Newstalk Florida – N

It is likely that in less than three short months four states will have already cast their votes and conducted their caucuses for the Republican nominee for President.  The spotlight has proven to be a formidable opponent on its own as Donald Trump and Tim Pawlenty came and went. Meanwhile Sarah Palin – once considered a favorite – never really felt the opportunity to launch.  Here are a few candidates that may also find themselves in trouble:

Michele Bachmann Campaign Death Pool Launched – After winning the respected Iowa Ames Straw Poll, Rep. Bachmann’s moment in the sun was fleeting.  This was due in part to Governor Rick Perry doing a Texas two-step all over her headlines by officially declaring his candidacy at the same time she was set to make her victory lap.  Reports have been confirmed of at least three key waves of staff members exiting her campaign and, despite an email that was sent out pleading for dollars, her fundraising numbers were considered disappointing.  While no votes have made it official as of yet, consider her campaign officially in the “struggling” column.

Newt Gingrich Seeing Too Much Red? – The Gingrich campaign has suffered a number of public setbacks. He returned from a poorly-timed cruise to find the resignation letters from half of his team, he was plagued by late-night comedy routines about a mega-bill from Tiffany’s and he struggled to gain traction (or even notice) in the debates. It now looks like those setbacks have literally cost him and his FEC reports indicate that he is over one million dollars in debt.  This is the largest known debt out of any of the contenders. While his experience may help him to navigate through these challenging times, he has to make a move soon or his poll numbers will remain in the single digits.

Jon Huntsman Counted Too Much On New Hampshire – For weeks the Huntsman campaign has stressed that they are not struggling, but simply shifting their focus to New Hampshire. To say that this backfired is an understatement. Salem Patch reports that Huntsman’s fundraising total in New Hampshire for the third quarter was (drum roll…) one thousand dollars.  That’s right – the campaign only mustered two donations of five hundred dollars each. His only hope at this point is that another candidate sees his foreign policy and executive experience as a need for VP.

Though the news is grim for these candidates, four are holding strong going into this final leg of the primary: Cain, Romney, Perry and Paul are still in the running and any of them could be the nominee.  The next edition of the Presidential Primary Update will cover these top tier candidates, including some inside looks on who has the staying power to go the distance and who just might actually be the “flavor of the month”.

Shawna Vercher is host of the Shawna Vercher Show, Saturdays at 10am EST on NewsTalk 820AM. Listen live or add your thoughts at any time by connecting to her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ShawnaVercher.