washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog

washingtonpost.com's Politics Blog

1. Mitt Romney: The former Massachusetts governor holds onto his top spot on The Line for a second month thanks to two main factors -- his continued strong polling numbers in Iowa and New Hampshire and his demonstrated willingness to use his personal wealth to help fund his campaign. If Romney does give $40 million to $60 million (or even more) to his campaign , it gives him a major leg up over his opponents, who will have to continue to scrounge for $2,300 checks all the way through the Iowa caucuses. Hurdles remain for Romney, however. He is far weaker in South Carolina than in either New Hampshire or Iowa, a fact that could provide a nice opening for former Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.). And then there's the Mormon question. Romney's campaign is contemplating whether he should give some sort of speech in which the governor would further explain his religion and how he sees it influencing a Romney administration. He will not, they insist, ever engage in a discussion of the specific tenets of the faith. But will that be enough for GOP voters? (Previous ranking: 1)