Santorum Camp Feeling Good About Iowa

The campaign of GOP hopeful Rick Santorum liked what they saw in a new CNN/Time poll that was released on Wednesday.

The survey showed Santorum pulling into third place, behind Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. The 16 percent of the vote that Santorum received marks his strongest performance yet in any Hawkeye State poll.

“This new polling confirms that Mike Huckabee is right — Rick Santorum will be the “surprise candidate” in Iowa next week,” said campaign manager, Mike Biundo.

Biundo added; “This new poll confirms that Rick Santorum has leapfrogged into 3rd place — more than tripling his support from the beginning of the month. Rick is now polling ahead of Newt Gingrich, who was considered to be the frontrunner.”

Obama Hits Romney On Transparency Record

President Obama’s re-elect team is highlighting a new Washington Post editorial that blasted GOP hopeful Mitt Romney for refusing to disclose his tax returns or the identities of his bundlers.

The Obama for America campaign today blasted out a link to the editorial, which accused Romney of being “zero for two when it comes to transparency in campaigning.”

The editorial described Romney’s remark this past week that he has no plans to release his tax forms as “unacceptable.”

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Poll: Paul, Gingrich Take Iowa Top Spots

Texas Congressman Ron Paul and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich lead the Republican field in Iowa, according to a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll.

Paul garners support from 27.5 percent of the hawkeye state’s likely caucus-goers while Newt Gingrich holds 25.3 percent. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney trails at 17.5 percent.

The possibility of a Paul upset has prompted concern. The Republican establishment in the state fear that Paul, who is unlikely to win the nomination due to his libertarian leanings, could delegitimize Iowa’s importance as a battleground state.

Clinton: Gingrich Overstating Role In Balancing Budget

Former President Bill Clinton accused his former adversary Newt Gingrich Tuesday of overstating his involvement in balancing the federal budget during the 90s.

When asked during an interview on NBC, Clinton explained that the major contributing factor for the surplus was opposed by then-Speaker Gingrich.

“I had a decent working relationship with him,” Clinton said. “But the vast lion’s share of balancing the budget was done in the budget of 1993 that he led the opposition to.”

Clinton did acknowledge however that the two politicians successfully crafted five budgets that “worked out pretty well for the American people.”

The interview can be seen here.

Poll: GOP Frontrunners Tied With Obama

GOP frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both hold a statistical tie with President Obama in a hypothetical 2012 matchup, according to a new Gallup/USA Today poll.

With a 4-point margin of error, Both Republicans score 48 percent while President Barack Obama comes in with 50 percent.

The data shows an improvement in Gingrich’s general election standing. In a previous Gallup poll released exactly one week ago, Obama held a 6-point lead over Gingrich at 44 to 50 percent.

The poll was conducted between December 15^th and 18^th among 1,019 Americans.

A separate survey released Monday by the agency shows that Gingrich’s lead over the GOP field has subsided. Now, the former House Speaker statistically ties with Romney at 26 to 24 percent. The new data reflects an 11 point drop for Gingrich from December 5^th.