And then there was one.
With Ron Paul's decision to not contest any upcoming primaries, the way is now clear for Mitt Romney to become the Republican presidential nominee. Last month, NTUF released its analysis of the spending proposals offered by the 2012 GOP presidential primary candidates. Now with Romney the only active GOP candidate in the race, it provides an opportunity look at how Romney's spending platform compares with the leading candidates from the 2008 race at approximately the same point in time.
Comparison of Presidential Spending Platforms Mitt Romney in 2012 versus Candidates in 2008 | ||||
Type of Proposal | Mitt Romney | John McCain* | Hillary Clinton* | Barack Obama* |
Spending Increase | 3 | 14 | 108 | 66 |
Spending Cut | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Unknown Cost | 28 | 31 | 73 | 86 |
TOTAL | 42 | 48 | 182 | 153 |
* Data for 2008 candidates is from NTUF’s June 3, 2008 release. Source: National Taxpayers Union Foundation | ||||
Comparison of Presidential Spending Platforms Mitt Romney in 2012 versus Candidates in 2008 (Dollar Amounts are in Billions) | ||||
Spending Category | Mitt Romney | John McCain* | Hillary Clinton* | Barack Obama* |
Economy, Transportation & Infrastructure | -$4.3 | $3.502 | $74.493 | $111.603 |
Education, Science & Research | N/A | $1.8 | $18.996 | $37.088 |
Energy, Agriculture & Environment | Unknown | $56.481 | $64.451 | $56.489 |
Federal Government Reform† | -$383.409 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Health Care | -$136.098 | $1.137 | $114.611 | $100.848 |
Homeland Security & Law Enforcement | Unknown | $1.5 | $4.557 | $10.173 |
National Security & International Relations | $170.802 | $3.917 | $1.294 | $13.808 |
Veterans | N/A | $0.60 | $8.143 | $2.76 |
Miscellaneous | N/A | N/A | $3.097 | $10.817 |
TOTAL | -$353.005 | $68.517 | $289.642 | $343.586 |
Note: Totals may not add due to rounding. * Data for 2008 candidates is from NTUF’s June 3, 2008 release. † The Federal Government Reform category was not used in 2008. Source: National Taxpayers Union Foundation | ||||