General Election Matchup




updated May 20, 2012
The Weekly Standard
 04/30
 2012
 MR, BO
 Face Off
 Illustration
 Thomas Fluharty
The Economist
 04/14
 2012
 MR, BO
 The hardball campaign
 Illustration
 Kal
General Themes





National Journal
 05/03
 2012 bridge The Bridge to Somewhere Photo
 Getty Images/Thinkstock
Townhall
 05
 2012
 8 vice presidential prospects
 Who Will Win the Veepstakes
 Photo Illustration
American Spectator
 05
 2012
 man faces split in the road
 A Time for Choosing
 Illustration
 Dean MacAdam
The American Prospect
 03/12
 2012
 elephant, donkey, tycoon
 Wall Street's Third Party
 Illustration
 Victor Juhasz
Time
 03/05
 2012
 faces of 20 Latinos
 Yo decido.
 Photos
 Marco Grob
CQ Weekly
 02/27
 2012
 feet in voting booth
 The other election battle
 Photo
 Getty Images
New Yorker
 01/09
 2012
 IA, NH, SC, FL, NV
 [title "Chutes and Ladders"]
 Illustration
 Bruce McCall
The Economist
 12/31
 2011
 strongman
 The right Republican
 Illustration
 Kal
National Journal
 12/
 2011
 Statue of Liberty in corn field
 Field of Dreams [GOP candidates on immigration]
 Photo Illustration
 field-Thinkstock/Hemera
statue-iStockphoto
The Economist
 11/05
 2011
 two hamburger buns with no meat in the middle
 The missing middle
 Illustration
Townhall
 11
 2011
 youths
 Winning the Youth Vote
 Photo
American Journalism Review
2011
 reporters and Twitter birds Campaign Coverage In the Time of Twitter Illustration Steve Brodner
National Journal
 10/29
 2011
 seismograph line
 Still Shaking
 Illustration
 Peter Bell
Newsweek
 05/23
 2011
 woman
 The Good Wife
 Photo Illustration
 Michael Elins for Newsweek
Money





The New Republic
 05/10
 2012
 Simmons in cowboy had
 What Does the 2012 Campaign's Biggest Donor Really Want?
 Photo Illustration
 Sean McCabe
Harper's
04
 2012
 partial man in suit and tie, money in pocket
 It's a Rich Man's World
 Photo Collage
 Michael Mitra.  Photos by Image Source/Corbis and Ocean/Corbis
The Nation
 02/06
 2012
 fist out of TV
 The Assault of the Super PACs
 Illustration
 Milton Glaser Incorporated
The Week
 02/03
 2012
 watching TV
 The dirtiest campaign
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
CQ Weekly
 09/19
 2011
 money
 Bucks Unlimited
 Photo
 iStockphoto
Primaries - Multiple





