Ringing in 2008 in Des Moines, Iowa
New York City might host the best known New Year's Eve party in the world, but this year there is a new hot spot to ring in 2008: Des Moines, Iowa.

Nearly every hotel room and restaurant reservation is booked in the capital of this small Midwestern state where temperatures are currently well below freezing. With the Iowa caucuses on January 3, journalists covering the first nominating event in the 2008 presidential campaign are already at work reporting on Iowa happenings. About 2,000 journalists, including 100 foreign journalists are expected to cover the caucuses.

More than 450 journalists are expected to join the "Raucous Before The Caucus" party, co-hosted by the Democratic and Republican parties of Iowa. Iowa's most famous foods, including a variety of corn-based products, will be served.

While January 1 is a holiday for most Americans, the presidential candidates and the journalists who cover them will be working nearly round the clock until the caucuses begin Thursday evening.

Just how do the caucuses work? Learn more about them here.

Bhutto assassination important topic on campaign trail
On December 27, as leaders from across the world condemned the assassination of Pakistan opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, so did the presidential candidates. In recent weeks the candidates emphasized economic and other domestic issues on the campaign trail, but the killing served as a reminder that security and terrorism are important concerns of voters.

The candidates' statements focused on the need to promote democracy and security in Pakistan. "It's very important for the Pakistani people, for the stability of the world and for America's interests, that the democratization process continue, and I believe this is the time for America to be a strong and calming influence in a difficult and unstable environment," said Democrat John Edwards, after speaking via phone with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.

Along with their condemnations, the candidates emphasized their foreign policy experience and skills for defeating terrorism. For example, Republican John McCain said, "In my numerous visits to Pakistan … I have seen first hand the many challenges that face the political leadership there, challenges so graphically portrayed by today's tragedy."

With the first votes in the 2008 presidential election being cast in less than a week, it is possible the events in Pakistan will influence voters in the United States. While it is unclear what the impact will be, political experts suggest that Bhutto's killing could influence voters to support the candidates seen to have the most foreign policy experience such as Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican John McCain.

The presidential candidates wish you a Happy Holidays
With the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primaries just around the corner, the candidates want to spend every last day connecting with voters. However, with Christmas and New Year’s Day also just around the corner, the candidates are being careful not to ruin the holiday spirit.

Many of the attack ads to which Iowa and New Hampshire residents have become accustomed this campaign season are being replaced by polite seasonal greetings from the candidates.

In one ad, Democrat Barack Obama and his family gather around a Christmas tree and his young daughters wish everyone "Merry Christmas" and "Happy holidays". In another, Republican Mike Huckabee also sits in front of a Christmas tree to celebrate the "birth of Christ" -- a phrase political experts suggest is intended to appeal to evangelical Christian voters. This ad sparked Internet buzz, with some accusing the candidate of subliminally incorporating the shape of a cross into the background – something Huckabee strongly denies.

Other candidates have used a more light-hearted approach. Republican Rudy Giuliani sits in front of a Christmas tree listing the things he wants for Christmas, such as lower taxes, and his Christmas wish for the candidates to all get along. Santa then shows up laughing, saying that’s the one gift he can’t deliver. Democrat Hillary Clinton’s video features the candidate wrapping gifts with such labels as "universal health care" and "bring our troops home."

In the days around Christmas, the candidates will be mostly quiet, to let voters enjoy their holidays. In that same spirit, Campaign Trail Talk will be taking a break too – check back for updates in about a week. In the meantime, keep sending in any comments or questions you have about the presidential race.

Rough days for some of the candidates
Some of the presidential candidates have had a tough week.

Wednesday night, Rudy Giuliani visited the hospital. This wasn’t a campaign stop – he checked in as a patient with flu-like symptoms. Doctors found no major problems and cleared him to be released. Giuliani battled prostate cancer in 2000, forcing him to drop out of the New York Senate race against Hillary Clinton. Since that time he has had a clean bill of health.

Democrat Dennis Kucinich also had a difficult week. On December 19, his 51-year-old brother Perry was found dead at his own home. An autopsy will be performed, but no foul play is suspected. Kucinich returned to his home state of Ohio to be with his family.

Republican candidate Tom Tancredo had many rough days during his campaign, which concluded today with an announcement of his withdrawal from the presidential campaign. Although he failed to gain support from many voters, Tancredo cites his ability to make immigration a major issue as a sign of his campaign’s success. In his withdrawal statement, Tancredo endorsed Mitt Romney.

Fun facts about the presidential candidates
His favorite activities include hunting, running and playing bass guitar. He listens to rock, blues and jazz music and lists the Bible as one of his favorite books. Oh, and he is currently running for president of the United States.

This is how Republican candidate Mike Huckabee describes himself on his Facebook page. Facebook is one of the most popular social networking Web sites for American youth and candidates are trying to connect with this demographic by building their own Facebook pages that lists their likes and dislikes. Candidates hope their presence on this site will build them a new network of supporters who will communicate with their friends via the Internet about their favorite candidates.

Other Republicans share their favorites online. Not surprisingly, former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson's favorite television show is Law & Order – after all, he did act on that show. Many Americans know that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is passionate about sports, but they probably don't know that one of his favorite books was written by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

The Democrats are well represented on Facebook as well. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says he loves sports - in fact, his favorite television show is "anything sports related." Illinois Senator Barack Obama feels much the same, naming the popular sports newscast Sportscenter as his favorite. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards says his interests include "raising the minimum wage" and "stopping the genocide in Darfur."

Want to learn more about the presidential candidates? Check out their biographies on USINFO's Meet the 2008 Presidential Candidates Web page.

Republican John McCain racks up endorsements
While much of the talk about the Republican race in recent weeks has been focused on whether former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee could take on poll leaders Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, Arizona Senator John McCain has quietly been gaining ground. But this weekend he stole much of the spotlight by earning highly coveted newspaper endorsements – the Des Moines Register in Iowa, the Portsmouth Herald in New Hampshire, and the Boston Globe. Although in Massachusetts, Boston is close to New Hampshire and many people who work in Boston commute from New Hampshire. McCain also received an endorsement from the New Hampshire Union Leader newspaper a few weeks ago.

