Mike Huckabee, left, sits with RNC Chairman Reince Priebus before Huckabee spoke at the Republican National Committee winter meeting in Washington on Thursday, Susan Walsh/AP hide caption
Don Gonyea Don Gonyea is a NPR National Political Correspondent based in Washington, D.C., and travels throughout the United States covering elections and the country's political climate. His reports can be heard on all NPR programs and at NPR.org.
Visitors crowd the Las Vegas Strip to celebrate the new year. Glenn Pinkerton/AP hide caption
An Unconventional Contender Emerges As GOP Ponders 2016 Convention
Republican Ed Gillespie announced Thursday that he's challenging Democratic Virginia Sen. Mark Warner in November's election. Gillespie, a senior adviser to Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race, is shown here at Romney's election night rally in Boston on Nov. 6, 2012. Mike Segar/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Trish Gallagher holds a sign for passing motorists to read during a demonstration in support of a higher minimum wage near a Burger King in Boston on Dec. 5. Massachusetts is one of several states considering a minimum wage ballot measure. BRIAN SNYDER/Reuters/Landov hide caption
Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida delivers a speech on reforming antipoverty programs on the 50th Anniversary of President Johnson's declaration of the "War on Poverty." Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Landov hide caption
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) greets supporters during a tea party rally in front of the U.S. Capitol in June. Paul was a rising star in the tea party movement this year, filibustering a CIA nomination in March. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
An auto worker tightens bolts on a Focus at a Ford plant in Michigan in October. Labor unions predicted in 1993 that NAFTA would send many U.S. manufacturing jobs to Mexico, and they continue to argue that the pact prompted a race to the bottom for workers. Mira Oberman/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican and chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, planned to hold at least four field hearings on the Affordable Care Act, which he blames for increased health insurance prices. Mark Wilson/Getty Images hide caption
John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, campaign in New York in 1960. AP hide caption
Supporters may be "Ready for Hillary," but NPR political reporter Don Gonyea isn't. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images hide caption
Mayor-elect Mike Duggan speaks at his election night celebration in Detroit on Tuesday. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption