Romney wins in Michigan and Arizona

Important if narrow victory in Michigan makes Romney the front-runner once again

Mitt Romney reasserted his authority in this topsy-turvy Republican primary race with a narrow victory over Rick Santorum, 41% to 38%, in the state of Michigan. The former Governor of Pennsylvania also won the contest in Arizona, though this was largely expected. The victory gives Mr Romney an important boost ahead of next week’s Super Tuesday contests, when 10 states will hold ballots.

Review of the Week: 19th-25th February

• Gay Marriage Debate Continues
• Republicans Clash in Arizona
• Support for Obama's Tax Plan

Review of the Week: 12th-18th February

• Obama delivers $3.8tn budget proposal
• Congress compromises on payroll tax holiday
• Romney falters as Santorum surges
• Comment: How resistant could Santorum be to negative ads?
• Articles of the week

Review of the Week: February 5th - 11th

• Santorum's Triple Win Hurts Gingrich More Than Romney
• Obama's Difficult Week
• Two Victories for Gay Rights
• Congressional Stalemate over Tax Holiday
• Articles of the Week

Santorum Stuns Romney with Triple-Victory

Former Senator wins in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado, but victories have little impact on delegate count

The signs were there. Rick Santorum’s astonishing trio of victories was better than even he would have expected, but the media had underreported that he was surging in Minnesota and Missouri. The win in Colorado, however, will have come as a genuine shock.

This started on Saturday, whilst Mitt Romney was celebrating one of the most predictable victories of the primary season in Nevada. Santorum had already moved onto the next battlegrounds having realised what Newt Gingrich hadn’t: there was nothing to be gained in Vegas, except perhaps a lucky bet on Black 26.

The Scandals of Special Interests & Exaggerated Reporting

The Washington Post has rightly exposed the inexcusable in government, and dragged some of the more defensible down with them

The majority of us in Britain despise our politicians. The record of broken promises, self-promotion and dodgy expenses has taken its toll and our Parliament is largely held in contempt. However, the loathing we feel towards our legislative body is as nothing to the seething hatred that Americans feel towards theirs.

Congressional job approval ratings currently sit at an average of 13.2%, whilst 82.4% disapprove. This is why you will constantly hear Republican candidates trying to distance themselves from Congress and Washington. Even Barack Obama, in his State of the Union address a fortnight ago, implicitly separated himself from the “Washington” machine and Congress.

Now, The Washington Post has uncovered a new scandal of special interests in the actions of 33 congressmen and women earmarking $300 million dollars of federal money to projects near to their homes. It also found 16 lawmakers who secured funds for various companies, institutions and projects to which they had a family connection.

Gingrich's New Strategy is Doomed

The former House Speaker has put all his chips on Super Tuesday. If nothing changes, he's going to lose everything.

Do you remember Rudy Giuliani? The former Mayor of New York, the man who spoke for his city on 9/11, looked like a strong candidate for the Republican nomination four years ago. However, in the initial, topsy-turvy days of that primary campaign, his challenge faltered badly. He went to Florida, promising a “firewall” which would re-launch his campaign. It didn’t happen. Having spent almost a month campaigning in the state, he ended 18 points adrift and his campaign was over.

Newt Gingrich is hoping for a firewall. Though he is still the only realistic challenger to Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination, he has suffered in the last week and is facing a February with contests in States where he is not expected to do well. He is banking on very strong showings in more conservative places such as Tennessee and his home state Georgia, when they go to the polls on Super Tuesday, 6^th March.

Review of the Week: Jan 29 - Feb 4

• Obama receives Jobs Figures Boost
• Romney makes big gains over struggling Gingrich
• Democrats introduce "Buffet Rule" Legislation in Senate
• Articles of the Week

Round Up: February 2nd

• Romney polling very well in Nevada
• "I'm not concerned about the very poor", says Romney
• GOP Chairman criticised for comparing Obama to Costa Concordia Captain