Wall Street, 2012 Presidential Election | featured news

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has resigned as a national co-chairman of Republican Mitt Romney's presidential campaign to lobby for Wall Street. He has also ruled out a run for governor or Senate in Minnesota in 2014....

Wall Street is paying big time to influence this election. The financial industry is on track to break its 2008 campaign spending record of $170 million, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics cited by CNNMoney. So far, Wall Street has spent $164 million donating to candidates and political groups, and CRP estimates the final tally of Wall Street cash will reach $2.5 billion.

Vice President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a Republican-led effort to loosen new regulations on Wall Street would put voters "back in chains."

While there are reports that President Obama's re-election plan will try to tap the energy of the anti-Wall Street protests, one top aide said this morning that the political impact of the demonstrations remains to be seen.