The Week
 04/13
 2012
 MR, Paul Ryan and RS
 Last man standing
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
World
 03/24
 2012
 MR, RS
 The Battle
 Photos
 MR: Garald Herbert/AP
RS: Charles Dharapak/AP
New Yorker
 03/12
 2012
 MR (in car), RS
(in kennel on top) 		[title "State by State"]
 Illustration
 Bob Staake
World
 02/11
 2012
 MR, NG, RS, RP and BO
 Tour D'America Road Rage
 Photo Illustration
 Kreig Barrie
The Week
 02/10
 2012
 MR, NG
 Game over?
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
New Yorker
 02/06
 2012
 MR, NG and BO
 [title "The Big Game"]
 Illustration
 Barry Blitt
Newsweek
 02/06
 2012
 MR, NG as gladiators
 I Will Prevail
 Photo Illustration
 Sean McCabe
National Journal
 02/04
 2012
 MR, NG
 The Odd Couple
 Illustration
 Steve Brodner
New York
 01/30
 2012
 MR, NG and BO
 The Bloodiest Campaign
 Photo Illustration
 Darrow
The Week
 01/20
 2012
 RS, RPaul, Republican elephant
 The war within the GOP
 Illustration
 Harold McWilliam
The Weekly Standard
 01/23
 2012
 MR, NG, JH, RPaul, RPerry, RS
 Can the Romney Juggernaut Be Derailed?
 Illustration
 Gary Locke
National Journal
 01/07
 2012
 RS and wife, MR and wife
 Heart and Head
 Photos
 RS-Associated Press Charlie Riedel  MR-Ralf-Finn Hestoft
Townhall
 01
 2012
 NG and MR
 Mitt vs. Newt
 Photos
 xxxx
The Week
 12/30
 2011
 incl. MR, NG, HC, BO and others
 The faces of 2011
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
The New Republic
 12/29
 2011
 MB, NG, JH, RPaul, RPerry, MR and RS as dogs
 Showtime!
 Illustration
 Pablo Lobato
The Week
 12/23
 2011
 NG, MR (v.small)
 Is Newt fit to serve?
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
The Weekly Standard
 12/26
 2011
 MR, NG, RPaul in front and RPerry, MB in back
 They're Off!
 Illustration
 Thomas Fluharty
National Journal
 11/12
 2011
 MR, RPerry
 Two Governors, Two Styles
 Photo
 Getty Images/Win McNamee
American Spectator
 11
 2011
 Paul Ryan, MR, RPerry
 It's GOP Gut-Check Time
 Photo Illustration
The Weekly Standard
 10/31
 2011
 HC, MR
 On a Roll
 Illustration
 Chris Morris
The Week
 10/28
 2011
 MR, HC
 Still not in love
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
New York Times Magazine
 10/16
 2011
 HC, MR, MB and RPerry
 Does Anyone Have a Grip on the G.O.P.?
 Photo Illustration
 Photograph by Victor Shrager for The NYT.  (Perry) Joe Raedle/Getty Images; (Romney) Scott Audette/ Reuters; (Bachmann, Cain) Chris O’Meara/Associated Press.
Newsweek
 10/3
 2011
 RPerry, MR
 It's On!
 Photos
 Photo Illustration by Newsweek
The Week
 09/23
 2011
 RPerry, MR and BO
 Making Magic
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
The Week
 09/09
 2011
 RPerry and MB
 A matter of faith
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
The Weekly Standard
 		08/29
 		2011
 		Perry big in foreground; MR and MB; TP leaving; Christie and Ryan
 Rick Perry Enters the Ring
 		Illustration
 		Gary Locke
World
 08/13
 2011
 MB and TP
 Face-Off
 Photos
 MB-Bill Haber/AP 
TP-Scott Olson/Getty Images
New York
 08/08
 2011
 MR and JH
 The Cain and Abel of American Politics
 Photos
 Photography by Douglas C. Pizac/Associated Press
The New Republic
 08/18
 2011
 HC, TP, RPaul, RPerry, MB, MR
 The Strange New World of Republican Foreign Policy
 Illustration
 Daniel Cowles
Time
 06/27
 2011
 MR, JH, TP, wild card, NG, MB, RS, RP, SP, HC
 Baracketology*
 Photos
National Journal
 06/11
 2011
 MR, NG, TP, SP, MB, JH, HC, RP, RS
 First Heat
 Illustration
 Steve Brodner
The Economist 06/11
 2011
 towering Obama and tiny MB, NG, TP, MR, JH and SP.
 ...and yet I could still lose
 Photo Illustration
World
 06/18
 2011
 10 candidates and potential candidates: front l-r RS, RP, MR, TP, NG, HC; back l-r SP, GJ, MB, JH
 Tour d'America
 Photo Illustration
 Krieg Barrie
The Week
 06/03
 2011
 Romney, Huntsman, Pawlenty
 Waiting for Superman
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
The New Republic
 04/07
 2011
 Bachmann, Boehner, Gingrich and McConnell
 Can Health Care Reform Survive
 Photo Illustration
National Journal
 12/18
 2010
 Barbour, Daniels, Romney, Palin, Gingrich, Huckabee Managers vs Populists Illustration
The Economist 11/06
 2010
 On horses Palin, Romney, Huckabee, House Republican leaders The Republicans ride in
 Photo Illustration
CQ Weekly
 11/01
 2010
 16 very small photos of pres. prospects from Barbour to Trump
 There Will Be Blood Photos and text
Townhall
 02
 2010
 MR, NG, SP, Pence, Huckabee, Jindal, Limbaugh and Beck
 The Republican Challenge
 Photos
Newt Gingrich





National Journal
 01/28
 2012
 Gingrich from time as speaker
 Return of the Revolutionary Photo
 Associate Press/John Duricka
New Yorker
 01/02
 2012
 Gingrich (1994) and Father Time (2011)
 [title "Deja Vu All Over Again"]
 Illustration
 Barry Blitt
National Review
 12/31
 2011
 Gingrich as cartoon space figure
 Newt's World
 Illustration
 Roman Genn
The Week
 12/23
 2011
 Gingrich as hot air balloon (MR v.small)
 Is Newt fit to serve?
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
Newsweek
 12/19
 2011
 Gingrich
 The Audacity of Newt
 Photo
 Jake Chessum for Newsweek
CQ Weekly
 12/05
 2011
 Gingrich
 Running on His Record
 Photo of Illustration
 Portrait by Thomas V. Nash, CQ Roll Call Photo by Scott Farrell
The Weekly Standard
 11/28
 2011
 Gingrich
 The Comeback Kid
 Illustration
 James Bennett
NewsMax
 2
 2010
 Gingrich
 A New 'Contract with America'
 Photo
 ?
Ron Paul





