The 2004 presidential candidates reached out to voters across the political aisle – but not in a genuinely conciliatory spirit, according to a new analysis which says that George W. Bush and John Kerry sought to peel away voters from the opposing party using hot-button issues.

Spouses of presidential candidates are employed in campaigns more strategically and intensively than ever before. New research by political scientists concludes that the ability of presidential and vice-presidential candidates’ spouses to act as campaign surrogates may contribute to the successes and failures on the campaign trail.

Each day, in living rooms, bars, and message boards across the United States, debates rage and opinions flare over the upcoming presidential election: "Which candidate has the most experience?" "Which candidate will best be able to unite Americans?" "Which candidate will work to bring about real change in Washington?" Time and again, these questions have been asked and answered by television pundits; they have been analysed in editorials, written about in blogs, and tackled in speeches by the candidates themselves.

Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois and 2008 US presidential candidate has swept all three of today's Democratic contests in the "Potomac primaries" consisting of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. and the bordering states of Virginia and Maryland.

Ron Paul has vowed to continue his presidential campaign but will do so with a little less vigor as he begins to concentrate on his congressional re-election bid.

U.S. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, in a tight race for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, look to score decisive victories in three contests Saturday.

Media campaigning by Russia's presidential candidates starts Saturday in anticipation of the March 2 election.

Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sparred over health care, immigration and the war in Iraq in a debate in Los Angeles Thursday. VOA's Mike O'Sullivan reports the last two major contenders for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination also found common ground as they head into party preference polls on Tuesday.

Candidates in this year's presidential election are targeting the growing number of minority voters in an effort to build a winning coalition. Mike O'Sullivan reports from Los Angeles, Democrats are courting African-Americans and Hispanics in California, a state where the minority vote can make a difference.

The three major candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination met Monday in a debate televised by the Cable News Network and co-sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute. The event, which took place in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, featured an exchange of sharp barbs between Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama -- both of whom are in a tight race for first place in that state's January 26th primary. VOA's Houston correspondent, Greg Flakus, has more on the story.

Russia's presidential election campaign has kicked off on the eve of parliamentary polls, as aides to Garry Kasparov say the chess legend turned Kremlin critic is being held incommunicado since his jailing last Saturday.

Barack Obama prefers mild measures to sanctions – he said that if elected a president, he would not start the war, but would personally negotiate with Iran, offering economic incentives and a chance for peaceful relations if Iranian leaders would forego pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorists.