Making his second bid for the Republican nomination and his third attempt at the White House, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas is hitting the airwaves in Iowa and New Hampshire. A new ad from the Paul team stresses the maverick Texas congressmans positions against federal spending -- and plays up his plan to eliminate five federal departments. Paul is battling former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts for second place behind former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich in most Iowa polls.

Social conservative Phyllis Schlafly endorsed Michele Bachmann for president and is urging Iowans to caucus for her, Bachmanns campaign told the Des Moines Register Sunday night.

In a written statement, Schlafly said: Most important, Michele has the courage to be a leader among her peers. She is a real champion in speaking up for values we care about. Michele is a woman of faith and the mother of a beautiful family. She has a 100 percent pro-life record and is a strong supporter of traditional marriage.

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.