Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin on Wednesday did not rule out running for president alongside Fox News host Glenn Beck in 2012.

Palin was asked during an interview with Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” about the chances that she “would run on a ticket with Fox’s own Glenn Beck,” as the conservative outlet Newsmax reported might be a possibility in 2012.

“I saw that, I saw that; he probably got a kick out of that,” Palin said. “It was just a hoot, too, to hear such a thing.”

“I don’t know,” she said. “We’ll see, we’ll see”...

Most Washington, D.C., insiders know former Rep. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., as a stalwart conservative.

As the former president of the anti-tax Club for Growth, Toomey often made it his mission to defeat Republican members who did not meet his group’s conservative standards on spending.

But ever since Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania made the switch to run for re-election as a Democrat, Toomey has been forced to recast himself as more of a centrist as he prepares for the 2010 general election...

Former populist CNN anchor Lou Dobbs said Monday he isn't ruling out a presidential run.

Dobbs, who resigned from CNN in November after nearly three decades with the network, suggested in a radio interview with WTOP in Washington, D.C., that he's eyeing a future in politics.

"What's so crazy about that?" Dobbs quipped when asked about a possible presidential run. "It's one of the discussions that we're having"...

After years of trailing far behind Democrats, Republicans have now surpassed Democrats as the public's choice in the 2010 congressional elections. In response to the latest so-called "generic ballot" question from the Gallup organization -- "If elections for Congress were being held today, which party's candidate would you vote for in your congressional district?" -- the new results are 48 percent for Republicans versus 44 percent for Democrats among registered voters, and 46 percent for Republicans versus 44 percent for Democrats among adults nationwide.

It's an extraordinary turnaround for the GOP. Last July, Democrats held a six-point lead. Last December, Democrats held a 15-point lead. At one point in 2007, Democrats held a 23-point lead, and for all of that year, 2007, Democrats held a double-digit lead.

The new Republican lead is the result of a dramatic move of independents toward the Republican party...

Washington (AP) - Democrats just don't get the election message from voters and are pushing a liberal, big government agenda at their party's peril, Republican officials said Sunday as they predicted a political price after the majority's victory on health care.

Voters are "tired of the borrowing, the spending, the bailouts, the takeovers," said Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, the No. 3 House GOP leader, pointing to GOP victories in gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey last week.

The Democratic-controlled House narrowly approved a health care bill Saturday night, with 39 Democrats voting against it and a single Republican voting in its favor...

WASHINGTON -- Republican gubernatorial wins in New Jersey and Virginia mark a troubling turn for President Obama, whose personal efforts couldn't stop the fall of Democrats facing a voter backlash over the economy and a notable uptick in the government's would-be role in people's lives.

Obama's 2008 victory in Old Dominion had marked an historic breakthrough for Democrats who hadn't won Virginia's electoral votes since 1964. The fight in the Garden State was more grueling than usually accompanies Democratic campaigns in the reliably blue state of New Jersey.

So the setbacks demonstrate the difficulty of presidential leadership following a campaign built on promises of unity followed by divisive policies and a relentless campaign approach toward big legislative issues like the stimulus and health care bills...

ALBANY, N.Y. – Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has endorsed a third-party candidate over the GOP-backed contender in New York's congressional special election, saying her own party has abandoned its core values.

The former Alaska governor, who was Arizona Sen. John McCain's running-mate last year, said Thursday she was backing Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman over Republican Assemblywoman Dierdre Scozzafava in the 23rd Congressional District race.

Palin said Hoffman, a businessman, stands for Republican principles — smaller government, lower taxes and a commitment to individual liberty — and that Scozzafava is more aligned with Democrats...

The passions of conservative activists could be reshaping the Republican Party and complicating some 2010 re-election campaigns.

Indiana’s Mark Souder is among four House Republicans likely to face primary opponents drawing strength from the “tea party” movement and its fervent opposition to anything that might trigger higher taxes or bigger government.

Souder, first elected in the Republican wave of 1994, usually lines up with his party’s right wing. But he has angered some conservatives by endorsing earmarks for his district and by backing both the 2008 financial industry bailout (PL 110-343) and the expansion of the program to help recreational vehicle makers...

President Obama opened a fresh round of debate on health care reform Wednesday night, urging Congress to stop "bickering" and approve a package that will expand and improve coverage for millions of Americans.

But in between the jawboning were signs that he's willing to deal -- and his ability to do so and to convince congressional allies to do the same is considered critical in the uphill effort ahead to round up enough votes to move a bill toward his desk.

The president's address to a joint session of Congress was widely seen as a chance to recharge the push for health care reform following a rocky recess. To keep that charge alive, he and his top advisers signaled Wednesday they will try to follow up the speech by bridging key differences in Congress -- a daunting task...

Former Bush Chief of Staff Andy Card is “seriously considering” a bid for the open Massachusetts Senate seat, according to a close friend and adviser.

Card is meeting Wednesday night with Bay State Republicans at their regular committee meeting in suburban Boston, said Ron Kaufman, Massachusetts Republican committeeman and a longtime associate of the former top Bush aide.

Kaufman said Card is being pushed by state Republicans to consider the special election to replace the late former Sen. Ted Kennedy and will likely decide by this weekend...