Former U.S. Sen. George LeMieux, now running for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, weighed in on Monday on Pope Benedict XVI visiting communist Cuba.

The Republican establishment and leadership continues to rally behind Mitt Romney as the candidate they want to challenge Barack Obama in November. On Monday, Romney announced that Kevin McCarthy, the California congressman who serves as the majority whip in the U.S. House, will serve as his campaign chairman in the Golden State.

After the Louisiana primary on Saturday, the procession of states that are determining which Republican will challenge President Barack Obama in November slows down with the next round coming up on April 3, when the District of Columbia, Maryland and Wisconsin have their say.

Wisconsin is the largest prize of the three with 42 delegates to the Republican convention in Tampa -- and a poll released on Friday shows Mitt Romney in solid shape to win the state.

On Friday morning, President Barack Obama spoke about the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed teenager shot last month in an incident that has garnered national attention.

Noting that he wanted to be careful about what he said regarding the situation, Obama called the shooting a tragedy in his remarks. "When I think about this boy, I think about my own kids," Obama said. "And I think every parent in America should be able to understand why it is absolutely imperative that we investigate every aspect of this and that everybody pull together.

Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul is the latest candidate to pile on Mitt Romney over one of his strategists comments comparing his candidates views to the Etch A Sketch toy.

Paul launched a Web ad on Friday jabbing Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom for making the Etch A Sketch comment -- but it also attacks two other Republican presidential hopefuls in Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

A poll released Friday from Public Policy Polling, a firm with connections to prominent Democrats, shows Rick Santorum with an impressive lead in Louisiana which holds its Republican presidential primary on Saturday.

Political strategist Dick Morris is insisting that Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has no chance of winning a third term in November.

Congressman Connie Mack, the likely challenger to Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, currently leads by 43-36 according to Rasmussens poll of March 13 ... Morris wrote. With Nelson so far under 50 percent, he is meat.

U.S. Rep. Connie Mack, running in the Republican primary to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November, came out swinging on Thursday as he looked to make the Keystone XL Pipeline an issue. Mack, chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, took aim at Nelson and President Barack Obama on the issue.

The gloves are coming off as Newt Gingrich is taking aim at Mitt Romney in a new ad.

Using a quote from Romney strategist Eric Fehrnstrom, the Gingrich team looks to show Romney is quick to change his views. The ad shows clips of Romney making statements contradicting each other. The ad can be found here and Gingrich has run an entire website based on the attack.

Louisiana, which will have 46 delegates at the Republican convention in Tampa come August, holds its presidential primary on Saturday and Rick Santorum has an impressive lead in the Pelican State.

A Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Louisiana Republican primary voters unveiled on Thursday finds Santorum ahead of the pack with 43 percent while Mitt Romney places second with 31 percent. Newt Gingrich places third with 16 percent and Ron Paul trails with 5 percent, while 5 percent are undecided and 1 percent back other candidates.