 1.5% contraction for Spain GDP.  The previous forecast projected GDP growth of .3%.

To read a related Fox Business article, please click here:

http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2012/04/26/sp-downgrades-spain-to-bbb-on-debt-concerns/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Budget, Regulatory, General, Business | No Comments »

25. April 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

On Tuesday, Mitt Romney swept the primaries in five states.  Romney won primaries in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Delaware.  There were 209 delegates at stake in the five primaries.  Romney has approximately 739 delegates and needs 1,144 to secure the nomination.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/04/24/romney-sweeps-five-primaries/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Primary, Republican, Politics, Democrat, Election, General, DC | No Comments »

21. April 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Utah Republican Senator Orrin Hatch will face a primary against Dan Liljenquist.  Liljenquist received 40.8% of the state delegates to force a primary.  The Republican primary will be held on June 26th.  Orrin Hatch has served six terms in the United States Senate.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-21/hatch-is-forced-into-republican-primary-with-utah-state-senator.html

James Sutliff

Posted in Congress, 2012, Primary, Republican, Politics, Election, Fundraising, General, DC | No Comments »

3. April 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney is projected to win the Maryland and Washington DC primaries.  There are 53 delegates at stake in the two contests.  The Wisconsin Republican Presidential primary is too close to call.  Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are almost tied at 40% with most of the votes still to be counted.

To read a related Yahoo! News article, please click here:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/mitt-romney-projected-win-maryland-primary-000051319.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Primary, Republican, Politics, Election, General, DC | No Comments »

30. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Congress passed a stopgap 90 day bill that will provide funds for Federal highway projects.  The measure passed the House on Thursday with 266 votes supporting the bill.  The U.S. Senate passed the bill with a voice vote.  The President is expected to sign the stopgap bill on Saturday.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/29/jobs-construction-projects-on-line-as-congress-tries-to-break-impasse-by/

James Sutliff

Posted in Republican, Infrastructure, Budget, Regulatory, General, Business, Democrat, Administrative | No Comments »

27. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The Wisconsin Republican Presidential primary will be held on April 3rd.  The winner take all contest has 42 delegates at stake and will be a battleground state in November.  A recent poll had Romney in first with 39% and Santorum in second place at 31%.  The poll has a 5.4% margin of error.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/27/candidates-make-push-ahead-wisconsin-primary/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

25. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Rick Santorum received almost 50% of the vote in the Louisiana Republican Presidential primary.  There were 20 delegates at stake on Saturday and the remaining 26 delegates will be decided in June.  Santorum has had a strong showing in most of the southern primaries.  The next few contests are on April 3rd in Wisconsin, Maryland, and Washington DC.  Santorum is expected to campaign heavily in Wisconsin over the next week.

To read a related Yahoo! News article, please click here:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/rick-santorum-projected-win-louisiana-primary-010309736.html

James Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

23. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney received 47% of the vote and won the Illinois Republican Presidential primary.  Rick Santorum finished second with 35%, Ron Paul was third with 9%, and Newt Gingrich came in fourth with 8%.  There were 54 delegates at stake in the Republican primary and Romney won at least 41 delegates.  The next contest is in Louisiana on March 24th.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/20/romney-seeks-to-cushion-delegate-lead-in-illinois/

Jim Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

19. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney won the Puerto Rico primary and all 20 delagates that were at stake in the contest.  Romney has 521 delegates compared to Rick Santorum with 253, Newt Gingrich with 136, and Ron Paul with 50 delegates.  The candidates need 1,144 delegates to secure the Republican nomination.  The Illinois primary will be held on Tuesday and the Louisiana primary will be Saturday.

To read a related Fox News article, please click here:

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/18/candidates-focus-on-illinois-while-puerto-rican-republicans-vote/

James Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

15. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Rick Santorum won primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday.  Santorum received 35% of the vote in Alabama and 33% in Mississippi.  The southern victories give Santorum momentum heading into the Missouri caucus on Saturday and the Louisiana primary on March 24th.  Romney won contests in Hawaii and American Samoa.

To read a related CNN article, please click here:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/14/politics/campaign-wrap/?hpt=hp_t2

Jim Sutliff

Posted in 2012, Caucus, Primary, Presidential, Republican, General, Politics, Election | No Comments »

12. March 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The CNN Election Center has a Republican Presidential delegate calculator.  The delegate calculator has a leaderboard that displays the number of delegates won by each candidate as well as the number required to secure the nomination.  The calculator is interactive and allows for data to be entered for each candidate in every contest.

To visit the CNN GOP Delegate Calculator, please click here:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2012/calculator/

James Sutliff

Posted in Presidential, 2012, Primary, Republican, Politics, Election, General, DC | No Comments »