Newt GiNGrich

Current/Most Recent Office:58th Speaker of the House (1995-

1999)House Minority Whip (1989-1995)

Born:Newton Leroy McPhersonJune 17, 1943 (age 68)Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Spouses: Jackie Battley (1962–1981) Marianne Ginther (1981–2000) Callista Bisek (2000–present)

Children: 2

Alma mater: Emory University (B.A.) Tulane University (M.A./PhD)

Occupations: Politician Author Professor

Religion: Roman Catholic (formerly Baptist, Lutheran)

Military Service/branch: None

Website: www.newt.org

roN Paul

Current/Most Recent Office:Member of the U.S. House of Rep-

resentatives, Texas’s 14th District (1997-Present)

BornRonald Ernest PaulAugust 20, 1935 (age 76)Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Spouse: Carol Wells

Children: 5

Alma mater: Gettysburg College (B.S.) Duke University (M.D.)

Occupations:OB/GYNPoliticianReligion: Baptist

Military Service/branch United States Air Force (Captain) Texas Air National Guard Years of service: 1963–1965 1965–1968

Website: www.ronpaul2012.com

Mitt roMNey

Current/Most Recent Office:70th Governor of the State of Mas-

sachusettes (2003-2007)

Born:Willard Mitt RomneyMarch 12, 1947 (age 64)Detroit, Michigan

Spouse: Ann Romney

Children: 5

Alma mater:Brigham Young University (BA)Harvard University (MBA, JD)

Occupations: Co-founder, Bain

Capital (1984–1998) CEO, Bain & Company (1991–1992) CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics Orga-

nizing Committee (1999–2002)

Religion: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)

Military Service/branch: None

Website: www.mittromney.com

rick SaNtoruM

Current/Most Recent Office:United States Senator in Pennsylva-

nia (1995-2007)Member of the U.S. House of Rep-

resentatives, Pennsylvania’s 18th District (1991-1995)

Born: Richard John Santorum May 10, 1958 (age 53) Winchester, Virginia

Spouse: Karen Garver Santorum

Children: 8 (1 deceased)

Alma mater: Pennsylvania State University (BA) University of Pittsburgh (MBA) Dickinson School of Law (JD)

Occupations: Attorney Politician

Religion: Roman Catholic

Military Service/branch: None

Website: www.ricksantorum.com

coMPariNG the GoP PreSideNtial caNdidateS

Religion and GOP nominationHow the Republican presidential candidates fare with GOP voters overall and those from a variety of religious backgrounds:

GOP, GOP

leaner

White evangelical Protestant

30%41

2437

28 23 30 27

17 20 18 18

126

169

12 10 11 9

Rick Santorum

Mitt Romney

Newt Gingrich

Ron Paul

Other, don’t know

© 2012 MCT

Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press poll, Feb. 8-12, 2012 of 552 Republican registered voters (184 White evangelical Protestants, 110 mainline Protestants, 111 white Catholics); margin of error +/- 5 percentage pointsGraphic: Judy Treible

White mainline

Protestant

White Catholic

GOP candidates on social issuesWhere the Republican presidential candidates stand on selected social issues:

Federal funding of abortion Opposes Opposes Opposes Opposes

Federal funding of Planned Parenthood Opposes Opposes Opposes Opposes

Federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research

Opposes Opposes Opposes Opposes

Appoint conservative judges Supports Supports Supports Supports

Parental choice in education Supports Supports Supports Supports

Repeal of policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the U.S. military

Opposes Supports Supports Opposes

Ban on human cloning Supports Mixed* Opposes Supports

Constitutional amendment that defines marriage as union of a man and a woman Supports Opposes Supports Supports

Bill to prohibit hiring, job discrimination on basis of sexual orientation, gender Unknown Opposes Supports Opposes

Newt Gingrich

Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Rick Santorum

© 2012 MCTSource: Family Research Council Action, MCT Photo Service Graphic: Judy Treible*Issue should be left to states; has voted against banning cloning for medical research

Candidates economic plans, impactHighlights of Republican presidential candidates’ economic plans and how they’d effect the debt:

Taxes

Effect on the national debt

Spending

© 2012 MCT

Move toward a 15 percent optional flat income tax; permit mortgage interest and charity deductions; eliminate capital gains tax; reduce corporate tax rate to 12.5 percent

Develop billions of dollars of new energy resources; save $500 billion annually through private sector waste reduction strategies; save up to $120 billion annually in curbing Medicare, Medicaid fraud

Pass “Liberty Amendment” to abolish income and estate taxes; reduce corporate rate to 15 percent; eliminate taxes on capital gains and dividends

Cut $1 trillion in his first year; eliminate five Cabinet agencies (Energy, Housing and Urban Development, Commerce, Interior, Education); cut most spending to 2006 levels; end Federal Reserve System

Cut income tax rate 20 percent across the board; lower corporate tax to 25 from current 35 percent; impose no taxes on capital gains, dividends, interest on families earning less than $200,000

Cut federal spending to 20 percent of GDP by 2016; change how states get health care funding; cut several programs, including foreign aid, family planning services, legal services, arts and humanities

Create tax rates of 10 and 28 percent; lower capital gains and dividend tax rates to 12 percent; triple the $3,800 personal deduction for each child; cut corporate income tax to 17.5 percent

Since 1970, the debt has averaged less than 40 percent of GDP; today it is about 70 percent. The debt impact of the candidates’ plans, 2013-2021, in billions

Tax policies $7,100 $5,200 $3,400 $6,050Spending policies -2,700 -7,500 -1,200 -2,250Cost-cutting policies 1,700 400 70 70Interest on the debt 900 -300 50 640

Cut $5 trillion over five years; reduce most non-defense spending to 2008 levels with across the board cuts; freeze defense and much social program spending for five years

Source: McClatchy Washington Bureau, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, campaign web sitesGraphic: Judy Treible

NOTE: The data for Romney reflects his new budget proposal

Newt Gingrich

Gingrich Paul Romney Santorum

Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Rick Santorum

Debt impact

0

In billions of dollars

$7,000-2,200

2,6004,500

0

Percentage of GDP

30%-9

1119

0

Percentage of GDP in 2021

114%76

96104

GingrichPaul

RomneySantorum