Barack Obama, Republican | featured news

Republican presidential contenders Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are vowing to stay in the race even though Rick Santorum is not.Both men say they are the true conservative candidates to beat President Barack Obama in the November election.

Bowing to the inevitable, Rick Santorum quit the presidential campaign Tuesday, clearing the way for Mitt Romney to claim the Republican nomination. Santorum, appearing with his wife and family in his home state of Pennsylvania, told supporters the race for him was over, but the fight to defeat President Barack Obama would go on.

A Rick Santorum TV ad morphs an image of Obama into Romney, making the point that there are no policy differences between the two.

A spokeswoman for Rick Santorum defended the candidate after he suggested President Obama would be better than Mitt Romney.

The Republican Party has a Web ad spotlighting the fact that the debt has grown more under President Obama in less than one term than it did under President George W. Bush in two terms. Since taking office on Jan. 20, 2009, the debt under Obama has increased by $4.93 trillion, according to Treasury Department figures.

Rick Santorum is on the air in Michigan with positive campaign ads, including one saying he has the "best chance" against President Obama.

Mitt Romney chooses once again on Friday night to keep his laser focus on just one man, President Barack Obama, rather than his GOP rivals.

Those skeptical of whether Rick Santorum has what it takes to win a general-election contest this fall have focused on, among other things, his drumbeating on social issues in a year when Republican strategists believe hitting President Obama on the economy is the way to win the White House.

Mitt Romney faced attacks from both sides after squeaking a record narrow victory in Iowa, with New Hampshire's leading newspaper Thursday urging Republicans to back his rival Newt Gingrich and President Barack Obama's re-election campaign training its sights on him.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann tells a small group of supporters that she's staying in the presidential race, saying she's the only true conservative who can beat President Barack Obama in November.