Politics

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney won the Florida primary Tuesday.

With 64 percent of precincts reporting, Romney has 47 percent of the vote, followed by 31 percent for Newt Gingrich, 13 percent for Rick Santorum and seven percent for Ron Paul. Romney's portion of the total will likely go down after the precincts in the less Romney-friendly Florida panhandle are counted, but those votes will not prevent a Romney victory.

Florida apportions its delegate in a winner-take-all system, so Romney will receive all 50 of Florida's delegates. (Florida technically has 99 delegates, but, under Republican Party rules, suffers a 50 percent penalty for scheduling its primary too early.) more >>

Three pastors listed as part of presidential candidate Newt Gingrich's "Florida Faith Leaders Coalition" have said they have had no contact with the campaign and have not expressed support for Gingrich.

Sarah Posner, a journalist who covers religion and politics, made the discovery as she was reporting on the campaign ahead of Tuesday's Florida primary.

When Posner asked Pastor Scrivner Damon of New Life Community Church in North Palm Beach, Doug Maners of Catalyst Community Church in Orlando, and Amar Rambissoon of Deeper Life Assembly in Orlando, about their participation in the Gingrich campaign, they all expressed bewilderment. more >>

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill that would allow all religious employers an exemption to a requirement that health care coverage include contraceptive services.

President Barack Obama has been sharply rebuked from both sides of the political spectrum for his administration's decision to require employers to carry the coverage.

"One of Barack Obama's great attractions as a presidential candidate was his sensitivity to the feelings and intellectual concerns of religious believers," wrote liberal columnist E. J. Dionne in a Jan. 29 editorial for The Washington Post. "That is why it is so remarkable that he utterly botched the admittedly difficult question of how contraceptive services should be treated under the new health care law." more >>

Evangelical leaders picked economic recovery as the most important issue facing the nation today, according to an unscientific survey conducted on the board members of the National Association of Evangelicals.

"Evangelicals care deeply about the health of our nation," NAE VP of Government Relations Galen Carey told The Christian Post. "We recognize that a strong moral foundation based on justice and righteousness in all areas of our national life is the essential prerequisite to a safe and prosperous future."

Many voters link social issues, such as abortion, same-sex marriage and other biblical issues, with evangelical groups. However, leaders of socially conservative organizations have been touting economic issues for over a year. more >>

Super PACs, the money-laden independent groups behind the political attack ads airing in several states, will release the names of its biggest financial donors Tuesday.

Up until Tuesday, the names of the high-profile donors fueling the super PACs were kept secret. That money has been used to purchase some $25 million in television ads, according to The Associated Press, attacking mostly GOP candidates Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich and President Barack Obama in key states.

However, disclosure laws set by the Federal Election Commission are forcing the beefed-up political action committees to reveal the names of their givers as well as the totals of their expenses. more >>

In a near unanimous vote, the U.S. Senate advanced on Monday a bill forcing congressional members to be more transparent about their investments after television show 60 Minutes revealed suspicious financial patterns among some political figures.

The Senate voted 92-2 to further discussion on the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act. The bill would formally prohibit congressional members from using information discussed in the halls of Congress to profit personally. Congressional members would also be required to report changes in their personal investments within 30 days.

Senators on both sides of the aisle supported the bill that was virtually unknown before the 60 Minutes expose including Tea Party darling Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders. more >>