The highly publicized battle among candidates Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Rick Santorum features heated debates, cruel advertisements and personal attacks. In order to receive the Republican Party presidential nomination, the candidate must win at least 1,144 delegates. The following is a summary of the viewpoints of these candidates, according to the information from their campaign websites.
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Candidate |
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Caucuses and Primaries Won |
| Newt Gingrich:Former Speaker of the House
Delegates: 131 as of March 15 |
Gingrich’s platform focuses on health care, taxes and immigration. Gingrich strongly supports a new Visa program that would allow more immigrants to live and work in America. He takes a pro-life stance on abortion and strongly supports the right to bear arms. | South Carolina primaryGeorgia primary |
| Mitt Romney:Former Governor of Massachusetts
Delegates: 495 as of March 15 |
Romney plans to reduce government spending by eliminating deficit spending and cutting back on government programs and taxes with a pro-growth proposal. He also plans to take power away from the central government and give it to states, thereby allowing them to solve problems individually. | New Hampshire primaryNevada caucusFlorida primary
Michigan primary Maine caucus Wyoming caucus Washington caucus Virginia primary Vermont primary Ohio primary Massachusetts primary Alaska caucus Idaho caucus Hawaii caucus Mississippi primary
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| Ron Paul:Former Texas Representative
Delegates: 48 as of March 15 |
Paul takes a conservative stance on many major issues, basing his campaign on his “Plan to Restore America.” He focuses on energy self-sufficiency, securing America’s borders and economic recovery. | None |
| Rick Santorum:Former Pennsylvania Senator
Delegates: 252 as of March 15 |
Santorum promotes domestic economic growth, immigration reform and greater intervention in foreign affairs. He opposes same-sex marriage and takes a pro-life stance on abortion. Santorum is more concerned with the creation of America’s wealth rather than the distribution of it. | Iowa caucusColorado caucusMinnesota caucus
Colorado caucus Missouri primary North Dakota caucus Tennessee primary Oklahoma primary Kansas primary Alaska caucus |