Today, in what might be the most surprising endorsement of this electoral season, McCain gained the support of Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman -- as in 2000 Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman.

"I know that it is unusual for someone who is not a Republican to endorse a Republican candidate for President," Lieberman said. "In this critical election, no one should let party lines be a barrier to choosing the person we believe is best qualified to lead our nation forward." Lieberman became an Independent in 2006, but he caucuses with the Democrats in Congress.

These endorsements cite the Arizona senator's experience as one of the main reasons for supporting him. Who would you prefer - a leader with experience or one with new ideas? Let us know by participating in USINFO's Elections Quick Poll.

Learn more about endoresements here.

The candidates gather for one last debate
The caucuses and primaries are less than three weeks away, and since Iowa holds the first contest, candidates have been spending the bulk of their recent time in this wintry state.

But with the holidays around the corner, the candidates realize their campaigns are winding down, as Iowa voters do not want to spend their Christmas and New Years listening to campaign attacks. So this week is one of the last full weeks on the Iowa campaign trial, and candidates used this time to appeal to Iowa voters by participating in debates hosted by the Des Moines Register newspaper.

Both of the parties' debates were considered to be quite cordial and dominated by economic issues. The Democratic candidates seemed to emphasize their interest in bringing change to America. (Read more about Americans' interest in change here.)

On the Democratic side, there were some noticeable absences. Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel did not meet the Des Moines Register's guidelines for participating since they do not have at least one full-time campaign staffer working out of an Iowa office.

Americans who watched the Republican debate, most of whom thought there were eight Republican candidates for president, were surprised to find nine people on stage. This is because Alan Keyes, a candidate generally not considered viable, met the newspapers' guidelines for participation. Keyes is most recently known for moving from Maryland to Illinois to run in that state's 2004 Senate race – where he lost to now Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.

Let the voting begin!
With all the talk about Iowa and New Hampshire fighting to keep their first in the nation status, it is easy to forget that some Americans in other states already will have cast their ballots by the time the January primaries and caucuses begin.

In the weeks before the primaries, some states start to send out absentee ballots to voters. So even though candidates traditionally have not spent much time in the later-scheduled primary states, they might need to rethink their strategies in order to appeal to voters who can choose to mail in their ballots any time from now until the date of the their state’s primary.

Each state sets its own requirements for absentee voting, and some are more stringent than others. For example, in South Carolina you must provide one of 17 acceptable reasons for voting absentee; but California allows you to become a permanent absentee voter. In Oregon, all voting is done by mail.

California is the most populous state in the country and tends to have a high number of absentee voters, meaning that by the time the January primaries are over, more ballots might have been cast in California than in Iowa and New Hampshire combined.

Republicans reach out to Hispanic voters ... in Spanish
On December 9, seven of the Republican candidates tried to connect with Hispanic voters by participating in a debate on the Spanish-language Univision television channel. Questions were posed in Spanish and translated into English for the candidates. The candidates' English responses simultaneously were translated into Spanish. The Democrats had their own Spanish debate in September.

The moderators' questions focused on issues such as health care, Latin American politics and, not surprisingly, immigration.

Some of the candidates also were asked why Hispanics' support for Republicans has declined in recent years. The candidates used their responses to highlight their common ground with Hispanics. For example, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said, "I think Hispanics want the same thing everybody wants. They want jobs. They want education. They want to know that they're going to be able to live with freedom … somehow we didn't do a very good job of communicating that that's what we would provide in terms of opportunity and fairness."

An especially interesting element in this debate was what was missing: attacks. In the wake of several heated weeks on the campaign trail, with both sides attacking opponents within their parties, the Univision debate was remarkably calm.

Learn more about the role Hispanic voters might play in the 2008 election here.

Biggest name yet hits the campaign trail
This past weekend Democrat Barack Obama brought out what his supporters hope could be the best weapon in his campaign arsenal: talk-show superstar Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey and the Illinois senator held rallies in the important early primary and caucus states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Their South Carolina appearance before 29,000 people at a football stadium is the best-attended event so far in the 2008 campaign, and one of the largest election events in history. Obama and Winfrey tried to convince the audience, predominately African Americans, to support the senator in a state where African-American votes are key. They make up about half of Democratic voters in a state where polls show the race could go to any of the top Democratic candidates.

Trying to appeal to these voters, Winfrey said, "Dr. [Martin Luther] King dreamed the dream. But we don't have to just dream the dream anymore. We get to vote that dream into reality."

Rival Hillary Clinton brought out a familiar name as well this weekend – her daughter Chelsea. Chelsea Clinton and her grandmother joined Senator Clinton's campaign in Iowa to reach out to women voters. The majority of caucus-goers in Iowa are female.

Do these endorsements matter? Read more about endorsements here.

USINFO readers encourage young leaders
After reading this article, USINFO readers have been e-mailing comments about the importance of youth running for political office. Here is some of what readers had to say:

"I think young is great!!! We need people who still know how to dream big; how to strive for goals that currently don't exist in the common people's minds… Young blood, young thinking, like fresh, flowing water into a stagnant pond, are good things. Let's bring it on."

"Younger people must try to get involved in politics. It is our future we are talking about here. Young people with good heart and intentions should consider it. By God's grace I will make a difference in my country, Nigeria."

"YES!!! Young people in office leads to younger voters!"

What political issues do young Americans care about? Who do they want to vote for? Learn more about young Americans here.

Mitt Romney discusses his faith
Republican and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the first Mormon candidate for president, discussed his faith for the first time today. His speech was seen as an opportunity to reach evangelical Christians who are strong Republican supporters. Some evangelicals wonder if Romney shares their same values.

In his 20-minute speech, Romney only said the word “Mormon” once. “Some believe such a confession of my faith will sink my candidacy,” he said. “If they are right, so be it. But I think they underestimate the American people.” Romney also said that if elected, he would serve no one religion.

Many compared today’s speech to one given by another candidate from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. In 1960, before he became the United States’ first Catholic president, Kennedy gave a speech about his faith in a speech that many say contributed to the success of his campaign.

