Republican Party

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling was maneuvered out of the Republican gubernatorial nomination, but he could split the GOP vote with an independent campaign, sinking the likely party nominee, Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II, in the process. (Associated Press)

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From left, U.S. Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Tom Donohue, former Minnesota Gov. and GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty, and, Jeffrey Zients of the Office of Management and Budget, walk from the White House after a meeting with White House staff regarding the fiscal cliff, Wednesday, Dec. 19, 2012, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist once was a prominent figure in the Republican Party, but he left the GOP and declared himself an independent before aligning with the Democrats. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Speaker of the House John Boehner, R-Ohio, joined by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, left, and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., right, as they finish a news conference about the fiscal cliff negotiations after a closed-door GOP strategy session, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, right, accompanied by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington Republican, gestures as he speaks to reporters during a news conference on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2012, following a GOP strategy session. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (center), Kentucky Republican, steps off the Senate floor at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2012, before speaking with reporters following a GOP strategy luncheon. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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GOP state Sen. Charles W. Carrico Sr. has introduced a bill to award one electoral vote to the winner of each of the state’s 11 congressional districts, and the state’s two at-large votes to the presidential candidate who wins the majority of the districts. His reasoning, he says, is that “I don’t feel the Electoral College right now is a fair system.” (Associated Press)

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RNC Chairman Reince Priebus asked a group of five respected Republican Party leaders to examine how the party can better talk with voters, raise money from donors and learn from Democrats’ tactics. (Associated Press)

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GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina, citing terrorism, sponsored legislation to give former U.S. presidents and their wives lifetime Secret Service protection. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, accompanied by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (left), Washington Republican, and other members of House GOP leadership, gestures as he speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Rep. Paul Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, exits the room at the Capitol where he and other House GOP leaders met Wednesday to discuss the looming “fiscal cliff.” Amid changes of committee chairmanships, Mr. Ryan retains the Budget Committee gavel. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)