Factbox: Republicans vying to take on Obama in 2012

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich gestures as he speaks at ''The Gift of Life'' movie premiere in Des Moines, Iowa, December 14, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Jim Young

WASHINGTON | Thu Dec 15, 2011 1:19am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopefuls competing for the chance to unseat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election meet in Iowa on Thursday for one of the last debates before the state-by-state nominating race kicks off in January.

Here is a look at the candidates:

NEWT GINGRICH

A former speaker of the House of Representatives, Gingrich was the main architect of the 1994 Republican congressional election victory and author of its "Contract with America" manifesto. He ended his 20-year congressional career after Republican losses in 1998 elections.

Gingrich, 68, has overtaken Mitt Romney, who some Republicans see as too moderate, in national polls. Despite allegations of questionable business ties, Gingrich's strong debate performances and controversies surrounding some of his rivals have helped him climb into the polls.

The former representative for Georgia has been criticized for receiving up to $1.8 million in consulting fees from mortgage giant Freddie Mac and running a think tank that earned some $37 million from major healthcare companies and industry groups.

This month Gingrich came under some fire for calling Palestinians an "invented people" intent on destroying Israel.

MITT ROMNEY

Romney, 64, who lost the nomination to John McCain in 2008, has remained at or near the front of the pack among the Republican presidential hopefuls for most of the campaign, holding steady with about a quarter of the Republican vote.

Romney, who co-founded private equity firm Bain Capital, has touted his business experience as a way to attack Obama's handling of the struggling U.S. economy. Critics say he was a corporate raider who cut jobs.

He stepped in to rescue the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City after the games were tarred by allegations of bribery by top officials and were far behind revenue benchmarks. He brought in a new management team and cut costs.

While favored by pro-business Republicans, Romney is viewed skeptically by some conservatives because he was governor of liberal Massachusetts and is a Mormon, a religion some evangelicals do not consider Christian.

Republicans have attacked him because of a healthcare plan he helped develop in Massachusetts that became a model for Obama's healthcare law. Romney defends the state law and attacks the federal version, which he has promised to repeal.

In a back-and-forth with rival Rick Perry over Romney's past support of healthcare reform, Romney offered to bet $10,000 - a quip critics say showed how out of touch the multimillionaire was with regular Americans.

RON PAUL

An anti-war member of the House from Texas who ran unsuccessfully for the party's 2008 nomination, libertarian Paul, 76, has for years pushed many of the positions that are now part of the Tea Party platform. His calls for steep cuts in the U.S. deficit and the size of government have moved to the mainstream.

A forceful debater, Paul has a dedicated following, raising $8 million in the third quarter of 2011. He receives a steady support of 8 to 10 percent in national opinion polls and while he has not broken through to the larger electorate, recent polls show him closing in on Romney and Gingrich.

RICK PERRY

The three-term Texas governor has petered out after shooting to the top of the field when he jumped into the nomination race in August.

Perry, 61, has been troubled by fumbling debate performances for much of his campaign. In a November Republican debate, he forgot the name of one of three government agencies he has pledged to eliminate if elected president.

A social and fiscal conservative, Perry has come under heavy fire from Republican rivals for relatively moderate immigration positions and an order that young girls in Texas be inoculated for a sexually transmitted virus.

Although he has never lost an election and is the longest serving governor in Texas history, his performance in debates has raised questions about whether he would stand a chance of defeating Obama and whether he has seriously considered some of his policies.

Still, Perry has proven himself a formidable fund-raiser, reaching $17 million for the third quarter.

MICHELE BACHMANN

Bachmann, 55, reached the top tier of Republican candidates after a strong performance in the first major debate in June. She has since fallen to single digits in opinion surveys.

The Minnesota member of the House won the Iowa straw poll in August and is now focusing her campaign in the state, although her support there has dropped to 10 percent or below.

Known for strong religious views and uncompromising positions on financial issues, Bachmann is seen as having little appeal to moderate Republicans or independents.