Will today’s speech help Romney’s campaign? Evangelicals are an important voting block that can influence the outcome of races in Iowa and South Carolina – two of the first states to vote in the 2008 race.

Clinton attacks Obama's record ... his elementary school record
As Campaign Trail Talk has mentioned, the first votes in the 2008 presidential race will be cast in less than a month. With both parties in tight races, the negative rhetoric is heating up. It seems just about every candidate is a target of another's character attacks.

On the Democratic side, much of the attention has been focused on Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, who seem to be stepping up their attacks on each other as they vie for the nomination.

On December 2, in an attempt to counter an attack made by Obama, the Clinton campaign issued a press release accusing Obama of not telling the truth when he said "I have not been planning to run for president for however number of years some of the other candidates have been planning for." The evidence the Clinton campaign cited: Obama wrote essays in elementary school about wanting to be president. These essays, the press release says, indicate Obama has been planning his run for a long time.

Having received much criticism over the incident, the Clinton campaign now says this attack was meant as a joke. But it serves as a good reminder that negative campaigning, while sometimes very effective, has risks. Learn more about the political strategy behind character attacks here.

Would you vote for a candidate who says bad things about another candidate? Weigh in on the USINFO Elections Quick Poll.

With first votes looming, no clear front-runners
With less than a month left before the Iowa caucuses, the first 2008 nominating event, polls show the races for both the Republican and Democratic nominee are closer than ever.

A national USA Today/Gallup poll shows that Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Clinton are losing their large leads. In the past month, Giuliani slipped 9 percentage points and Clinton fell 11 points, but they both are still on top. On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee jumped from fifth place to second.

Political experts cite many reasons for this change, the largest one-month decline for both Giuliani and Clinton. One possible reason is that as the primary elections near, Americans are paying closer attention to the race and not simply voicing a candidate preference based on name recognition.

Two important things to remember when looking at national polls: first, U.S. elections are held on a state-by-state basis, so it’s more important at this point in the campaign to know how candidates are faring in each state than on the national level. (This article on the Electoral College explains this in more detail.) Second, different polls use different methodologies, meaning that one poll might not always be a good predictor. For example, while Clinton and Giuliani hold their leads by several points in the USA Today/Gallup poll, a Rasmussen Reports poll issued today shows the Democratic race much closer. On the Republican side, Rasmussen says Giuliani and Huckabee are tied, holding 18 percent each of voter support.

With the races so tight, who will win is anyone's guess. Do you want to take a guess? Let Campaign Trail Talk know who you think will win. Send your predictions and commentary here.

Scary moments in New Hampshire
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's campaigning came to a halt November 30 when a man walked into her campaign office in Rochester, New Hampshire, claiming to have a bomb strapped to his chest. Clinton, who was in Virginia at the time, cancelled a campaign event during the hostage situation. Some other campaign offices in the area were evacuated as a precaution.

The man surrendered peacefully, and it turned out the bomb was a fake. Clinton flew to New Hampshire that evening to thank law enforcement officials and to meet with the young Rochester staff. She is now back on the trail, although the Rochester office is still closed.

The Rochester office is one of about a dozen Clinton offices in the state. These offices, known as field offices, are a common fixture in the early primary and caucus states. Their doors are open for volunteers or average citizens who want to learn more about a candidate.

Field offices are often run out of tiny storefronts with only a handful of staff members, who tend to be quite young. Read more about these young staffers here.

More planted campaign questions?
The YouTube Republican debate November 28 sparked another debate. This one about debates themselves: what are the pros and cons of allowing average Americans to ask the questions during a presidential debate? The format allowed for more creativity, but it also led to practices some viewers argued were unfair.

Primary debates are intended to be an opportunity for party supporters to learn about their candidates. Opening a primary season debate to questions from all Americans provides those from the opposing party opportunities to pose questions that could paint the candidates in a negative light.

Retired Brigadier General Keith Kerr asked the Republican candidates if they believed that openly gay men and women should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military. Kerr, who is openly gay, was in the audience and had a chance to give his opinion on the candidates' responses.

Kerr is not a Republican. In fact, he served on a committee that supports Democrat Hillary Clinton – raising questions about whether her campaign encouraged him to ask the question. (See the November 13 entry on accusations that the Clinton campaign planted questions at campaign events.)

Kerr said he acted on his own.

The vice president of CNN, the network that hosted the debate, apologized for the incident, saying, "CNN would not have used the general's question had we known that he was connected to any presidential candidate." They also cut the incident from repeat broadcasts of the event.

What do you think? Should candidates only have to answer questions from people in their own parties during the primary season? Send in your comments.

Republicans have their turn at a YouTube debate
The Republican candidates gathered last night to directly answer voters’ questions on a range of topics, including the death penalty, farm subsidies, gun control and gays in the military. More than 5,000 people submitted questions on the popular video Web site. The Democrats held a similar debate in July.

This debate had a much different feel from the previous Republican events in which candidates were trying to prove they were the best to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. On November 28, the Democratic candidates were not discussed much, unless you count a quip by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. When answering a question about the space program, Huckabee joked that Clinton could be on the first rocket to Mars. It was one of a handful of well-received jokes Huckabee made during the evening.

Immigration was a major topic that led to some testy moments. When former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney argued that Rudy Giuliani ran a “sanctuary city” for illegal immigrants when he was mayor of New York City, Giuliani fired back that Romney ran a “sanctuary mansion” because he once had an illegal immigrant working at his home.

Submitting questions to YouTube gave Americans a chance to highlight their creativity – some used animated videos and songs to ask serious questions. But the video that seems to have generated the most buzz was made by one of the candidates – former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson. The candidates were allowed to show their own YouTube style campaign ads during the debate. Thompson’s is considered the first negative ad in the Republican race – it featured a clip of Romney saying he supported abortion rights and Huckabee saying raising taxes is okay – two positions the Republican base does not support.

Read more about the impact of YouTube on American politics here.

