Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore

Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts and Republican presidential nominee hopeful

As the primaries begin, Republican candidates gear up in the fight to publicize their policies and personalities to secure the party nomination. While incumbent President Obama is already set as the Democrat nominee, the Republican situation remains hazy, with several candidates battling to win the nomination.

Over the next few months, the Republicans will engage in a series of primary votes to choose the candidate they want to represent them in the upcoming election. New Hampshire will hold the first official primary on Jan. 10, but the nonbinding Iowa caucus occurs tonight, Jan. 3, and typically serves as a solid predictor of the party nominee. This guide breaks down the four candidates that have a decent chance (and two that don’t) on the Republican ticket.

Newt Gingrich

Political Credentials: Speaker of the House (1995-99), Representative from Georgia (1979-1999)

Gingrich was TIME Magazine’s Man of the Year in 1995 for his leadership in the Republican Party during the midterm elections that saw the end of nearly 40 years of Democratic control of Congress. However, just four years later, he resigned his post as Speaker amidst charges of fostering the manipulation of several nonprofit organizations for pro-Republican ends. Gingrich was the first Speaker tried for ethical reasons. In spite of this shady history, he currently leads many Republican polls.

Policies: Gingrich, like the majority of conservatives, believes that the government has overspent and needs to reduce its debt. In response, he wants to extend the tax cuts enacted by President Bush, in contrast to many who believe raising taxes would help cut the deficit. He also wants to increase funding for education while elevating standards for math and science.

Gingrich believes that the Obama administration has been too soft on terrorism, and wholeheartedly supports American involvement in the Middle East.

More recently, Gingrich has spoken out against “Obamacare”, calling it “socialist.” He believes healthcare should be privatized, with breaks for unemployed individuals to help them buy coverage. Missing from his reform plan, however, is a resolution for those individuals the private healthcare companies refuse to cover.

He is an opponent of abortion and gay marriage, and a supporter of border crackdown – but not total closure, as he does support a guest worker program.

Mitt Romney

Political Credentials: Governor of Massachusetts (2003-2007), Presidential campaign in 2008

Romney’s father, George, was governor of Michigan. Mitt Romney was also previously the CEO of Bain Capital, whose success has earned him the reputation as a financial problem-solver.

Policies:  Romney believes the key to economic stability is a balanced budget; as such he has proposed an amendment to force Congress to submit a balanced budget each year. Romney also opposed the Obama stimulus package, as he favors tax cuts, principally on investments (capital gains), over increased spending. He also backs the No Child Left Behind program and an increase in support for charter schools. Romney opposes “Obamacare”, calling it an “unquestionable abuse of power.” However, Obama’s bill largely mirrors a bill for the state of Massachusetts, which Romney signed.

He remains relatively neutral on gun control despite his membership in National Rifle Association, and has always been an adamant supporter of the war in the Middle East.

Romney is a devout Mormon, and his religious faith guides his stances on gay marriage and abortion (except in extreme cases like rape) and his belief that abstinence should be taught in schools.

Ron Paul

Political Credentials: Libertarians are known for their vociferous support of Ron Paul, but few voters outside this cult following are familiar with the congressman’s policies. In his nine books and over twenty-year record representing Texas in the House, Paul has advocated for minimum government and maximum individual freedom. 2012 marks his third run for president, first on the Libertarian ticket in 1988 and then with the Republican Party in 2008.

Policies: An outspoken adherent to non-interventionist foreign policy, Paul holds to his controversial position that the American presence in the Middle East provokes terrorist attacks and invites out-of-control government spending. He opposes gun control and federal regulation of education, health care, and marriage, while supporting states’ rights and across-the-board legalization of drugs. Critical of Keynesian economics, Paul urges a frugal government and challenges the effectiveness of stimulus funding during a recession, claiming economic packages “take money from productive individuals and spend it in non-productive ways.”

Rick Perry

Political Credentials: Governor of Texas (2000-present). Rick Perry became governor when George Bush resigned to assume the presidency, and has since become the longest-serving governor in state history.

Policies: Perry’s economic calling card has been his record as Texas’ governor where, since 2009, the state has supplied 40 percent of the country’s new jobs. He believes that business incentives and low taxes, the keys to his success in Texas, can effectively transfer to the national level. However, opposition claims that these policies only succeeded because they sucked jobs away from other states. Perry believes that the stimulus package failed, and that the best way to reduce the federal debt is through extensive spending cuts, especially in Social Security. Perry, like many Republican counterparts, disagrees with the Obama healthcare plan, but has not provided an alternative solution.

Perry’s devotion to Evangelism, much like Romney’s fidelity to Mormonism, manifests itself in his social policy, as he too abhors gay marriage, only tolerates abortion in extreme circumstances, and does not believe in global warming. He led the race for a period of time; however, poor debate performances, namely a gaffe in which he forgot a department of government that he wanted to cut, cost him substantially. He now finds himself trailing by a wide margin.

Michele Bachmann served as a Minnesota Senator from 2003-2007 and has been a member of the US House of Representatives since 2007. She aligns herself with the Tea Party, and as such does not have much support from more moderate Republicans.

Rick Santorum served as a Representative (1991-1995) and Senator (1995-2007) from Pennsylvania. In spite of his relatively strong showing in the Iowa polls, he is not predicted to be a major player nationally due to his radical and often religiously-based beliefs, such as his support of bombing Iranian nuclear reactors.