Barack Obama Check out the latest NPR coverage of President Obama's bid for re-election in 2012.

Special Series

Barack Obama

Check out the latest NPR coverage of President Obama's bid for re-election in 2012.

Tuesday February 28, 2012

Obama Gives Eventual GOP Nominee Taste Of Michigan Campaign Ahead

February 28, 2012 • If Obama president sounded confident, maybe even a bit triumphant, some polling suggested he had good reason to feel upbeat, at least in Michigan. A recent NBC News/Marist poll found the president leading Romney in the state by 18 percentage points and Santorum by 26 points.

Wednesday February 22, 2012

Pro-Obama SuperPAC Hits Romney On Auto Bailout

February 22, 2012 • Priorities USA Action has unveiled a new ad in Michigan in advance of that state's GOP primary next week. It takes former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney to task for opposing the auto industry bailout.

Tuesday February 21, 2012

Could Higher Gas Pump Prices Leave Obama Running On Empty?

February 21, 2012 • Could higher gas prices hurt President Obama's chances at re-election. Five Thirty Eight blogger Nate Silver and economists have looked for a correlation between higher energy prices and the fortunes of the incumbent party and found a link though not a strong one.

Friday February 17, 2012

White House And SuperPAC: How Close Is Too Close?

Bill Burton, shown during a news briefing at the White House in January, is now with pro-Obama superPAC Priorities USA Action. He says the superPAC is "careful to make sure that we are in compliance with the rules." J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

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J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Money & Politics

White House And SuperPAC: How Close Is Too Close?

February 17, 2012 • White House officials and Cabinet secretaries will soon be helping to raise money for a pro-Obama superPAC, Priorities USA Action. The superPAC says it's being careful to stay within the rules, but some argue that it shouldn't be happening at all.

White House And SuperPAC: How Close Is Too Close?

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Wednesday February 15, 2012

It's All Politics

Poll: Obama Hits 50% Approval, Leads All GOP Rivals, For Now

February 15, 2012 • The poll, released Tuesday, found President Obama's approval rating had bounced back up to 50 percent from 47 percent in January. Not a huge improvement but in presidential politics, getting to at least 50 percent approval is key for an incumbent seeking re-election. The recovering economy gets much of the credit for his rising approval rates.

Monday February 13, 2012

Opinion

It's All Politics

Pew Poll: Good News For Santorum, Better News For Obama

February 13, 2012 • In some fairly horrible news for Romney, he's not just having trouble persuading Republican voters he's conservative; the more he professes his conservatism, the less they apparently believe him.

Obama's Budget: Political Tool Or Spending Plan?

Copies of of President Obama's fiscal 2013 federal budget are readied for shipment Thursday at the Government Printing Office in Washington. Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP hide caption

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Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Politics

Obama's Budget: Political Tool Or Spending Plan?

February 13, 2012 • Deficit reduction takes a back seat to job growth in the federal budget President Obama will unveil Monday. Republicans criticized the spending plan for raising taxes without doing more to stem the deficit. That disagreement is likely to frame the debate between now and the November election.

Tuesday February 7, 2012

For Obama, The SuperPAC Rubber Has Met The Road

President Obama telegraphed his campaign's reversal on superPAC funding during an interview aired Monday with NBC's Matt Lauer. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

It's All Politics

For Obama, The SuperPAC Rubber Has Met The Road

February 7, 2012 • Faced with a GOP fundraising advantage, the president's decision to reverse course and throw his support behind a pro-Democrat superPAC may be politically risky but also realistic.

For Obama, The SuperPAC Rubber Has Met The Road

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It's All Politics

Obama Finds Staying On Campaign-Finance High Road Not So Easy

February 7, 2012 • Two campaign-finance related stories growing out of Obama's re-election effort could ding the president's holier-than-thou position on campaign financing. The president urged supporters to fund a superPAC after the president decried such spending and the NYT reported that his campaign will return political contributions from family members of a Mexican casino kingpin, a fugitive from Iowa justice.

Monday February 6, 2012

The Two-Way

Poll Gives Obama 'Clear Edge' Over Romney

February 6, 2012 • The latest Washington Post/ABC News survey gives the president a nine point lead over the former Massachusetts governor, who is ahead of his rivals in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Friday February 3, 2012

It's All Politics

Good January Jobs News, Yes, But Still Much Time Before Election Day

February 3, 2012 • As encouraging as the jobs report was for January 2012, it still is only the start of this general-election year. That means the jobless rate now will likely have less to do with what happens in the congressional and presidential races than where it stands in October.

Thursday February 2, 2012

It's All Politics

Axelrod Argues Obama Economic Policies Worked, Though There's More To Do

February 2, 2012 • Axelrod said the economy has improved significantly since the 2009 interview in which Obama said his presidency would be a "one-term proposition" if there no were turnaround. Axelrod quickly added, however, that there's much more to do to fix the economy.

Axelrod Argues Obama Economic Policies Worked, Though There's More To Do

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It's All Politics

Obama Campaign Tries To One (Million) Up Romney's 'One-Term' Cash Effort

February 2, 2012 • Coming off its huge victory in the Florida Republican presidential primary Tuesday, Mitt Romney's campaign announced a new fundraising effort, a "One-Term Fund" to raise $1 million to defeat President Obama. Not to be outdone, Obama's campaign established a "Two-Term Fund" to double the Romney campaign's goal.

Wednesday February 1, 2012

It's All Politics

Obama Hits Romney, GOP Congress On Housing (Without Naming Them)

February 1, 2012 • Obama's remarks came just days before the Nevada caucuses in which Republican voters will state their preference for GOP presidential nominee. Nevada, of course, is a swing state. It also has among the highest foreclosure rates in the nation so the timing of Obama's announcement certainly could be interpreted as sending voters a message about where their self-interest lies.

Friday January 27, 2012

Obama Vs. Gingrich? More Reasons GOP Fears The Matchup

Pundits say former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had a mediocre performance in the Jacksonville, Fla., debate on Thursday. Scott Audette/Reuters /Landov hide caption

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Scott Audette/Reuters /Landov

It's All Politics

Obama Vs. Gingrich? More Reasons GOP Fears The Matchup

January 27, 2012 • Political analyst Stuart Rothenberg projects that President Obama would bury Newt Gingrich in the Electoral College. The president has also gained ground against Mitt Romney.