Will students be left out of Iowa?
The presidential campaigns have been spending countless amounts of time and money on Iowa's college campuses, encouraging young people to caucus in a state where the age of the average caucus participant is in the 60s. Many Iowa students have opted to register to vote in the Midwest state rather than at their parents' homes. They have been encouraged to vote in Iowa because they hope to impact the outcome of the country's first nominating contest.

Problem is, with the caucuses being held so early on January 3, 2008, most college students will still be in their home states on winter break. Even if they wanted to come back to Iowa early to vote, most college dormitories are closed. And in a caucus, a nominating contest where party members meet in person to show their support for a candidate, there is no absentee voting.

Political experts question whether or not this could impact the Iowa race. Young people traditionally make up a very small percentage of caucus participants. However, in a close race, as this one is gearing up to be, the small percentage could make a difference – especially to Democrat Barack Obama who is a favorite of young people.

This does not mean that students will be left disenfranchised. Many still have time to switch their voter registration to their parents' home states so that they can vote there.

Primary calendar chaos (hopefully) ends
Journalists, political pundits, campaign staff and the presidential candidates themselves have something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season: New Hampshire has finally set its primary date.

During those hectic few months where states kept moving their primaries and caucuses earlier and earlier, the Granite State held out on setting its date to make sure it would hold the first primary. The New Hampshire Secretary of State threatened to move it to December 2007 if he had to. Most Americans are relieved to hear he does not have to – now that the other states seem to have settled their dates, New Hampshire has finally announced it will hold its primary January 8.

One thing the candidates probably are not thankful for: with the Iowa caucuses scheduled for January 3 and New Hampshire's race on January 8, those competing for their party's nomination will likely be spending much of the Holiday season in one of these states instead of at home.

The primary and caucuses schedule is available on USINFO's Voting and the Elections Process Web site.

Sharing the Thanksgiving turkey with the presidential candidates
Thursday is Thanksgiving in the United States – a day most families spend together feasting on turkey, and a day that even the presidential candidates get to take off.

Who would Americans like to have join them at their Thanksgiving table? A poll conducted by Quinnipiac University found that 27 percent would invite Hillary Clinton, 24 percent want Barack Obama and 22 percent would like Rudy Giuliani.

An interesting note: Obama and Giuliani are slipping in these holiday polls. Last May, when voters were asked who they would like to hang out with at a Memorial Day picnic, 33 percent selected Obama and 37 percent liked Giuliani.

Most of the candidates are heading home for the holiday, although a few will instead be having their Thanksgiving meals in the early-primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire.

While Republican Mitt Romney will be home stuffing the turkey himself, Republican candidate Mike Huckabee will be eating "Aunt Pat's cheese and macaroni" in Arkansas.

Macaroni and cheese is one of Democrat John Edwards' favorite dishes too, according to his mother. And while you are not invited to the Edwards family Thanksgiving – you can get this and other Edwards family favorite recipes by donating $20.08 to the campaign.

The candidates' views on capital punishment
Magali in France asks Campaign Trail Talk:

Hello, I just wanna to know what is the constitutionnal's debate about the capital punishment in these elections? And also what are Supreme court's judges' opinions about it? Thanks to answer me.

The death penalty, which is used in 38 states, has been in the news quite a bit recently. The highest court in the nation intervened earlier this week to halt the execution of a Florida man. It is the fourth execution in recent months the Supreme Court has halted.

Experts believe that the court has put in place a de facto moratorium on the death penalty until it reviews the issue in January. The court will hear the case of two Kentucky inmates who argue that the combination of drugs used in most lethal injections violate the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution's provision on cruel and unusual punishment.

The presidential candidates have not been talking about the issue much on the campaign trail. According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, most of the candidates support capital punishment in some circumstances. The only candidates who outright oppose it are Democrats Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel and Republican Ron Paul. Several candidates have said that the process needs to be reviewed.

What does the court think about capital punishment? We won't know until it rules in early summer. And it is important to note that the court is not reviewing the constitutionality of the death penalty entirely, just specifically the combination of drugs used in most lethal injections. But when the court rules, it is likely the candidates will share their opinion on the issue.

Got a question for Campaign Trail Talk? Send it in here.

Democratic candidates back striking Hollywood writers
Most American television shows have halted production as a writers' strike enters its third week. The Writers Guild of America is demanding increased royalties from DVD sales and compensation for Internet sales of television shows. While Democrats traditionally support unions, some of their biggest campaign donors are Hollywood executives, leaving the candidates in a tough position.

Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama issued statements on their Web sites supporting the writers.

"I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pays them for their work in all mediums," New York Senator Clinton said. "I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table to work out an equitable contract that keeps our entertainment industry strong."

"I stand with the writers," Illinois Senator Obama said. "The Guild's demand is a test of whether corporate media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives. I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work."

Edwards also stands with the writers – and he did just that outside NBC offices in Burbank, California, November 16. "I'm proud to be with you in this fight for justice," the former North Carolina senator said. "And I will be with you every day when I'm President of the United States."

Democratic candidates, audience speak up in Nevada debate
After the Democratic debate in Philadelphia where the top three candidates dominated the air waves, many were eager to hear more from the lower-tier candidates. At the beginning of a Las Vegas debate November 15, members of the audience voiced their frustration that Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama were once again the focus on stage.

But as the evening went on, the other candidates had a chance to speak up about issues such as immigration, health care, human rights and the current situation in Pakistan. Audience members asked questions as well.

Although Clinton and Obama did get the most air time (about 18 minutes and 17 minutes each,) other candidates got more time to speak up. Interestingly, Bill Richardson spoke longer than the other Democratic leader, John Edwards. Chris Dodd received the least time, with about six and a half minutes. Mike Gravel once again was not invited to participate.

Experts say that Clinton regained some ground after a weak performance at the last debate, when she waffled on the issue of whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for driver's licenses. In Las Vegas, she gave a one-word answer to the question: “No.” This time, Obama seemed to waffle on this issue.

Nevada will hold one of the first nominating contests in the country on January 19, 2008.

Do you think debates are useful? Send in your comments.

Polls show race narrowing in Iowa
There has been a lot of talk about front-runners lately, but a new poll shows that the race for the nomination in Iowa may be very close.

Because of its fiercely protected first-in-the-nation status, candidates spend countless days and millions of dollars crisscrossing the Midwestern state meeting voters. An October poll by the Des Moines Register shows that one-fourth of likely caucus-goers have met a presidential candidate. If they have not yet, they'll likely get the chance as the January 3 caucuses near.

A CBS News/New York Times poll conducted between November 2 and 11 shows that the Democratic race is practically a three-way tie. Hillary Clinton leads over Barack Obama and John Edwards, but her lead falls within the poll's 4 percent margin of error.

The poll shows that Mitt Romney leads the Republican race in Iowa, but indicates that former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee continues to gain ground. He is in second, trailing by only 6 points.

Iowa voters' minds are far from made up. About 51 percent of Iowa Democrats and 59 percent of Iowa Republicans say it is too early to determine definitely for whom they will vote. So you can expect candidates to continue to spend their time and money in Iowa.

Read more about political polls here.

Top campaigns work to overcome troubles
As explained in this article, front-runner status comes with a price. Increased media attention brings more criticism. And both the Republican and Democratic leaders recently have felt the heat.

Hillary Clinton, considered the Democratic front-runner, has had a tough time since her performance at the last Democratic debate, where she was attacked on her record and accused of waffling on the issue of whether illegal immigrants should be allowed to apply for driver’s licenses.

Now Clinton faces criticisms about whether members of her staff plant questions at campaign events after a November 6 Iowa event at which a Grinnell University student said a Clinton staffer requested that she ask Clinton a specific question about climate change.

"It was news to me and neither I nor my campaign approve of that," the Democratic candidate said, "it will certainly not be tolerated." Recent polls show the New York Senator's lead over Senator Barack Obama is slipping.

On the Republican side, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani faces his own troubles. Although national polls show him as the front-runner, state polls show Giuliani in a much tighter race. (See November 5 entry below.) Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik, a close friend of Giuliani, has been indicted on 14 charges, including criminal conspiracy and tax evasion. Kerik was appointed commissioner by Giuliani and once was considered for the job of Homeland Security secretary on Giuliani's recommendation.

Giuliani's opponents are trying to use the incident to their benefit. "Rudy Giuliani's history with Bernie Kerik is a story of poor judgment," said John McCain campaign manager Rick Davis. "A president's judgment matters and Rudy Giuliani has repeatedly placed personal loyalty over regard for the facts." More trouble could potentially be in store for Giuliani on this topic – Kerik's pretrial hearing is scheduled for January 13, just as the primaries get under way.

Will these troubles Clinton and Giuliani face affect voters' decisions? Only time will tell. With the first primaries less than two months away, no candidate is likely to have an easy road ahead.

The issues that matter to candidates, according to their Web sites
Two professors at Bentley College in Massachusetts have been studying candidates' Web sites to see how they use the Internet to define their campaign platforms. Findings released last week show that even though there are distinct differences between Republicans and Democrats, within each party the candidates' messages are quite similar.

The study looked at the candidates' "issues" Web pages and found that about 75 percent of the issues addressed are domestic. Top concerns overall were Iraq, health care and terrorism. Democrats most often identified energy, the United States' standing in the world and middle and working class families as their other top concerns. For Republicans, taxes, immigration and spending were major topics.

Want to know where the candidates stand on the issues? Check out the Candidates on the Issues Web site.

Republicans get key endorsements
Kansas Senator Sam Brownback, who dropped out of the presidential race in October, announced November 7 that he would support Arizona Senator John McCain in his bid for the Republican nomination. "If you want a guy to change Washington, John McCain's the guy to do it," Brownback said in a speech in Iowa.

Brownback will be making some campaign stops with McCain, who was once considered a frontrunner but has lagged in recent months. McCain supporters hope that Brownback’s endorsement will encourage the Kansas senator’s supporters to cast their votes for the Arizona senator.

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani picked up a potentially important endorsement on the same day. Reverend Pat Robertson, a popular social conservative leader, said that Giuliani is "a proven leader who is not afraid of what lies ahead and will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans." His endorsement surprised many because Giuliani’s views on abortion and gay rights differ from those of most social conservatives.

Do endorsements even matter? See what experts think, in this article. What do you think? Send in your comments.

Long-shot candidate raises stunning amount of money
On November 5, a Republican presidential candidate raised a record-setting amount of money – and his identity might come as a shock.

Ron Paul always has fallen near the bottom of official polls, but nonscientific surveys online and on television often told a different story. Paul’s fans have dominated these polls, and left so many comments on blogs that some bloggers have asked them to stop. Paul is one of the most searched candidates on the Internet and his YouTube channel has received more than 5 million views. In comparison, Rudy Giuliani, who many polls place as the frontrunner, has had about 690,000 views.

Paul's fans decided to use the power of the Internet to raise money for their candidate, and the amount they raised is shocking – $4.2 million in 24 hours. These fundraisers set up their own Web site encouraging people to donate on Guy Fawkes Day, the anniversary of a failed attempt to blow up the British parliament. About 37,000 people contributed.

It is believed to be the most raised for a candidate on the Internet in a single day. It is also only $1 million less than what he raised from July through September.

This fundraising effort is part of Paul's goal to raise $12 million between October and December. He's currently at $7.5 million.

Do you think Ron Paul can reach his goal? Do you think he stands a chance in the election? Send your comments here.

Learn more about Ron Paul here.

Happy Election Day 2007
While it may not be getting much attention internationally, today is Election Day in many U.S. states. Approximately 176,000 elected offices will be filled by voters in races termed "off-year elections" because they are held in years in which no members of the U.S. Congress are elected.

Even though interest in local races tends to be lower than in national races, local elections for city and county officials, school boards, sheriffs and judges have a big effect on the everyday lives of citizens.

Kentucky and Mississippi will elect new governors, three states (Mississippi, New Jersey and Virginia) will vote for state legislators, and many major cities -- including Baltimore, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and Salt Lake City -- will elect their mayors. Louisiana elected a new governor in October. Read about it here.

