On Tuesday, business and policy leaders from the Sunshine State unveiled a new organization -- the Florida Coalition for the New Economy (CNE). CNE is looking to ensure that businesses will be able to offer greater coverage and more efficient Internet services across the state, while limiting the role of the public sector.

Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah is sinking in most state and national polls but he still retains a bastion of support in New Hampshire, home of the first presidential primary. While Huntsman is doing better in the Granite State than anywhere else, he is far behind former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts in New Hampshire.

Huntsman looked to turn that around when, on Tuesday, he launched an all-out attack on Romney. The Huntsman camp launched a new website and a new video attacking Romney.

Most books by former presidents are easily forgettable (as anyone who has ever read Gerald Fords "A Time to Heal" can attest), but there is at least one major exception among the men who occupied the White House in the 20th century. During his more than three decades of life after losing the 1932 presidential election to FDR, Herbert Hoover penned an interesting three-volume autobiography and a fascinating study on the presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

American Crossroads, a conservative political organization with ties to many prominent Republican leaders including legendary strategist Karl Rove, released a Web video on Tuesday featuring Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi attacking the record of President Barack Obama.

In the video, Barbour bashes Obamas record on the economy and calls for electing Republicans in 2012.

A USA Today/Gallup poll released on Monday found a tight battle in the race for the Republican presidential nomination with two candidates tied atop of it.

Businessman Herman Cain and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts lead the pack with 21 percent each. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich stands in third place with 12 percent with Texas Gov. Rick Perry right behind him with 11 percent. The rest of the pack trails in the single digits.

Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania announced on Monday that his bid for the Republican presidential nomination had won the backing of one of the most prominent conservatives in Iowa -- Chuck Laudner. Iowa is the home of the first presidential caucus. Laudner has been executive director of the state Republican Party and in charge of Iowa for Freedom, the conservative political organization that in 2010 helped remove three state Supreme Court justices who backed same-sex marriage.

The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) came out swinging on Monday against a proposal to expand casino gambling in the Sunshine State.

Florida has a healthy and vibrant retail economy that is driven by residents and visitors alike, Rick McAllister, FRF president and CEO, said in a statement released on Monday. We dont believe new resort casinos will help our states retail economy grow. In fact, theres a lot of evidence that suggests the destination resorts that are being proposed will hurt the businesses already here.

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas scored a big win in the 2012 Illinois Republican Pre-Presidential Straw Poll which closed on Saturday. The event, which was open to Illinois voters who paid $5 to the state GOP, drew almost 3,650 voters online and in person. Balloting was open for a week.

Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Allen West will be on the national stage in February when he will be a featured speaker at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington.

A national ABC/Washington Post poll released on Friday found that former Gov. Mitt Romney and businessman Herman Cain are locked in a tight struggle to lead the pack of hopefuls running for the Republican presidential nomination.