Today marks the first major, multi-candidate forum in the 2012 presidential race, hosted by the socially conservative Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition. Five possible candidates will speak at the groups 11th annual Spring Kick-off Event, being held tonight at the Point of Grace Church in Waukee, Iowa:Notable absences from the list: Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, and Donald Trump.
- Newt Gingrich, who launched a 2012 exploratory website last week
- Tim Pawlenty, who declined to run for reelection in 2010 and has been raising money through his federal PAC since October 2009
- Herman Cain, the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza, who spoke at CPAC and has been accruing tea party cachet
- Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who was suspended by Fox News (along with Gingrich) last week as he mulls a presidential bid
- Buddy Roemer, the former governor of Louisiana who isn't regularly included in 2012 polls or seen as a top-tier contender, but who announced a presidential exploratory committee last week
Other absences include former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson and strategist Fred Karger, who is running for the Republican ticket on a gay-rights platform. (Karger is aiming to become the nation's first serious, openly gay presidential candidate. He's already openly gay, it's the serious-candidate part he's working on). Karger sought entry to this forum, but Iowa Faith & Freedom Alliance leader Steve Scheffler shut him out, claiming Karger is a single-issue candidate, not a serious contender. (Scheffler also told Karger he has a problem with the "radical homosexuality community" ...)
via theatlantic.com
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