Political experts will be following some of these races to see if there are any trends indicating what issues voters will care most about during the coming year. USINFO is following some of these races as well – and will report tomorrow on some of the winners. Check out the U.S. Elections Web site for the latest information.

The presidential election is one year away
Just 365 days until Americans vote for their next president on November 4, 2008. Because 2008 is a leap year, voters will have to wait an extra day. The first presidential nominating contest, the Iowa caucuses, is 59 days away … assuming New Hampshire does not schedule its primary earlier.

On the Democratic side, national polls show New York Senator Hillary Clinton with a commanding lead. In some polls, nearly half of Democrats say they would vote for her. Illinois Senator Barack Obama now holds second place with about 25 percent of Democratic voters' support.

For the Republicans, national polls generally show former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani with about a 15-point lead over the other candidates. Fred Thompson, John McCain and Mitt Romney all trail Giuliani, but the order in which they do so varies depending on the poll.

Although national polls are interesting to follow, it is important to remember that there is no national election in the United States. This is why political experts carefully follow polls of voters in states with early primaries. An early victory can help a candidate pick up more states in the quest to be the party’s nominee.

Traditionally, Iowa and New Hampshire host the first caucus and primary. Polls from those states show Clinton leading the Democratic race, although her lead over Obama is much smaller than in the national polls. On the Republican side, the picture is much different than in the national polls, with former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in the lead in both states. A candidate to watch in those states is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Even though most national polls have him in fifth place, some recent Iowa polls have him in second place.

A recent Washington Post poll indicates that if the election were held today, Clinton would be favored to win over any of the top Republican candidates. But the election is not today and history shows anything can still happen. In 2004, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean was favored in national polls as well as in Iowa and New Hampshire. He ended up coming in third and second in those states. Victories in those states propelled John Kerry to the Democratic nomination.

A "candidate's" quest ends
Looks like the fun is over – comedian Stephen Colbert's quest to be a presidential candidate in the state of South Carolina has failed.

Colbert, host of a popular comedy talk show called the Colbert Report, gained national and international attention in recent weeks when he announced he would run for president ... only in South Carolina ... as both a Republican and a Democrat. That way, as Colbert said in press interviews, he could lose twice. Colbert also made it clear that even though he was running for president, he did not actually want to be president.

In the United States, there is no national ballot. In primary elections, each state's political parties set their own rules for determining who can be on the ticket. In South Carolina, there is no law prohibiting a candidate from running in both parties’ primaries.

Ultimately Colbert decided only to run as a Democrat – its $2,500 application fee was considerably less expensive than the Republicans’ $35,000 fee. But the South Carolina Democrats executive council voted 13-3 to reject his bid. They said Colbert was not actively campaigning in the state and was not a nationally viable candidate.

Is that true? Colbert did campaign in the state over the weekend prior to the committee vote. And, although South Carolina Democrats said Colbert is not nationally viable, they were less picky about Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. Despite polls showing that Colbert could get more votes than either Kucinich or Gravel, the two were approved for the ballot along with the other traditional Democratic presidential candidates.

The South Carolina Democrats will refund Colbert’s $2,500.

Do you think Colbert should have been allowed on the ballot? Send in your comments.

Democratic debate centers on Hillary Clinton
On October 30, seven of the eight Democratic candidates for president gathered in Philadelphia to debate a range of international and domestic issues – from how to handle tensions with Iran to whether illegal immigrants should get driver licenses.

But, as American and international media outlets reported, the debate was mostly about New York Senator Hillary Clinton's record – one more sign that she is considered the candidate to beat. The other two top-polling Democrats -- Illinois Senator Barack Obama and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards -- spent a large part of their time on stage questioning Clinton’s past statements on Iraq, Iran and social security.

Clinton, Obama and Edwards grabbed most of the air time, and the Associated Press reported some of the other candidates were visibly frustrated with how little chance they had to speak.

Although he might not have had much time on camera, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich received a lot of press coverage for an unusual debate topic: Sightings of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs). Kucinich confirmed that he once saw a triangular craft hovering in the sky. He also noted that former President Jimmy Carter reported seeing a UFO, and "that more people in this country have seen UFOs than, I think, approve of George Bush's presidency." The debate moderator pointed out that only 14 percent of Americans believe they have seen a UFO and that Bush's approval rating now is higher than 14 percent.

Why was one person missing? The Democratic National Committee and NBC News, whose channel MSNBC hosted the debate, decided that former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel had not met the polling and fundraising requirements it had set for participation. Gravel held his own debate in another venue – where he answered the same set of questions the other candidates were asked.

Questions or comments about political debates? Send them here.

Happy Halloween!
Boo! Happy Halloween – the holiday where young pranksters don ghoulish costumes and try to scare their neighbors.

So which presidential candidate would you be most scared to see tonight?

When asked which candidate would make the scariest costume, 37 percent of Americans picked Democrat Hillary Clinton, according to an Associate Press-Ipsos poll. Republican Rudy Giuliani came in second to Clinton in this poll, with 14 percent.

Not too surprisingly, two-thirds of Republicans said Clinton would be the scariest. But so did 18 percent of Democrats. A greater number of Democrats voted Giuliani the scariest. One-third of independents also picked Clinton.

Thinking of dressing up as Democratic candidate Chris Dodd? His Web site will tell you what to wear. They suggest you wear white hair and a passion for service and carry a copy of the Constitution and Dodd campaign literature.

Some candidates have been trying to link the holiday to their campaign themes. Republican candidate Mitt Romney gave a speech about "Hillary's House of Horrors" in which he described her candidacy as if it were a haunted house: "You go in one room, she wants to raise your taxes. You go in another room and she wants to have government taking over health care," he said in a town hall meeting in Florida.

In the October 30 Democratic debate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama said he was considering wearing a Mitt Romney mask for Halloween which "has two sides to it. It goes in both directions at once."

Read here for more about Halloween in the United States.

Barack Obama is winning . . . the media coverage
If the election outcome were determined by how well the media treats the candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Fred Thompson would be the party nominees.

