Former Gov. Pete Wilson of California announced on Monday he is backing Mitt Romney for president. Wilson ran a brief and very unsuccessful bid for the Republican primary nomination himself during the 1996 election cycle but he did not even make it to Iowa. Romney named Wilson his honorary chairman in California.

Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner -- who dropped out of the Republican U.S. Senate primary last week to run for Congress -- has garnered the attention of national party leaders, including U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

The Federal Elections Commission has qualified presidential hopeful Buddy Roemer for federal matching funds. Roemer, a former congressman and governor of Louisiana, is running for the Republican presidential nomination but has also opened the door to running for the Americans Elect nomination.

Carlos Sierra, Roemers campaign manager, weighed in on the matter, calling it a proud day for our campaign, because we earned a small recognition of our hard work and transparency. The Roemer campaign refuses to accept campaign contributions of more than $100.

Social conservatives continue to cheer the fact that Rep. Erik Fresen, R-Miami, pulled his bill in the Florida House that would open the Sunshine State to more destination casinos -- but warn it could re-emerge in 2013.

Bill Warren, the director of policy and communications for the Florida Family Policy Council, offered supporters his take on what led Fresen to move to table his bill at a meeting of the House Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on Friday, noting that casino opponents snagged the key committee vote in the final hours before the committee meeting.

With Rick Santorum being his only competition on the ballot in Missouri and with a poll showing him leading in Minnesota -- both states hold presidential primaries on Tuesday -- Mitt Romneys team unleashed an attack against him over the weekend.

The team behind Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich ripped into GOP primary rival Mitt Romney, comparing him to establishment favorites who stood against the tea party in 2010.

Over the weekend, entertainer Pat Boone --a longtime conservative activist --announced that he is backing Rick Santorum for the Republican presidential nomination. Boone, who had been a supporter of Ronald Reagan as early as 1966 when he ran for governor of California, compared Santorum to the former president.

At a media event in Coral Gables on Friday, Republican Senate hopeful Congressman Connie Mack won the endorsement of Jeb Bush Jr.

Vice President Joe Biden will be speaking at Florida State University in Tallahassee on Monday on college costs -- and the Republicans are already taking aim at him.

Republican presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich made his final pitch to Nevada voters on Friday -- a day before Republicans caucus in the Silver State -- with an attack on rival Mitt Romney.