2012 Presidential Election, Political Debate | featured news

On long flights to swing states in the West and late nights at the White House after his children have gone to bed, President Barack Obama is cramming like a student for a test that could determine his political future.

With a little more than a month to go before the vice presidential debate, Congressman Paul Ryan will endure his first full day of debate preparations Sunday.

Paul Ryan is already preparing for debate night -- the oratory showdown with Vice President Joe Biden that just might be the one to watch. After his soaring Republican convention speech, Ryan has been bragging a bit that as a congressman he is well-primed for the occasion.

President Obama has found the perfect person to portray Mitt Romney in mock debates meant to prepare him for the real thing this fall. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., Obama's choice for the key behind-the-scenes role, has all the right stuff...

Two new polls in the showdown state of Michigan suggest that Rick Santorum failed to gain a badly needed shot of momentum in Wednesday night's Republican presidential debate.

Rick Santorum’s acknowledgment of voting for No Child Left Behind threatened to undercut his message that he is the unimpeachable conservative in the Republican nominating contest.

The last time the four remaining contenders in the GOP presidential race met on a debate stage, all eyes were on Newt Gingrich, who was trying to ride the momentum off his surprise victory in South Carolina.

CNN has canceled plans for a GOP presidential debate on March 1, after Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum indicated they would skip the event. "Without full participation of all four candidates, CNN will not move forward with the Super Tuesday debate," CNN said in a statement.

The hands came out of the pockets. The gaze was intense. Mitt Romney leaned confidently into the lectern. Even with the sound turned off, Romney would have stolen Newt Gingrich's debate thunder with a surprisingly commanding and aggressive performance in the latest Florida faceoff, body language experts said Friday.

Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich attack each other ahead of a debate in Florida on Monday, just days after Mr Gingrich's upset in the South Carolina primary. Mr Gingrich's campaign said it received $1m (£643,000) in 24 hours following his primary win in South Carolina.