Republican Party

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HAPPY CAMPER: GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul gets a kick out of hearing compliments for being punctual at a town hall Wednesday in Newton, Iowa. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

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Democrats have targeted GOP Rep. Roscoe G. Bartlett, a 10-term incumbent accused of losing touch with voters in his Western Maryland district. (T.J. Kirkpatrick/The Washington Times)

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GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich (top) said Wednesday that a staffer collecting signatures “committed fraud” in a failed effort to get him on the March 6 primary ballot in Virginia. Meanwhile, rival Rick Perry (above) filed suit Wednesday in federal court in Richmond in his ballot-access bid. (Associated Press)

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Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, a Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a town-hall meeting at the Fort Dodge GOP headquarters in Fort Dodge, Iowa, on Tuesday. Mr. Santorum sees "momentum" leading up to the caucuses. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** Rep. Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Republican, autographs a campaign poster at Tangleberries in Centerville, Iowa, on Friday, Dec. 23, 2011, in her bid for the GOP presidential nomination. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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GOP presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich addresses a Virginia party fundraiser Thursday in Henrico. The former House speaker submitted 11,050 ballot-access signatures. (Associated Press)

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, officially filed nominating petition papers comprising 16,026 signatures Tuesday to the State Board of Elections on behalf of his preferred GOP presidential candidate. (The Washington Times)

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GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has seen his polling numbers rise in the weeks leading up to the Iowa caucuses.

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, campaigning for the GOP presidential nomination, autographs a book before a stop at Global Security Services in Davenport, Iowa, on Monday, Dec. 19, 2011. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, followed by Rep. Greg Walden, Oregon Republican, strides into a GOP strategy session on Capitol Hill singing "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" on Dec. 16, 2011, the morning after lawmakers from both political parties came together on an 11th-hour deal to keep the government from shutting down. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, center, accompanied by fellow Republican leaders, meets with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2011, before a crucial vote on a GOP effort to renew an extension of the payroll-tax cut. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a GOP presidential hopeful, is seen through a window on a door as he spoke to students at the University of Iowa College of Public Health in Iowa City on Wednesday. Mr. Gingrich has been criticized for a $500,000 jewelry bill at Tiffany's. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John Boehner, Ohio Republican, meets Dec. 13, 2011, with reporters on Capitol Hill before a crucial vote on a GOP effort to renew an extension of the payroll-tax cut. (Associated Press)

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House Speaker John Boehner (center), Ohio Republican, and fellow Republican leaders meet Dec. 13, 2011, with reporters on Capitol Hill before a crucial vote on a GOP effort to renew an extension of the payroll-tax cut. From second from left are Rep. Renee Ellmers of North Carolina, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, Boehner, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy of California, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, and Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas. (Associated Press)