Perry Casts Doubt On Santorum’s National Appeal

Texas Governor Rick Perry attempted to toss water on Rick Santorum’s surging candidacy Monday, telling NBC that the former Pennsylvania Senator can’t be relied upon to win nationally.

“This guy has proven he can’t win races when it matters,” Perry said during an interview on The Today Show, pointing to Santorum’s loss in the 2006 mid-term elections.

Santorum, a social conservative, has polled well in the days before the Iowa Caucus, the first battle of the 2012 election season. Perry, a one-time frontrunner, currently lags behind the ex-Senator.

Poll: Romney's New Hampshire Lead Swells

A new poll conducted with likely New Hampshire voters shows that Mitt Romney has opened up a commanding lead over the rest of the GOP field.

Romney earned 41 percent of the vote in the two-day poll released by Suffolk University. Texas Congressman Ron Paul finished second at 15 percent, followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 11 percent.

16 percent of those surveyed said they are still undecided, according to the poll’s results.

The poll was conducted over the phone this past Friday and Saturday with 500 New Hampshire voters who are likely to participate in next week’s primary contest.

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Mubarak Trial To Begin

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could face a verdict for charges rooted on his alleged ordering of protesters to be killed before the end of January. 

“I expect a verdict before January 25, than anniversary of the revolution,” Khaled Abu Bakr, a lawyer representing the families of victims, said. 

Starting Tuesday, prosecutors will have three days to present their cases, according to Bakr. A spokesman from the general prosector’s office, Adel Saeed, confirmed the possibility of having a verdict on or by January 25. 

Former Egyptian Interior Minister Habib El Adly, six of his aides and two of Mubarak’s sons also face trial on a variety of charges. 

The trial is expected to resume daily starting this week. 

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Virginia AG Will Leave Ballot Rules Unchanged For Now

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) said Sunday that he won’t seek to revise his state’s ballot access law before the presidential primary contest in March.

Cuccinelli released a statement in response to the fact that only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul’s names will appear on the ballot this year:

“I obviously feel very strongly that Virginia needs to change its ballot access requirements for our statewide elections. However, after working through different scenarios with Republican and Democratic leaders to attempt to make changes in time for the 2012 Presidential election, my concern grows that we cannot find a way to make such changes fair to the Romney and Paul campaigns that qualified even with Virginia’s burdensome system. A further critical factor that I must consider is that changing the rules midstream is inconsistent with respecting and preserving the rule of law - something I am particularly sensitive to as Virginia’s attorney general.”

“My intentions have never focused on which candidates would be benefited or harmed, rather I have focused on what is best for Virginia’s citizens, as hundreds of thousands of Virginians who should have been able to make their choices among the full field of presidential primary contenders have had their number of choices reduced significantly.”

“My primary responsibility is to the people of Virginia, and how best to fulfill that responsibility in these particular circumstances has been a very difficult question for me. I believe consistency on the part of public officials is an important attribute. And I believe that Virginians are best served by an attorney general who consistently supports the rule of law. That leads to my conclusion that while I will vigorously support efforts to reduce the hurdles to ballot access in Virginia for all candidates, I will not support efforts to apply such changes to the 2012 Presidential election.”

“I do not change position on issues of public policy often or lightly. But when convinced that my position is wrong, I think it necessary to concede as much and adjust accordingly.”

Dem Lawmaker Demands Apology From Ron Paul

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) called on Presidential hopeful Ron Paul Friday to apologize for offensive, racially tinged language published in a newsletter that bore his name.

“Ron Paul cannot continue to pursue the position of the presidency of the United States of America without formally apologizing and discussing his true positions regarding these newsletter writings,” Jackson Lee said in a statement.

The Texas Democrat noted that a similar request was made of President Barack Obama when controversial comments from the then-candidate’s preacher emerged.

“[Obama] gave a landmark speech on Race to explain his views on Race and the History of Race in America; Mr. Paul should do the same,” Jackson Lee said.