With three weeks to go until the Iowa caucus, a new poll finds that former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is leading in the Hawkeye State with former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas right on his tail.

Beating the field with registered Republicans, definite caucus voters and supporters of the tea party movement, Gingrich leads the new American Research Group poll of likely Republican caucus voters with 22 percent.

As he rises in the polls to lead the field of candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is drawing fire from all sides.

With Gingrich leading in Iowa, which holds the first presidential caucus, one of his chief rivals for the Republican nomination, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, is on the airwaves in the Hawkeye State running a new commercial with an indirect shot at the former congressional leader.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, endorsed his fellow member of the Florida delegation U.S. Rep. Connie Mack for the Republican nomination to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012. Miller endorsed Mack at a media event in Pensacola on Monday.

With a month to go until New Hampshire voters take part in the nations first presidential primary, two of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination there -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah, both of whom have invested heavily in the Granite State -- continued to build their organizations in that pivotal state.

Leading in the polls of New Hampshire and looking to reassure conservatives that he is dependable on their issues, Romney unveiled two endorsements on Monday that he hopes will help him nail down the Granite State.

With a little over three weeks to go until the Iowa caucus, the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination are looking to make a big splash in the Hawkeye State.

While former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich leads polls at the national level and surveys of Iowa, some of the other candidates are looking to build campaign organizations to ensure they will do well in the Jan. 3 caucus.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder continued to draw criticism last week from Republicans representing Florida in Congress over Operation Fast and Furious, the failed sting operation launched by theBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that allowed 2,000 guns to fall into the hands of Mexican criminal cartels -- one of which was used to killed U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry in 2010.

Two of the leading candidates for the Republican presidential nomination -- former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas -- added to their teams in New Hampshire on Thursday. Romney has led the polls in the Granite State, which holds the nations first presidential primary, though both Paul and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich are running strong out in Iowa and hope a strong showing there will help them in New Hampshire.

Romney announced on Thursday that 10 New Hampshire state representatives endorsed him -- giving him a grand total of 58.

Sinking in the national polls but still a factor in New Hampshire, which will hold the first presidential primary, Republican presidential hopeful former Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah took aim at his opponents and Washington in a speech at the National Press Club on Thursday.

In the speech, Huntsman insisted that there were two deficits facing America: an economic deficit" and a trust deficit.

"America suffers from a deficit of dollars and jobs, Huntsman said. We also suffer from a deficit of trust -- trust in our institutions of power, from Washington to Wall Street."

Former state House Majority Leader Adam Hasner, now in a crowded Republican primary field looking to challenge Democrat incumbent U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2012, expressed his support for Israel on Thursday -- and attacked President Barack Obamas policies in regard to that American ally.

We must firmly acknowledge that if history has taught us anything, it is that policies of appeasement are ultimately destined to fail, Hasner said on Thursday. On this front, President Obama has proven to be even more irresponsible than Jimmy Carter.