A study by the Project of Excellence in Journalism and the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy shows that from January to May, Obama received the most favorable television coverage. Fred Thompson, who was not yet a candidate during that time, received coverage deemed nearly as positive. The study examined 1,742 stories from 48 news outlets.

Arizona Senator John McCain received the most negative coverage, with stories of his weak fundraising and slipping support in the polls.

About 63 percent of media stories on the presidential campaign focused on campaign tactics compared to only 15 percent that reviewed candidates' policy proposals and 1 percent that examined the candidates' past records.

Do you think media coverage of the candidates has been fair? Send in your comments.

Does an acting career prepare someone for politics?
Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson is perhaps better known for playing a lawyer on television than for being a Tennessee Senator in real life. Thompson started in politics, turned to acting, turned back to politics, then again to acting and now he's running for elected office again. He is one of many in American history who have switched between the two career paths.

Thompson is not the only well-known actor running for office in 2008. Among the candidates for the Minnesota Senate race is comedian and Democrat Al Franken. He too has been politically active for years and started a political action committee that has raised more than a million dollars for Democratic candidates.

Interested in knowing how Al Franken will do? As part of its State and Local politics project, USINFO will be following the races that matter to residents of the Minnesota 1st Congressional District – stay tuned for updates.

Who else has gone from Hollywood to Washington? Find out more here.

Giuliani’s support for Boston baseball team causes uproar
Former New York City mayor and Republican candidate Rudy Giuliani has received criticism this week for supporting the enemy: the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

Giuliani, often referred to as “Yankee Fan Number 1,” has been a vocal long-time fan of the New York team and the Red Sox’s chief rival. But, while campaigning in New Hampshire, a state full of Red Sox fans, he announced he would support their team as it battles the Colorado Rockies at the World Series championships.

New York tabloid newspapers carried the story with headlines like “Traitor!” and “Red Coat.” Editorials accused him of flip-flopping to gain votes in a state with an early primary.

Democratic candidate and self-proclaimed lifelong Red Sox fan Christopher Dodd issued a press release on his Web site welcoming Giuliani to the “Red Sox Nation.” The Connecticut senator said, “Every true Red Sox fan knows that being a fan means more than just rooting for the Red Sox to win, it means also rooting for the Yankees to lose. I am glad to see that Mayor Giuliani has seen the error of his ways.”

Learn more about how candidates use sports to woo voters here.

Candidate's house in path of California wildfires
Republican candidate Duncan Hunter won't be on the campaign trail today. Parts of the congressional district he represents are in the 400,000 acres of land devastated by wildfires in southern California. Hunter and his family were among the nearly 1 million people told to evacuate the area. Hunter's home was destroyed in a 2003 fire, and its reconstruction was completed last week. He is currently in his district helping constituents and working to bring firefighters from other states to help.

On the other side of the country, Democratic candidate and former Senator John Edwards issued a statement: "Those affected by this tragedy should take comfort in the fact that their fellow Americans are standing with them and will do whatever it takes to fight the fires and rebuild the homes and businesses that were destroyed."
Democratic candidate Bill Richardson took action: He donated $10,000 from his presidential campaign fund to the American Red Cross to help fire victims. The New Mexico governor also sent firefighters from his state to California.

Republicans threaten to punish states that violate primary calendar rules
For months the Republican National Committee warned states not to hold their primaries before February 5, 2008. Now the RNC is getting ready to punish those who did not listen.

On October 22, members of the RNC recommended that Florida, Wyoming, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Michigan be stripped of half their convention delegates. The committee will vote on the recommendation later this year.

Each state is allotted a certain number of delegates at the party’s national convention. At the convention, delegates cast their vote for a candidate. The candidate who receives the majority of votes becomes the nominee. How a delegate votes, at least on the first round of balloting, is based on the outcome of the state's primary race.

New Hampshire, which has a state law requiring it hold its primary at least seven days before any other primary, faces a tough choice: Break state law or break RNC rules. "If we're being asked to choose between protecting and preserving the first-in-the-nation primary or being a delegate to the national convention, we'll give up our delegates," the state's Republican Chairman Fergus Cullen told the Boston Globe. The New Hampshire primary currently is scheduled for January 22 but is expected to be moved up to no later than January 8.

Iowa and Nevada will hold caucuses in January, but because delegates are not selected at these caucuses, caucuses are exempt from the RNC calendar restrictions.

The Democratic National Committee also tried to keep states from holding their primaries before February 5, but it exempted Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina. The DNC told Florida, whose primary now is scheduled for January 29, that its delegates would not be allowed at the convention. Florida Democrats responded by filing a lawsuit to prevent the action. Michigan, if it holds its primary January 15 as scheduled, likely will receive the same punishment. New Hampshire also seems headed for trouble with the DNC. Although exempted from the February 5 restriction, the state was told not to hold its primary earlier than January 22, something it almost certainly will do.

Despite pressure from both national parties, no state seems to be reconsidering its decision.

For more on the primary schedule see USINFO's Voting Web page.

Share your opinions on the U.S. primary and caucuses system.

Brownback exits the race
After a poor fundraising quarter in which he raised just $94,000 from July through September, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback is calling it quits. In comparison, the top fundraisers for each party were Democratic candidate and New York Senator Hillary Clinton with $27 million and Republican candidate and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani with $11 million. More information about candidates' third-quarter fundraising is available here.

The Republican candidate, one of the most vocal on the issues of immigration, abortion and gay marriage, consistently has polled in the single digits. "My yellow-brick road came just short of the White House this time," he said in a press conference in Kansas on Friday.

See the biographies of all the candidates on USINFO's new Candidates Web Page.

Who do you think will drop out next? Send us your predictions.

Primary calendar chaos continues
USINFO has launched a new U.S. Elections Web site that includes great interactive features, including a map that lets you click on the state and see when its primary will be held.

Keeping this map accurate is not an easy task. As we get closer to 2008 and states inch their primary dates earlier and earlier, it seems the USINFO map needs updating on a near-daily basis.

