Free Republic

A slot at the GOP convention used to be a career-maker — a chance to make your name on the big stage and to catch the eye of the Republican donors and activists who make or break campaigns. In the year of Trump: Not so much. With the convention less than a month away, POLITICO contacted more than 50 prominent governors, senators, and House members to gauge their interest in speaking. Only a few said they were open to it — and everyone else said they either weren’t planning on it, didn’t want to, weren’t going to Cleveland at all,...

You can add Rand Paul to the list of Republicans who say they’ll support Donald Trump if he ends up being the GOP nominee. Paul made his pledge on Friday during a stop in Northern Kentucky. Via Cincinnati Enquirer: Paul, during a visit to Northern Kentucky Friday morning, said he will support whoever is the Republican nominee, even if it’s Donald Trump. He said it’s better than supporting Democrat Hillary Clinton.Paul criticized Clinton’s comments she made while campaigning in Ohio that she will “put a lot of coal companies and coal miners out of business.” Those words will likely reverberate...

In the last two days the following have endorsed Marco Rubio: 2/22 Asa Hutchinson GOV. (R-ARK.) 2/22 Jeff Flake SEN. (R-ARIZ.) 2/22 Thom Tillis SEN. (R-N.C.) 2/22 Gus M. Bilirakis REP. (R-FLA.) 2/22 Jeff Miller REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Carlos Curbelo REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Mario Diaz-Balart REP. (R-FLA.) 2/21 Mark Amodei REP. (R-NEV.) 2/21 Cresent Hardy REP. (R-NEV.) 2/21 Dean Heller SEN .(R-NEV.)

6) Ted Cruz will truly say anything at all to get elected and ran the nastiest campaign South Carolina has ever seen: In South Carolina, Senator Cruz continued his campaign of lies, falsehoods, and under-handed tactics that first began in Iowa with false rumors about Ben Carson. Just in the past week, we saw the Cruz campaign and their allies unleash a wave of lies about Marco’s record, false rumors that Marco was dropping out, anonymous push polls, outrageous robocalls in both English and Spanish, fake Facebook posts, personal insults directed at popular South Carolina leaders, and ads that had...

Ted Cruz’ eligibility to be on at least one state’s ballot is going to get a court hearing. A Chicago judge is scheduled to hear arguments today in a lawsuit claiming Cruz can’t run for president because he’s not a "natural born citizen". Via USA Today (emphasis mine): Lawrence Joyce, an Illinois voter who has objected to Cruz’s placement on the Illinois primary ballot next month, will have his case heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago. Joyce’s previous objection, made to the state’s Board of Elections, was dismissed on February 1. He appealed the decision and...

President Barack Obama will propose a $10 per barrel charge on oil to fund clean transportation projects as part of his final budget request next week, the White House said Thursday. The proposal would have difficulty clearing the Republican-controlled Congress. Oil companies would pay the fee, which would be gradually introduced over five years. The government would use the proceeds to fund high-speed railways, autonomous cars and other travel systems. "By placing a fee on oil, the President's plan creates a clear incentive for private sector innovation to reduce our reliance on oil and at the same time invests in...

With 11 days to go before the 2016 Iowa Caucuses, real estate mogul Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz are deadlocked at the top of the latest Loras College Poll. The two candidates have distanced themselves from the rest of the field, with Florida Senator Marco Rubio the only other candidate receiving double-digit support among likely Republican caucus voters. The statewide live-caller poll was conducted Jan. 13-18. Trump and Cruz were also at the top of the December Loras Poll.

How sucking up to The Donald for months has backfired on the Texas senator... ...In August of last year, I described Cruz's behavior toward Trump as feeding the alligator in hopes that it eats him last. As painful as it is for his fans to admit it, there's only one person to blame for the situation in which Cruz now finds himself and that's Ted Cruz. For six months now, Cruz has played the role of eager understudy and Trump lickspittle, praising nearly everything that spews from Trump's mouth. Not only did Cruz set a land-speed record racing off to...

Ted Cruz might say he has a problem with "New York values," but he seems happy to take New York money... ...Cruz's campaign raised $223,750 from New Yorkers, according to finance reports available through September. Robert Mercer, the hedge fund investor who has given $11 million to a pro-Cruz super PAC and is one of his most important backers, lives on Long Island. Those donors are not coming to his defense now. Ian Reisner, the hotelier who, with his business partner Mati Weiderpass, hosted a Central Park South fundraiser for Cruz last year, declined to comment. So did Michael Waldorf,...

It turns out that the millionaire GOP establishment donor who bankrolled the anti-Donald Trump skywriting at the Rose Bowl parade on New Year’s Day isn’t just any ordinary donor-class millionaire. He’s backing Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)79% , the man who is emerging as the anti-conservative establishment and donor-class candidate for president in 2016. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Luther Stan Pate IV—an Alabama real estate developer worth millions—has donated thousands of dollars to Rubio’s electoral efforts. On Jan. 29, 2015, Pate donated $5,200 to Rubio—who, at the time, hadn’t yet officially launched a presidential campaign but was acting...

Happy Birthday Barry! Just 54 and you already have a legacy unlike any other American president in history! And I see you gave yourself a birthday present yesterday, with the swipe of your pen.Barry’s Big New Dump TrucksFinally, the end of the dirty coal era! If only your Mommy had let you play with trucks like other little boys, we might not be dealing with this now.Oh well, it is what it is, as they say. Anyway, I made you a special coal cupcake for your birthday.I wouldn’t eat it though, I’m not sure where it’s carbon footprint has been. You...

Starting Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, the Iowa Freedom Summit will be livestreamed in its entirety. Speakers include: Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Mike Lee (R-UT), former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-AR), former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Reps. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Steve King (R-IA), real estate mogul Donald Trump, former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and many others.

Okay, so it’s not really a “debate” per se. And it’s certainly not sanctioned by the Republican National Committee. But a panel discussion set for this weekend that will be attended by some of the 2016 election cycle’s most talked-about prospective candidates and moderated by ABC News White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl will undoubtedly be packed with presidential politics. At the group’s winter meeting Sunday in Palm Springs, California, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio will participate in a panel discussion on domestic economic issues, including health care and energy policy. ABC...

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in a close contest against potential GOP rival, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul in a 2016 general election matchup in New Hampshire. Clinton has single-digit leads against New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. She has a wider lead over Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. But, only against Cruz is Clinton supported by more than 50% of New Hampshire voters. Clinton does better than each of her potential opponents among independent voters. The gender gap in all of these matchups is wide....

1. Chris Christie 2. Rand Paul 3. Ted Cruz 4. Scott Walker Full list....http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ranking-the-republican-presidential-contenders-for-2016/2013/11/03/eea61722-449e-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html