In the first national poll released after businessman Herman Cain pulled out of the Republican presidential race, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich leads the pack. In a Poll Position poll released on Monday, Gingrich takes 37 percent. Former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts is in second place with 23 percent. A Poll Position poll released last week had Gingrich at 32 percent, Romney at 23 percent and Cain at 14 percent.

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is leading the Republican pack of presidential candidates in Iowa. He released a commercial this weekend that will be hitting the airwaves in the Hawkeye State, which holds its caucus in less than a month.

Businesswoman Karen Harrington ran against U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in 2010 and is hoping for a rematch in 2012. Over the weekend, Harrington unveiled the backing of Republican presidential hopeful U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.

I am encouraging you to get behind Karen Harrington, said Bachmann. This is an extremely important district, and it has the potential to have a tremendous change in the course of our history. I can think of no one better than Karen Harrington to come to Washington and get the job done.

Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts added to his team in Iowa, which holds the first presidential contest in less than five weeks, when he announced on Friday that former Gov. Robert Ray was endorsing his bid.

Longtime Tallahassee operative Barney Bishop, best known for leading the Associated Industries of Florida for almost seven years, announced on Friday that he will be launching a new venture -- Barney Bishop Consulting LLC. The new company will be involved in government relations and focused on business operations and possibly political campaigns.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw took to the House floor on Thursday afternoon to introduce a resolution declaring this the start of Crohns and Colitis Awareness Week. Crenshaw teamed up with U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., to introduce the measure.

A national poll released on Thursday found that former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich holds a commanding lead in the fluid race to see which Republican candidate will emerge to challenge President Barack Obama in 2012.

A Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Republican primary voters has Gingrich way out in front with 38 percent followed by former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in second with 17 percent.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio teamed up with U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., to introduce a resolution on Thursday urging the Obama administration to back democracy in Nicaragua, condemning electoral violence in that Central American nation and calling for investigation from the Organization of American States on Daniel Ortegas electoral win.

One of the leading conservatives in Congress, U.S. Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., announced he is endorsing U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota for the Republican presidential nomination.

"I know Michele is right on the issues that are important to conservatives across the country and I know she won't back off," Franks said in a statement on Thursday. "I have seen her at work in Washington, standing firm on key issues like Obamacare, the debt ceiling, and TARP.

Leading in the polls in New Hampshire, which holds the first presidential primary, Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts announced on Thursday that he had won the support of Peter Bragdon, the president of the New Hampshire state Senate.