(CNN) - Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor who mused with a presidential bid of her own this cycle, suggested Wednesday that Mitt Romney should release records from his time at Bain Capital, as well as his personal tax returns.

Not doing so, she said, could lead to devastating consequences that would injure his candidacy in the weeks before November's general election.
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Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - A group of loyalists to South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint - including a top fundraiser for Rick Perry - will publicly endorse Mitt Romney's presidential bid on Thursday, a source confirmed to CNN.

Former South Carolina GOP Chairman Barry Wynn, Columbia businessman and fundraiser Peter Brown, and Columbia attorney Kevin Hall will announce their support for Romney Thursday.
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(CNN) – John Bolton, the former U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, endorsed presidential candidate Mitt Romney Wednesday.

Bolton made the endorsement on Fox News Channel, where he is a paid contributor.
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President Obama focused on his 2012 campaign in earnest Wednesday when he returned to his hometown of Chicago to rally supporters at his re-election headquarters and raise some hefty campaign cash.

Not long after arriving in the Windy City, the president stopped by his national campaign headquarters to thank workers and supporters. It was the president’s first visit to the offices of Obama for America. There he addressed a few hundred campaign staffers encouraging them to run “a campaign that embodies the values we're fighting for.”

(CNN) - Two of Mitt Romney's opponents for the 2012 GOP nomination took heed Wednesday of former President Ronald Reagan's so-called 11th Commandment: "Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican."

Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum both avoided jumping onto the pile of critics who say Mitt Romney destroyed jobs and bankrupted businesses during his time as CEO of Bain Capital, though it wasn't easy for them to throw praise at the Republican frontrunner.
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Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) - South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley warned the GOP field against attacking Mitt Romney's private sector record at an enthusiastic rally for the Republican front-runner Wednesday.

"We have a real problem when we have Republicans talking like Democrats against the free market," she said as the audience cheered. "We believe in the free market."
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Washington (CNN) – The half dozen candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination will appear next Thursday at a primetime debate in Charleston, two days before the crucial South Carolina primary.

The January 19th event will be hosted by CNN and the Southern Republican Leadership Conference, the umbrella organization of the 14 states that make up the Republican National Committee’s Southern Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. It will be held at the North Charleston Coliseum.
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(CNN) – Even as the GOP presidential primary season gets well under way, the White House continues to insist President Obama has yet to focus on his own reelection bid.

It may come as no surprise then that when Obama made an unannounced visit to his campaign headquarters in Chicago Wednesday night, members of the traveling press corps were kept far away.

(CNN) – Newt Gingrich said Wednesday a relentless attack from his rivals ultimately eroded his will to stay positive in the race for the GOP nomination.

Speaking with CNN's Piers Morgan, the former House speaker said Mitt Romney's refusal to disavow attack ads produced by a super PAC sponsoring his candidacy left him with no choice but to go negative.
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(CNN) - Criticism from fellow Republicans didn't stop Rick Perry from coming down hard on rival Mitt Romney Wednesday for his tenure at the private investment firm Bain Capital.

Speaking to CNN Chief National Correspondent John King, Perry said detractors from his own party were missing the point about his line of attack.
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