Reason
 04
 2012
 Paul
 The Ron Paul Moment
 Photo
 Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The American Conservative
 02/01
 2012
 Paul
 Ron Paul and his Enemies
 Illustration
 Michael Hogue
National Review
 09/19
 2011
 Paul
 Ron Paul's Last Crusade
 Illustration
 Roman Genn
Mitt Romney





The Weekly Standard
 05/28
 2012
 Romney
 It's Etch-a-Sketch Time!
 Illustration
UTNE
 05
 2012
 Romney
 The Mormon Mystique
 Illustration
 DonkeyHotey
CQ Weekly
 04/09
 2012
 Romney, Paul Ryan, crowd
 Getting Behind Romney
 Photo
 Jim Watson for AFP/Getty Images
National Journal
 03/10
 2012
 Romney
 Don't Blame Mitt
 Photo
 Associated Press/Charles Dharapak
Reason
 03
 2012
 Romney
 Consultant in Chief
 Photo
 Chris Fitzgerald/Candidate Photos/Newscom
The New Republic
 02/16
 2012
 Romney (extreme CU)
 Would He Beat Obama?
 Photo Enhancement
 J Heroun
National Journal
 01/21
 2012
Romney the follower Photo Illustration
 Romney: Associated Press/Charles Krupa; crowd iStockphoto
The Economist
 01/14
 2012
 Romney
 America's next CEO?
 Photo
Time
 01/14
 2012
 Romney
 So You Like Me Now?
 Photo
 Brooks Kraft-Corbis for Time
The Week
 12/16
 2011
 Romney
 Blowing a circuit
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
New York Times Magazine
 12/04
 2011
 Romney egg toy
 Why Mitt Romney Is Not Falling Down
 Photo Illustration
 Tom Schierlitz; Illustration Francesco Poroli.
Parade
 12/04
 2011
 Romney and Ann
 A Mitt Romney You Haven't Seen Yet
 Photo
 Ben Baker
Time
 12/12
 2011
 Romney
 Why Don't They Like Me?
 Photo
 Brooks Kraft for Time
The New Republic
 12/15
 2011
 Romney
 You Won't Like Him When He's Angry
 Illustration
 Guyco (Eddie Guy)
New York
 10/31
 2011
 a younger Romney
Mitt Romney and the 1% Economy
 Photo
World
 07/16
 2011
 Romney
 Focus on Mitt Romney
 Photo Illustration
 Photo by Bill Clark/Roll Call/Getty Images
Newsweek
 06/13
 2011
 Romney's head on figure from the "Book of Mormon" musical The Mormon Moment Photo Illustration
Rick Santorum





The Week
 03/02
 2012
 Santorum on elephant
 Too far to the right?
 Illustration
 ...
National Review
 01/23
 2012
 Santorum
 The Rise of Rick
 Photo
 Patric Fallon/Zuma/Newscom
Former





Rick Perry





The American Prospect
 12
 2011
 Perry
 Rick Perry's Articles of Faith
 Photo
 Melina Mara/Getty Images
Parade
 10/23
 2011
 Perry
 Rick Perry
 Photo
 Ben Baker
The New Republic
 10/20
 2011
 Perry
 What's Driving Rick Perry?
 Illustration
 Robert Hunt
NewsMax
 10
 2011
 Perry
 The Real Rick Perry
 Photo
 Courtesy of WhiteHouse2012.wordpress.com Composite Photos/Istockphoto
Townhall
 10
 2011
 Perry
 Rick Perry
 Photo
 ?
Time
 09/26
 2011
 Perry
 The Rise of Rick Perry
 Photo
 Platon
National Review
 04/04
 2011
 Perry
 Giving Washington The Boot
 Illustration
 Roman Genn
Newsweek
 		04/26
 		2010
 		Perry
 		Don't Mess With Texas
 		Photo
 		Matthew Mahon-Redux
Texas Monthly
 02
 2010
 Perry
 Perry for President?!?
 Photo Illustration
 Dan Winters
Michele Bachmann