RICK SANTORUM

Santorum, 53, a former senator from Pennsylvania, made a name for himself opposing abortion rights and gay marriage while backing welfare reform. He has fought to enhance his profile in early voting states but remains far behind.

JON HUNTSMAN

Huntsman, 51, resigned in April as Obama's ambassador to China to plan his presidential run.

Like Romney, Huntsman is a Mormon. The former governor of Utah and member of a wealthy chemicals family is a moderate, and he has not won over the conservative voters who play a big role in the nominating process. He is near the bottom of many national polls.

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Ron Paul gains ground, further stirring Republicans

1 of 6. Republican presidential candidate Representative Ron Paul (R-TX) listens as he is being introduced at Joey's Diner in Amherst, New Hampshire December 14, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder

By Daniel Trotta

AMHERST, New Hampshire | Wed Dec 14, 2011 5:42pm EST

AMHERST, New Hampshire (Reuters) - Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul declared on Wednesday his campaign was "peaking at the right time" as polls show him closing in on the two perceived front-runners.

The libertarian congressman from Texas with a passionate core of followers complained that pundits were dismissing his longshot campaign prematurely and sounded optimistic about catching former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich.

All three and others are seeking to represent the Republicans and unseat Democratic President Barack Obama next November. The first of a series of Republican nominating contests is set for January 3 in Iowa.

"The momentum is building up and a lot of the candidates so far would come and go. They would shoot to the top and drop back rapidly. Ours has been very steady growth, then in this last week or two there has been a sudden extra growth," Paul told reporters after meeting voters in Amherst, New Hampshire.

Public Policy Polling released a survey on Tuesday showing him one percentage point behind Gingrich for the lead in Iowa.

Paul took 21 percent in the survey compared to 22 percent for Gingrich with Romney third at 16 percent.

In New Hampshire, which follows Iowa's caucus with a primary election on January 10, Romney led with 33 percent in a Rasmussen Reports poll released on Tuesday. Gingrich was second with 22 percent and Paul third at 18 percent. Paul's four-point gap behind Gingrich narrowed from a 10-point gap in the previous week's poll and marked Paul's best showing so far, Rasmussen said.

"In political terms, it probably means we're peaking at the right time," Paul said.

INFLUENCE THE RACE

Paul, who is making his third bid for the White House, is unlikely to take the nomination. But he may influence the race all the way to the end, acquiring delegates that stand to give him clout at the party's nominating convention next August.

He could tilt the nomination to one candidate should the race remain undecided by convention time.

"The other candidates are scared of him and his ability to attract strong supporters," said Jennifer Donahue, a fellow at the Eisenhower Institute at Gettysburg College.

"If Romney had a core like Paul does, no matter how small, he'd be much better off," Donahue said, referring to Romney's status as the establishment candidate.

Paul, 76, attracts voters with a libertarian vision of eliminating a role for the state wherever possible. But some of his views alienate traditional bases of the Republican Party.

His call to abolish the Federal Reserve alarms Wall Street Republicans. His advocacy for withdrawing from U.S. military engagements abroad concerns national security Republicans. Social conservatives may be wary of his refusal to oppose gay marriage, as Paul says the federal government has no business regulating any marriage.

"The special interests on Wall Street -- they might have a lot of money but they don't have a lot of voters," Paul said.

Loyal and boisterous followers flock to his campaign events, such as a town hall meeting in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on Tuesday.

"He doesn't think he's better than any of us. You can tell by the way he speaks to us. He seems very genuine and plain. He doesn't embellish," said Susan Davidson, 49.

"He's an extremely brave man to be able to speak his mind so simply but eloquently in the face of all the big stars and heroes in Congress. He's not afraid of them," she said.

Paul has also gained attention for television ads that have attacked Gingrich.

"He definitely takes more from Gingrich than he does from Romney," said Ford O'Connell, a Republican strategist who said he is neutral in the nominating process. "He's doing to Newt Gingrich what Romney hasn't been able to do. In a lot of ways he's Newt Gingrich's worst nightmare."

(Editing by Xavier Briand)

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