Perhaps it’s a risk for any incumbent Democratic president running for re-election, but President Obama now finds himself being compared by Republicans to former President Jimmy Carter.

“Obama’s America - Malazy,” trumpets a new ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee, combining Mr. Carter’s “malaise” speech with Mr. Obama’s recent characterization of America as “lazy” in the pursuit of foreign investors. The ad is titled “Two presidents, one excuse.”

It comes on the heels of polling that showed Mr. Obama’s job-approval rating of 43 percent is lower than Mr. Carter’s rating of 51 percent at the same point during his presidency in 1979. Mr. Obama’s popularity has never reached the depths of Mr. Carter’s low point of 28 percent, however.

“President Obama’s poll numbers are worse than Jimmy Carter’s poll numbers.

Members of the Republican money machine that powered presidential elections from their time as “Rangers” for George W. Bush are betting almost entirely on Mitt Romney, but a large majority has so far sat out of the 2012 race altogether.

The role of these donors has only been heightened as loosened campaign-finance laws mean some “bundlers” who affected previous races by gathering contributions from equally wealthy colleagues have instead given massive amounts directly.

This year, 620 bundlers for Mr. Bush and Sen. John McCain tracked by The Washington Times have given more than $12 million of their own funds in federal elections, with more than $1.5 million going to Romney vessels, vastly more than for any other presidential candidate.

The elites’ second-favorite candidate, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, has dropped out of the race, and the only other contender to receive significant backing was Texas Gov.

He may have dropped out of the running for the presidency, but Tim Pawlenty isn't sitting on the sidelines - the former presidential candidate has endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

Pawlenty, who garnered early attention in his own presidential race but dropped out after a third-place showing in Iowa's straw poll last month, threw his weight behind former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney Monday on Fox News.

"There's one candidate in this race who's unmatched in his skills and experience and talent when it comes to turning around this economy and growing jobs, and that's Mitt Romney," Pawlenty said.

(CNSNews.com) – Tim Pawlenty withdrew Sunday from the 2012 Republican presidential campaign following a disappointing showing in the Iowa straw poll, and newcomer to the race Rick Perry moved quickly to seek the former Minnesota governor’s endorsement.

Pawlenty took third place in the Iowa Republican Party-hosted poll, obtaining 2,293 votes to winner, Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann’s 4,823. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas took a close second, with 4,671 votes.

After Pawlenty announced his withdrawal on Sunday Bachmann – whose sparring with her fellow Minnesotan had been a strong feature of Thursday’s Iowa GOP debate – did not say whether she would seek his endorsement, telling NBC’s Meet the Press that she would call him “to wish him well”...

Ames, Iowa – Rep. Michele Bachmann won the Iowa Straw Poll Saturday, affirming her status as a top-tier candidate in the Republican race to challenge President Obama in 2012.

Bachmann received 28 percent of the vote. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was a close second with 27 percent. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty came in a distant third with 13 percent of the vote, followed by former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 9 percent and businessman Herman Cain with 8 percent.

The daylong political festival was the first indication of how these Republicans are faring with the GOP base. Nine candidates were on the ballot, and voting ran for six hours on the campus of Iowa State University...

With just one week left before Republican voters in Iowa head to Ames for the traditional straw poll that officially kicks off the presidential election season, a new poll from Rasmussen Reports shows a tight contest.

Rasmussen shows pro-life Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota in a virtual tie with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who is campaigning on a pro-life platform at 22-21 percent. Rick Perry, the pro-life Texas governor, receives 12 percent of the support of Iowa Republicans in the survey while pro-life Rep. Ron Paul of Texas receives the backing of 16 percent.

Tim Pawlenty, the pro-life former Minnesota governor, is next with 11 percent and no other candidate in the race tops double digits. The poll rounds out with pro-life former Speaker Newt Gingrich getting 5 percent, pro-life businessman Herman Cain at 4 percent, pro-life former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman at 2 percent, and pro-life former Sen. Rick Santorum not measuring 1 percent...

A third straight poll in Iowa shows pro-life Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota leading and clearly becoming the front-runner in the state that leads off the Republican presidential campaign with a straw poll and caucus.

The new survey from Mason Dixon Polling and Research has 32 percent of Iowa Republicans saying Bachmann is their favorite Republican candidates and it, as two other polls did, had Romney coming in second place. The former Massachusetts governor, campaigning as a pro-life advocate, has the backing of 29 percent of Iowa GOP voters.

Bachmann was also at the top of two recent surveys by the American Research Group and the IowaRepublican.com web site. Three hundred likely Iowa GOP caucus goers were questioned by telephone from July 5-7 in the new mason Dixon poll and it has a sampling error of plus or minus 5.7 percent...

As expected, Mitt Romney is steamrolling all other GOP presidential hopefuls in the dash for cash, according to second-quarter fundraising reports trickling in. But the entire Republican field is pulling in less than it did in 2008, and the eventual nominee will almost certainly be left in the dust financially by President Obama, whose campaign is shooting to raise $1 billion or more.

Mr. Romney’s campaign is expected to report a second-quarter haul of between $15 million and $20 million, while Mr. Obama’s re-election effort has a target of $60 million. Final second-quarter reports, covering April 1 to June 30, must be filed with the Federal Election Commission by July 15.

Even if Mr. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, who spent Monday marching in several Fourth of July parades in New Hampshire, reports only $15 million, that will still be more than three times as much as his nearest competitors. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Two new polls show former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney with a comfortable lead over his Republican presidential opponents following Monday night’s debate in New Hampshire, the site of the second primary election contest.

A new Rasmussen Reports poll shows Romney, who asserted his pro-life views during the debate, leading and pro-life Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota placing second following her entry into the presidential nomination battle on Monday night during the debate. The poll of likely voters has Romney earning 33% support with Bachmann at 19 percent, while pro-life Georgia businessman Herman Cain is in third place with 10% of the vote.

Looking at other candidates in the race, pro-life former House Speaker Newt Gingrich picks up nine percent support, followed by pro-life Texas Congressman Ron Paul with seven percent, and pro-life former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and pro-life former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 6 percent.

CHICAGO -- Republican Tim Pawlenty was set to propose an economic policy Tuesday that would simplify individual tax rates to just three options and cut taxes on business by more than half as he offered himself as a replacement to Barack Obama in the Democratic president's hometown.

The former Minnesota governor also was to propose that any services available privately, such as the postal services or mortgages, should not be something government handles. He said he would require a vote in Congress to extend any regulation or he would cancel it. And he said he would eliminate taxes on investments and inheritances.

"But our policies can't just be about simply cutting rates. They must also promote freedom and free markets," Pawlenty said in excerpts provided ahead of the morning speech at the University of Chicago...