Newsweek
 08/15
 2011
 Bachmann
 The Queen of Rage
 Photo
 Chris Buck for Newsweek
CQ Weekly
 08/01
 2011
 Bachmann
 Raising Hell
 Photo
 Getty Images/Chip Somodevilla
National Review
 07/18
 2011
 Bachmann
 Daughter of Liberty
 Illustration
 Thomas Reis
The Weekly Standard
 07/04
 2011
 Bachmann
 Queen of the Tea Party
 Illustration
 Gary Locke
NewsMax
 07
 2011
 Bachmann
 Heartland Warrior
 Photo
 James Berglie/Zuma Press
Herman Cain





Newsweek
 10/24
 2011
 Cain
 The Unlikely Rise of the Anti-Obama: Yes We Cain!
 Photo Illustration
 Illustration by Gluekit for Newsweek
Tim Pawlenty





National Review
 03/07
 2011
 Pawlenty
 Pawlenty's Shot
 Illustration
 Roman Genn
Not In





Sarah Palin





Portfolio
 04
 2009
 Palin
 Palin & Big Oil
 Photo
 Jonathan Becker
Time
 		07/20
 		2009
 		Palin
 		The Renegade
 		Photo
 		Brian Adams
The Weekly Standard
 		07/20
 		2009
 		Palin
 		Out of Alaska
 		Illustration
 		Thomas Fluharty
The Progressive
 		08
 		2009
 		Palin
 		Naomi Klein on Capitalism Sarah Palin-Style
 		Illustration
 		Zina Saunders
The Weekly Standard
 		11/02
 		2009
 		Palin, Limbaugh, Beck, Elephant
 		Is the GOP in Fighting Trim
 		Illustration
 		Thomas Fluharty
The Weekly Standard
 		11/16
 		2009
 		Palin, Andrew Jackson, William Jennings Bryan
 		Palin's Populist Pedigree
 		Illustration
 		Gary Locke
Newsweek
 		11/23
 		2009
 		Palin
 		How Do You Solve A Problem Like Sarah?
 		Photo
 		Brian Adams-Rapport [Runner's World]
The Week
 11/27
 2009
 Palin, Chief Justice Roberts
 Is this possible?
 Illustration
 Harold McWilliam
In Touch
 		01/25
 		2010
 		Palin, Bristol Palin, their two babies
 		'We're Glad We Chose Life'
 		Photo
 		Shealeh Craighead Photography
The Week
 		02/19
 		2010
 		Palin, two colonials
 		Mainstream Rebels?
 		Illustration
 		Fred Harper
The American Conservative
 		04
 		2010
 		Palin, elephant
 		Tea Totalers
 		Illustration
 		Chris Hiers
The Nation
 		04/12
 		2010
 		Palin, Limbaugh, Beck {Alice in Wonderland}
 		The Mad Tea Party
 		Illustration
 		Drew Freedman
National Journal
 		04/10
 		2010
 		Palin
 		No Dummy
 		Photo
 		Getty Images/Darran Hauck
New York
 		05/03
 		2010
 		Palin
 		PalinInc
 		Photo
 		Indep. Group Home Living Foundation/ PR News/ Newscom
The Economist
 		06/12
 		2010
 		Palin, Limbaugh, Beck, Obama elephants {Alice in Wonderland}
 		What's wrong with America's right
 		Illustration
 		Kal
Newsweek
 		06/21
 		2010
 		Palin
 		Saint Sarah
 		Photo Illustration
 		Photo Jose Anderson
Reuters-Landow
Utne Reader
 		07
 		2010
 		Palin holding tea cup
 		The New Face of Activism
 		Illustration
 		Zina Saunders
The Week
 10/01
 2010
 Palin, O'Donnell, elephant
 Calling the tune
 Illustration
 Howard McWilliam
Newsweek
 10/04
 2010
 O'Donnell, Palin, Haley and Bachmann
 The Bear Truth
 Photos
 [Palin by Sean Gardner-Reuters-Corbis]
The Nation
 10/18
 2010
 O'Donnell, Palin, Fiorina, Bachmann
 Sex and the GOP
 Illustration
 design by Gene Case & Stephen Kling/Avenging Angels
Bloomberg Businessweek
 10/18
 2010
 Palin
 Why Business Doesn't Trust
the Tea Party		 Photo
 Martin Schoeller/August Image
CQ Weekly
 10/25
 2010
 Palin and crowd
 Revenge of the Right
 Photo
 Jason Andrew for Getty Images
Mother Jones
 11
 2010
 Palin in style of 50s movie poster
 Attack on the Middle Class
 Illustration
 Zina Saunders
New York
 11/1
 2010
 Palin
 President Palin
 Photo
 Rick Wilking/Reuters
The New Republic
 11/11
 2010
 Palin
 How the Age of Austerity will Remake American Politics
 Illustration
 Jim Salvati
Time
 12/20
 2010
 Palin
 Palin in Progress
 Illustration
 Tim O'Brien
Townhall
 05
 2011
 Palin
 Will Sarah Run?
 Photo
 ?
The Week
 06/11
 2011
 Palin
 Hey, look at me!
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
Chris Christie





