Newt Gingrich (Photo courtesy of newt.org/).

Gingrich Bids Campaign Adieu…Kinda
Newt Gingrich has not run the most conventional of presidential campaigns. And it seems that Newt isn’t going to be changing his ways, even as he exits the election.

In the wake of multiple primary losses last Tuesday, the Gingrich campaign did not publicly say they were stepping aside, but they did say it was “very clear” that Mitt Romney was the nominee, that Gingrich would campaign as a “citizen,” and that “we’re working out the details of our transition.” There is some talk that Gingrich will withdraw on Tuesday or Wednesday.

In the end, it looks like Newt’s campaign is neither completely dead nor remotely alive. This limbo status prompted John Marshall of Talking Points Memo to question: “Newt Of The Living Dead: Is His Zombie Campaign Finally Over?”

Is Obama Too Cool?

Each Monday we will feature several important stories in the political world — ones that either just occurred, are defining moments, or are key markers on the horizon. Our blog is UW Election Eye, and we call these Monday Eye Openers.

Potential VP nominees include Florida Gov. Chris Christie for Romney, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Obama (Photos courtesy of nj.gov/governor/ and www.state.gov/secretary/).

Who will be #2?
With Mitt Romney as the presumptive Republican nominee, the hunt is on for who he will choose as his trusty sidekick. According to the Public Policy Polling, the running mate who would help Romney the most is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, followed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and Romney’s previous foe, Rick Santorum.

Missing from this list is Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. Many have speculated that the addition of this up-and-coming Latino would boost Romney in the polls. However, Public Policy Polling found that Rubio would not be an ace in the hole for Team Romney. With just Obama and Romney, Obama leads Romney 68-30 among Hispanics. Add Rubio on the ticket, and Obama still leads 67-32. Also missing is Ohio Sen. Rob Portman. A Buzzfeed survey of Republican National Committee members showed a clear preference for Portman. One member went so far as to say, “He was born to be the guy standing next to the guy.”