THE 2012 REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

The 2012 Republican Presidential Primaries have yielded some interesting results thus far. Out of the three primary votes, three different winners have arisen. This post gives a brief background on the winner of each primary to this point.

THE CANDIDATES

About Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich was the 58^th Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. He co-founded the Congressional Military Reform Caucus and the Congressional Aviation and Space Caucus in 1981. He founded the Conservative Opportunity Society, and he also endorsed a bill to make Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday a national holiday. Mr. Gingrich was a pioneer of the Contract with America, under which he was instrumental in passing Welfare Reform, balancing the federal budget, and cutting capital gains tax under the Clinton Administration. He formed the Center for Health Transformation in 2003 as an effort to transform healthcare in the 21^st century. Mr. Gingrich has been married three times. He earned his BA from Emory University and his MA and PhD from Tulane University.

About Mitt Romney

The former CEO of Bain & Company and founder of Bain Capital, Mr. Romney has decades of experience in the private sector. As the Governor of Massachusetts, he managed to bring the state out of debt without raising taxes, pioneer a health care program that was modeled by the Obama Administration, and spark job creation. He also had a major hand in saving the 2002 Winter Olympics from collapse. He has five sons and sixteen grandchildren, and he has supported his wife in her fights against multiple sclerosis and breast cancer. Mr. Romney earned his BA from Brigham Young University and his MBA and JD from Harvard University.

About Rick Santorum

Rick Santorum is a former U.S. Senator from the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Santorum was a member of the “Gang of Seven” that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals, and he was an author and major player in passing the Welfare Reform Act in 1996. He served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee and was instrumental in passing legislation that outlawed Partial Birth Abortion. His views, including opposition to same-sex marriage, are considered socially conservative. Mr. Santorum has seven children with his wife, Karen, and is the author of the New York Times Bestseller It Takes a Family. He earned his BA and JD from Pennsylvania State University and his MBA from University of Pittsburgh.

THE PRIMARY RESULTS

Iowa – 1/3/2012

The initial count of votes suggested that Mr. Romney had won Iowa by 8 votes (30,015 for Mr. Romney vs. 30,007 for Mr. Santorum). Following a recount, Mr. Santorum was declared the true winner of Iowa, securing 29,839 votes. Mr. Romney fell into second place with 29,805 votes; only 34 less than Mr. Santorum. Mr. Gingrich was in fourth place with 13.3% of the vote.

New Hampshire – 1/10/2012

Mr. Romney won in New Hampshire with 39.4% of the vote. Newt Gingrich placed 4^th with 9.4% of the vote, and Rick Santorum placed 5^th with 9.3% of the vote.

South Carolina – 1/21/2012

Mr. Gingrich won in South Carolina with 40% of the vote, followed by Mitt Romney, who received 27% of the vote. Mr. Santorum placed 3^rd with 17% of the vote.

Ron Paul has not won any of the primaries so far, but he has been a contender and is not ruling himself out just yet. 

So the question becomes, who would you vote for to be the Republican Nominee in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election? Cast your vote below!

Who do you want as the Republican Nominee in the 2012 U.S. Presidential Election?