by Molly Meeks |

The 2012 election marks the end of President Barack Obama’s first term, and the Republican party wants to push their way back in. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are all determined to become the Republican candidate for the upcoming elections.
According to mittromney.com, Romney met his wife in elementary school; they have five sons and 16 grandchildren. He plans to reduce taxes and government spending while increasing trade and energy production. When it comes to education, he would like to put emphasis on family values in schools. However, the current job situation is where many Americans will be looking to make their decision. Romney, with his background in business, is going to try to provide new job opportunities through upcoming entrepreneurs. He believes in the Right to Work Act, which allows workers the choice to join a union. Conservatives are often known for their stances on abortion and same-sex marriage. Romney views abortion as wrong and planning to set up laws against it. As for same-sex marriages, Romney is completely against both same-sex marriage and civil unions.
According to ricksantorum.com, Santorum is the former Senator of Pennsylvania, and the father of seven children. Santorum plans to personalize learning in school. He believes that a child’s education is the responsibility of the parents, so the parents should play a role in the school.  Santorum has an economic plan to lower taxes through a balanced budget, and create jobs. Santorum has said his views on marriage are almost the exact opposite from President Obama’s. He strongly believes marriage was meant to be for a man and a woman, and that children should have both a mom and a dad. Santorum also has strong beliefs against abortion, he sees unborn children as much more than just cells. He see them as human beings who have rights.
“I think Santorum would be the best candidate, he seems like a good father, which is a good quality to have,” sophomore Caroline Craven said.
According to ronpaul2012.com, Paul is the congressman of Texas, and has spent many years in the medical field where he helped deliver over 4,000 babies. Paul’s focus will be eliminating the Department of Education. Paul has similar beliefs to Santorum in that he also thinks parents should have the freedom to choose the best educational road for their children. He can see that school programs need to be more personalized to meet all different students’ needs. Paul, like Romney, approves the Right to Work Act. Paul has a pro-life stance on abortion.
According to newt.org, Gingrich is the son of a soldier who taught him to take pride in and protect his country. Gingrich believes parents should have the right to decide where their children go to school and given the opportunity to leave a failing school. Gingrich’s idea is to balance the budget and begin creating jobs, he would like America to be a good place to start a business investment.  Gingrich also is planning to take funding away from promoting abortions.
“There’s a chance Romney could battle it out, but there’s an 80% chance Obama will win.” senior Abby Bland said.