26. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The CNN Republican Presidential Debate is being held tonight in Jacksonville Florida.  Fireworks are expected between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.  Recent polling indicates that Gingrich and Romney are neck and neck in Florida.  The Florida Republican primary is winner take all and there are 50 delegates at stake.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/27/us-usa-campaign-debate-idUSTRE80P1UG20120127

James Sutliff

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

22. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary and has the lead in delegates for the Republican Presidential nomination.  Gingrich finished with 40% of the vote and gained momentum heading into Florida.  Romney came in second with 27% and Santorum finished in third with 17% of the vote.  The Gingrich win should help with fundraising as well as building a campaign infrastructure.  The Florida primary will be held on January 31st and is a winner take all contest.  Also, Florida is a closed primary and only Republicans are allowed to vote in the contest.  In addition, there is expected to be over 200,000 votes cast through early voting and absentee ballots.  The next Republican Presidential debate will be held in Tampa on January 23rd.  There are 50 delegates at stake in the Florida Republican primary.  After Florida, the next contests are the Nevada and Maine Republican caucuses scheduled for February 4th.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/Gingrich-Rolls-to-Victory-in-South-Carolina-211662-1.html?pos=hftxt

To read a related MSNBC article, please click here:

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/22/10210334-first-thoughts-the-race-is-on

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Economy, Infrastructure, Presidential, 2012, Primary, Debate, Tax, Republican, Election, Democrat, Fundraising, General, Politics, DC | No Comments »

21. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The South Carolina Primary is being held today and recent polls indicate that Gingrich has pulled ahead of Romney.  A Clemson University poll has Newt Gingrich at 32% and Mitt Romney falling to 26%. The Clemson poll has a margin of error of 4.7%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-20/debate-exposes-tensions-as-republican-primary-race-reshaped-by-surprises.html

James Sutliff

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

19. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Rick Perry suspended his Presidential campaign and endorsed Republican Newt Gingrich.  Perry has been lagging in the polls and his endorsement could propel Gingrich to win the South Carolina primary.  A Gingrich win in South Carolina should provide his campaign with momentum heading into Florida.  The South Carolina primary is only 10 days before the winner take all Florida primary.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-19/perry-suspends-presidential-bid-backs-gingrich-for-nomination.html

Jim Sutliff

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

17. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The South Carolina Republican Presidential debate was held last night in Myrtle Beach.  Mitt Romney is the current frontrunner and he was the focus of the other four candidates.  Currently, Newt Gingrich trails Mitt Romney by only 8 points in recent South Carolina polls.  The South Carolina GOP primary will be held on January 21st.  There are 25 delegates at stake in the South Carolina primary.

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

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/candidates-pile-romney-south-carolina-debate-040231969.html

James Sutliff

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

13. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

According to the Commerce Department, the U.S. trade deficit increased by 10.4% to 47.8 billion in November.  The increase was larger than economists had expected and was the widest trade deficit since June.  Petroleum products accounted for a significant amount of the increase in imports.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-13/u-s-trade-deficit-widened-more-than-forecast-to-47-8-billion.html

Jim Sutliff

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

11. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary with 39% of the vote.  Ron Paul finished in second place with  23% and Huntsman was third with 17%.  Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum each had 9% of the vote.  Romney leads the field with 18 delegates and Santorum is second with 11 delegates.

To read a related Roll Call article, please click here:

http://www.rollcall.com/news/mitt_romney_earns_historic_win_new_hampshire_primary-211425-1.html?pos=hftxt

James Sutliff

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

7. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

The Institute of Supply Management’s factory index rose to 53.9 for the month of December.  The increase marked the fastest that U.S. manufacturing has expanded in the last 6 months.  The jobs report also showed gains for the month of December.  Positive factory and jobs data helped send Treasuries lower in trading last week.  The Ten year note yield rose to 1.96%.

To read a related Bloomberg article, please click here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-07/treasuries-drop-as-reports-showing-economic-strength-damp-demand.html

Jim Sutliff

Posted in Infrastructure, Economy, Treasury, Federal Reserve, Regulatory, Business, General, Administrative | No Comments »

4. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney tied in the Iowa Caucus.  Santorum finished just 8 votes behind Romney and each candidate will receive 11 delegates.  Ron Paul came in third place and garnered 21% and 3 delegates.  Newt Gingrich finished fourth with 13% and will focus on South Carolina.  Rick Perry came in fifth with 10% of the vote and will also concentrate on South Carolina.  Michele Bachmann pulled out of the Presidential race after receiving 5% in the Iowa Caucus.

To read a related MSNBC article, please click here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45867228

James Sutliff

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

3. January 2012 by Jim Sutliff.

Republicans in Iowa head to caucuses around the state today to cast their votes in the 2012 Presidential race.  Recent polling data indicates that Mitt Romney has a slight lead over Ron Paul.  Rick Santorum has placed third in numerous polls with Rick Perry and Newt Gingrich finishing fourth and fifth.  Michele Bachmann needs a strong showing to remain in the race.  Iowa Caucus results have not always followed polling data in previous elections.

To read a related Reuters article, please click here:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/03/us-usa-campaign-idUSTRE7BT14220120103

Jim Sutliff

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