Iowa Republicans moved their caucus date to January 3, 2008 – making this the earliest start to a presidential voting season in history. The Iowa Democrats are scheduled to caucus January 14 – for now.

Here is where things get tricky: Iowa is fiercely protective of its first-in-the-nation status, and state law says they have to hold the first presidential contest. New Hampshire, whose primary now is scheduled for January 22, also has a state law saying its presidential primary will be seven days or more ahead of any other state race except Iowa’s. Michigan moved its primary to January 15, which means now New Hampshire, by law, must hold its race no later than January 8.

If New Hampshire holds its contest January 8, Iowa Democrats might feel obligated to move from the 14th to protect their status. Adding to the calendar chaos is Florida, which, along with Michigan, broke Democratic Party rules and moved its primary to January 29, the same day as the South Carolina Democratic primary. Now the South Carolina Democrats want to hold their primary on January 26. South Carolina Republicans are scheduled for January 19.

Confused? So are the candidates, journalists and poll workers who all need to know when the races will be held so they can do their jobs.

If that’s not enough, rumors abound that New Hampshire might move its primary back to December – meaning the first votes in the 2008 elections cycle would be cast in 2007. Stay tuned for more chaos.

Share your thoughts about the primary and caucuses system.

How much does it cost to become president?
Do you need to be rich to run for president? “You don’t have to be a millionaire to run for president, but it certainly helps,” Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia told USINFO.

It looks like it has helped the campaigns of the top three Democrats and top four Republicans – all of whom are millionaires. Republican Mitt Romney has the most money, with an estimated worth between $190 million and $250 million. The former Massachusetts governor has spent about $17.5 million of this money on his campaign. Read more about the candidates' wealth here.

But can money buy you the presidency? Despite having the Heinz Ketchup fortune behind him, 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry failed to unseat President Bush, who has maybe one-tenth as much money. Similarly, Texas billionaire Ross Perot and Forbes magazine publisher Steve Forbes sank tens of millions of dollars from their own bank accounts into failed presidential bids in 1992, 1996 and 2000. So, as the saying goes, money isn’t everything.

Data released October 12 by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) show that the presidential candidates already have raised nearly $300 million and spent almost half of it. To see what the candidates raised in the last quarter, read this article.

Why do you think so many of the top candidates are wealthy? Share your comments.

A Republican and a Democrat campaign ... together?
They are running against each other for the highest job in the United States. Being from two different political parties, they disagree on most issues. But, in what they called an unprecedented campaign event, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate Sam Brownback held a joint event Friday in Des Moines, Iowa, to promote their plan for Iraq.

Their plan, which was supported in a nonbinding Senate resolution, calls for a federalized system of governance in Iraq. The federalized system would allow for local level control of regions, with a unified national capital.

"Joe and I might be running for the nomination of two different parties, but we agree on one thing: the American people want progress in Iraq and this represents a viable way forward to stability and success," Kansas Senator Brownback said in a joint press release. "Partisan politics must not come in the way of finding a solution to the war in Iraq," said Delaware Senator Biden.

Would you like to see more bipartisan campaign events? Do you think this will ever happen again? Send your questions and comments here.

Will Al Gore run?
Al Gore has won an Emmy, an Oscar and now a Nobel Peace Prize – how about the presidency?

The former U.S vice president Al Gore and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change share the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to publicize the effects of climate change. (Read more about it here.)

Gore's supporters have been encouraging him to give another go at the presidency. They have set up a Web site www.draftgore.com asking people to sign a petition and take other actions aimed at convincing Gore to run. The group even took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times. With the news of this latest prize, U.S. media outlets have been buzzing with speculation about whether a Gore candidacy is still a possibility. Gore spokespeople and advisers say the former presidential candidate will not run again.

What do the candidates have to say? Arizona Senator John McCain, a Republican, said Gore's award was "well-deserved." New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, said "this prize is important, not only in recognition of Vice President Gore's extraordinary achievements, but also in acknowledgment of the importance of fighting global climate change."

How important of a campaign issue should climate change be? Send us your comments.

Four Democrats will skip Michigan primary
New York Senator Hillary Clinton is almost certain to win the Michigan primary, without even campaigning in the state.

That is because Michigan voters will not have the opportunity to vote for Clinton's biggest competitors - former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, Delaware Senator Joe Biden or Illinois Senator Barack Obama. Their names won’t be on the ballot.

In an attempt to keep states from shifting their primary dates, the Democratic National Committee ruled that only Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina could hold primaries and caucuses before February 5, 2008. Michigan scheduled its primary for January 15, 2008.

Clinton decided to keep her name on the ballot, although, like all the Democrats, she will not campaign there. As only top-tier candidate left on the ballot, she is almost guaranteed to win the state. Dennis Kucinich wanted off the ballot, but his name will still appear because he filed paperwork for the request incorrectly. Each state sets its own rules for placing and removing names on the ballot.

There is one exception to the “no campaigning” rule: the Democratic Party leadership in Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina will let candidates want to attend the Arab-American Institute’s annual leadership convention in Dearborn, Michigan, in late October.

Read more about this unusual primary season.

And the winner of the Republican debate is?
Who won Tuesday's Republican debate? According to many political experts, New York Senator Hillary Clinton won. No, she was not on the debate stage. Yes, she is a Democrat, but the Republication candidates said her name 11 times and mentioned no other Democratic candidate. This suggests Republicans see Clinton as the Democratic front runner. (What is a front runner? Read the glossary.)

Tuesday’s Republican debate was the first opportunity to see how Fred Thompson, a former U.S. senator representing Tennessee and the ninth candidate to enter the race for the party’s nomination, held up against his competition. Thompson’s entry had been expected for months and Thompson he felt he waited the right amount of time to announce his candidacy.

Despite the interest in Thompson, media articles following the debate suggested the highlight of the contest was former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s exchange about taxes. Both candidates attacked the others’ record on the issue. Giuliani said that when he was mayor he reduced taxes, while Romney increased taxes as governor. Calling that “bologna,” Romney told Giuliani to check his facts.

Got any questions or comments about political debates? Send them here.