Ken Rudin

Candidates have gone into New Hampshire in the past with high expectations, only to be shot down, even if they won. Mitt Romney knows the Granite State is set with traps for his nomination.

As Iowa Republicans head to the caucuses to have their say, we look at how the candidates stack up on the eve of the vote — and how previous winners (and losers) eventually fared.

This week's Political Junkie column: With less than 2 months remaining, Mitt Romney's campaign is still deciding how much of an effort to put into the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. Also: remembering ABC News' Hal Bruno.

This week's Political Junkie column focuses on the long-held — but always unfulfilled — desire for a winnable third-party or independent presidential ticket. With growing unhappiness about Washington's dysfunction, some are hoping for an alternative for 2012.

Must we decide in advance who stays and who gets voted off the island in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination? And might the Democrats lose a House seat in NYC they've held since 1923?

All eyes are on Wednesday's Republican presidential debate in California, where Texas Gov. Rick Perry — the new GOP "frontrunner" — makes his debate debut.