New York Times Magazine
 02/27
 2011
 Christie
 The Disrupter
 Photo
 Henry Leutwyler
John Bolton





National Review
 12/31
 2010
 Bolton
 Speak Boldly, And Carry A Big Stick
Illustration
 Roman Genn
Mitch Daniels





American Spectator
 11
 2010
 Daniels
 Mitch Daniels Moment
 Photo
 Newscom
The Weekly Standard 06/14
 2010
 Daniels
 Ride Along with Mitch
 Illustration
 Gary Locke
Donald Trump





Bloomberg Businessweek
 		05/02
 		2011
 		Trump
 		Seriously
 		Photo
 		Michele Asselin
The Week
 04/29
 2011
 Trump
 Shaking it up
 Illustration
 Fred Harper
Mike Huckabee





World
 05/09
 2009
 Huckabee
 A Day in the Life
 Photo
 Newscom
Haley Barbour





American Spectator
 4
 2011
 Barbour
 Haley Barbour, Wonk
 Illustration
 John Springs
The Weekly Standard
 12/27
 2010
 Barbour
 The Boy from Yazoo City
 Illustration
 Gary Locke
John Thune





The Weekly Standard
 		10/04
 		2010
 		Thune
 		Dakota Dreaming
 		Photo
 		Newscom
Jeb Bush





National Review
 02/21
 2011
 Bush
 The Jeb Model
 Photo
 Charles W. Luzier/Reuters/Corbis
David Petraeus





American Spectator
 		05
 		2010
 		Petraeus
 		President Petraeus
 		Photo
 		Newscom

Notes:
-Dates above are issue dates which are often one to three weeks later than when the magazine actually comes out.


-The list shows the fascination with Palin, who appeared as a central figure in eight covers in 2009 and 18 in 2010.  In addition to those Palin covers on the list, she also appears, although not as a dominant figure in The New Republic 10/28/10 issue "The Republicans are Coming!" (illustration by Erik T. Johnson) which is a highly stylized Halloween image with Boehner, O'Donnell, Palin, and several others.  She is included in The Week 12/25/09 issue "The faces of 2009" and 01/07/11 issue "The faces of 2010."


-The Sept. 23, 2011 issue of The Week, (mid-September), and the Oct. 3, 2011 issue of Newsweek (latter part of September) show how even months before the first votes were cast the race for the GOP nomination, the conventional wisdom media view had already narrowed the race down to Perry vs. Romney.


-Newsweek's 8/15/11 cover of Bachmann featuring a photo by Chris Buck created a bit of a stir.  The Daily Show's Jon Stewart did a riff on the cover.  "Be honest Newsweek.  You used that photo in a petty attempt to make Michele Bachmann look crazy," Stewart said.  "And that's what her words are for."  Newsweek editor-in-chief Tina Brown said in a statement, “Michele Bachmann’s intensity is galvanizing voters in Iowa right now and Newsweek’s cover captures that."   Some saw it as an example of "political gender bias in the media" (letter).




-For background and observations on Time's Perry cover see: Feifei Sun. "Platon on Perry: Behind the Scenes of the Cover of TIME."  Time Lightbox, Sept. 15, 2011.


-Newsweek's 6/13/11 cover of Romney ("The Morman Moment: How the Outsider Faith Creates Winners") generated some controversy.  The cover features Romney's head photoshopped on a poster for "Book of Mormon," the musical.  Jim Geraghty writing in National Review online's "The Campaign Spot" put up a posting titled "Newsweek, Portraying Romney as a Dancing Lunatic" in which he described the cover as "appalling."


-Ron Paul did not get a lot of covers.  In response to The Week's April 13, 2012 issue "Last man standing" showing a battered Romney, Paul Ryan, and a battered Santorum, Paul supporter TJ Riordan commented, "Do you see Ron Paul in the background with the large crowd around him celebrating freedom and liberty....oh wait that's not in the media, that's only in reality. Ron Paul 2012!"


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