Gop, 2010 | featured news

After being left for dead in the wake of the 2008 election, Republicans staged a stunning comeback over the past year.

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in Bakersfield, Calif., gives a speech that sounds a lot like a 2012 trial balloon, or at least an effort to drum up speculation and boost her GOP brand.

It's one heck of a head start heading into November. The margin is by far the largest ever earned by the GOP since the polling firm began tracking the generic ballot question — asking whether voters prefer a Democrat or Republican congressional candidate — in 1942.

Two court decisions Friday are likely to help set the ground rules for 2010 election fundraising: The Republican Party lost its bid to raise unlimited contributions, while a conservative group won approval to raise big donations for ads ...