On the Trail: Feb. 28

Obama hangs with the big league; Republicans slug it out.

On the Trail - Rick Santorum, the GOP’s latest not-Mitt Romney, is on the rise and giving Mitt Romney a run for his money, while Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul work to stay relevant in the race and President Obama courts his base.—Joyce Jones

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While President Obama raises money and focuses on honing his message and his agenda to shore up his re-election bid, the Republican presidential hopefuls continue their long journey to a nomination that may not end until their party’s convention. —By Joyce Jones

Obama vs. Romney - In a nationwide survey released by Public Policy Polling Jan. 17, President Obama leads GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney by 49 percent to 44 percent. Forty-seven percent of voters, however, disapprove of Obama’s job performance, but only 35 percent give Romney a positive approval rating. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Barack Obama - Dallas Maverick Vince Carter hosted a fundraiser at his Orlando, Florida, home for President Obama, an avid basketball fan and player. Guests included basketball greats Magic Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Paul, NBA commissioner David Stern and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who all paid $30,000 each to attend the event. The president thanked Stern for settling the lockout, "Because I don't know what I would be doing with myself if I didn't at least have some basketball games around," he joked.(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Rick Santorum - An emboldened Rick Santorum, who will on Tuesday begin getting Secret Service protection, has been kowtowing to the blue-collar crowd by calling President Obama a snob for encouraging higher education, raising concern on the left and the right about whether he’s too extreme. Santorum also said in an ABC News interview that a speech by the late President John F. Kennedy, also a Catholic, calling for the separation of church and state made him want to “throw up.”(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

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Rick Santorum - An emboldened Rick Santorum, who will on Tuesday begin getting Secret Service protection, has been kowtowing to the blue-collar crowd by calling President Obama a snob for encouraging higher education, raising concern on the left and the right about whether he’s too extreme. Santorum also said in an ABC News interview that a speech by the late President John F. Kennedy, also a Catholic, calling for the separation of church and state made him want to “throw up.”(Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Mitt Romney - At a NASCAR event Monday, Mitt Romney said to a group of racing fans wearing plastic ponchos, “I like those fancy raincoats you bought. Really sprung for the big bucks.” And when asked by a reporter if he follows NASCAR, he said not closely, “But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners.”(Photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

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Mitt Romney - At a NASCAR event Monday, Mitt Romney said to a group of racing fans wearing plastic ponchos, “I like those fancy raincoats you bought. Really sprung for the big bucks.” And when asked by a reporter if he follows NASCAR, he said not closely, “But I have some great friends who are NASCAR team owners.”(Photo: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

Newt Gingrich - Newt Gingrich has set his sights on the South, where he’ll compete with Santorum for the same conservative, evangelical base. During a visit to Tennessee, he called the former Pennsylvania senator a “big labor Republican” and predicted that Santorum’s surge will soon end. But since opting to not compete in Michigan and Arizona, Gingrich has been polling in single and low double digits.(Photo: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

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Newt Gingrich - Newt Gingrich has set his sights on the South, where he’ll compete with Santorum for the same conservative, evangelical base. During a visit to Tennessee, he called the former Pennsylvania senator a “big labor Republican” and predicted that Santorum’s surge will soon end. But since opting to not compete in Michigan and Arizona, Gingrich has been polling in single and low double digits.(Photo: AP Photo/Erik Schelzig)

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Ron Paul - Ron Paul, whose campaign events attract a lot of people, but not as much media, is doing a full court press in Michigan ahead of the Tuesday primaries that will be held there and in Arizona. Speaking at the Little Rock Baptist Church Education and Performing Arts Center in one of Detroit’s poorest neighborhoods, the lawmaker said that people should be rewarded for working and being frugal instead of being taxed.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Ron Paul - Ron Paul, whose campaign events attract a lot of people, but not as much media, is doing a full court press in Michigan ahead of the Tuesday primaries that will be held there and in Arizona. Speaking at the Little Rock Baptist Church Education and Performing Arts Center in one of Detroit’s poorest neighborhoods, the lawmaker said that people should be rewarded for working and being frugal instead of being taxed.(Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Koran Burning - Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum had harsh words for President Obama’s apology for U.S. servicemen burning Korans in Afghanistan. Santorum said it showed “weakness” and Gingrich said that Obama had “surrendered,” but administration officials say it was the right thing to do to protect American troops from possible retaliation.(Photo: FRANK POLICH/Landov)

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Koran Burning - Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum had harsh words for President Obama’s apology for U.S. servicemen burning Korans in Afghanistan. Santorum said it showed “weakness” and Gingrich said that Obama had “surrendered,” but administration officials say it was the right thing to do to protect American troops from possible retaliation.(Photo: FRANK POLICH/Landov)