As she promised, U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota announced Thursday that she is backing former rival Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination.

Bachmann, a favorite of the tea party movement, ranked briefly last summer as the chief conservative rival to the former Massachusetts governor when she won the Iowa Republican straw poll. She later was eclipsed by a procession of other candidates -- Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, businessman Herman Cain, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University on Thursday offers a snapshot of who voters in three pivotal battleground states in the 2012 presidential election -- Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- hope Mitt Romney will choose as his running mate.

A poll released by Quinnipiac University Thursday shows its close in Florida between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the now almost-certain winner in the Republican presidential primary.

The two leading Republicans looking to take on incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November -- Connie Mack and George LeMieux -- looked on Wednesday to showcase their conservative credentials and tie themselves to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, one of the most popular GOP leaders in Florida.

One of the leading conservatives in the Florida Legislature -- Rep. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala -- announced Wednesday that he is backing former U.S. Sen. LeMieux for the Republican nomination.

A week after his staff said he would be heading to the political sidelines, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich announced he is suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination and is offering his support to former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts.

Former presidents do not often write about their predecessors in the White House. There are some exceptions, of course -- for example, Herbert Hoover.

Looking to get their conservative credentials in order, the two leading Republicans looking to defeat Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in November showcased their support from former presidential candidates on Tuesday.

Buzz has been building in recent days that Condoleezza Rice, who headed the State Department in George W. Bushs second term, would be a strong pick for Mitt Romneys presidential running mate on the Republican ticket.

Rice certainly would bring some strengths if she ends up as Romneys understudy, including becoming the first African-American woman to place on a national ticket. Romney has little background on foreign policy; Rice easily would fill that gap.

Two polls released in recent days show Rice remains popular with voters.

With Newt Gingrich expected to announce on Wednesday that he is folding up his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, Ron Paul stands as the final obstacle in the way of Mitt Romney, and the maverick Texas congressman is looking to make his stand in the two largest electoral prizes on the map -- his own Lone Star State and California.

While his team revealed last week that Newt Gingrich would end his bid for the Republican presidential nominationnext week and back Mitt Romney, the former congressional leader continued to campaign in North Carolina.