We are in the midst of the eleventh presidential nominating cycle since party commissions and state laws made primaries the predominant method of choosing national convention delegates in 1972. Over the years politicians and journalists develop rules of thumb to describe how these things work. In this cycle, some of those rules seem to be changing.

Rick Santorum announced Tuesday that he is suspending his presidential campaign, leaving Mitt Romney to wrap up the Republican nomination to take on President Obama despite still having GOP hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul in the race.

Last week I wrote about the standings in the presidential race and said it looked like a long, hard slog through about a dozen clearly identified target states, much like the contests in 2000 and 2004. Call it the 2000/2004 long, hard slog scenario.

Where Obama went wrong on education – and what Romney needs to say

Too bad McCain and Obama can't run together, saving the rest of us the strange choice between them.

For most of 2012, President Obama has been running in the Democratic primary. I know that seems odd, given that he’s essentially running unopposed. But that's not what I'm talking about.

Join AEI’s Election Watch team for a reflection on the races that have already taken place and a look ahead to the contests to come.

John Kerry promises to review trade agreements to strengthen labor and environmental sanctions, whileGeorge W.Bush reinstated trade promotion authority and expanded free trade.