American Morning
With Christie officially out, which candidate could benefit the most?
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie came out in Trenton yesterday to finally announce (again) that he will not be running for president.
"I've explored the options and listened to so many people and considered whether this was something that I needed to take on," Christie said in a statement. "But in the end, what I've always felt was the right decision remains the right decision today. Now is not my time. I have a commitment to New Jersey that I simply will not abandon."
Now that Christie is out - for certain - what does the GOP field look like and will anyone else join the race? Many are saying this is going to be great news for Mitt Romney who is leading the polls by almost ten points. Will we finally see the weight of the republican party put behind one of the current candidates?
Politico's Maggie Haberman and Jeff Zeleny from The New York Times talk to American Morning about the GOP field.
Does a candidate's spouse hold all the power in political decisions?
The Chris Christie watch continues this morning. The New Jersey governor has called a 1pm ET press conference today to announce whether he intends to run for president in 2012. Some reports say the most important voice in making the decision was his wife, Pat.
This also comes on the heels of reports that Ann Romney is heading to Iowa today for three days to support her husband, and Gov. Rick Perry's wife Anita has reportedly set up an office in Iowa to help out.
Michelle Obama has long been dubbed Obama's "secret weapon" on the campaign trail.
So how important is a candidate's spouse to a campaign?
This morning, Christine Romans talks with Ann Gerhart author of the book "The Perfect Wife" who recently wrote a front page article for The Washington Post about the importance of the spouse to a presidential candidate. Gerhart explains why the guidance of a spouse could make or break a campaign.
New York Times reporter on why Christie could be reconsidering joining the GOP presidential race
The New York Times reporter David Halbfinger, speaking with close advisers and operatives of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, learned that over the weekend his team is scrambling to put together a viable presidential campaign and that he is reconsidering a run. One senior advisor saying that though there is no campaign currently underway, one could be started within 24 hours.
Many people are exciting and begging for Christie to get into the race, but are they interested in the candidate or falling in line with the hype? Christie has a bold personality that attracts a lot of people but Republicans like Sen. John McCain are saying that he might just be the "flavor of the month."
McCain also went on to say, "If Governor Christie decides to run, I wish him luck...The swimming pool looks a lot better until you jump right in. The water may not be quite as warm as you think."
David Halbfinger, reporter for The New York Times, talks to American Morning about what he has heard from Christie's team.
Political panel: Is there any chance that Chris Christie will enter the presidential race?
Last night, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie delivered a speech entitled "Real American Exceptionalism" at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, putting more spotlight on the continued push for him to enter the presidential race.
The speech sounded like one that would be given by a presidential candidate, but after the speech Christie said not once, but twice, that he was not planning on running.
Today on American Morning, CNN contributor and senior political columnist at Newsweek/Daily Beast John Avlon and Politico's Maggie Haberman sit down with Ali Velshi to weigh in on why there is so much support for Christie to run and to discuss if he would stand a chance against Obama.
Political panel: What does Cain's straw poll win say about the GOP presidential race?
Herman Cain took home a surprising win in Florida's straw poll over the weekend, although it is unlikely that he would ever win nationally. Mitt Romney led in a straw poll in his home state of Michigan, as Perry came up short following a disappointing showing at the latest GOP debate.
In light of the straw poll results and Perry's poor debate performance, Politico is reporting that there is a renewed cry for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie to run for the candidacy, and he may decide within a week.
With so many candidates in the field, why do people still feel that the race for the GOP nomination is lacking?
Today on American Morning, Ron Brownstien, CNN senior political analyst, and Shira Toeplitz, politics writer, talk with Carol Costello about the 2012 GOP presidential race.
Herman Cain: 'They want to play politics with human beings'
Fresh off a big win at the Florida straw poll over the weekend, businessman and 2012 GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain sits down with Carol Costello on American Morning today to discuss his candidacy and the current showdown in Congress over emergency funding.
Cain attributes his win to his ability to connect with his constituents and the fact that his "message" is "more powerful than money."
"The thing that differs me from a lot of other people running for the President of the United States is that I focus on the problem first. Then I focus on what the solution is," he says.
Cain also comments on the budget debate over disaster funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers that may result in a federal government shutdown if differences aren't resolved by this weekend.
"There's plenty of money in Washington, D.C. to offset anything that we need to spend on FEMA. I would make sure that FEMA got the money that it needed, and if I have to go find the offsets later, find it later."
Cain blasts the behavior of Congress saying, "Stop playing with people's tragedies."
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