By AMY HUANG, columnist, and AISHWARYA NAIR, sophomore

AUG. 2011: Iowa State University holds the Republican presidential primary. Facing off: Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum.

SEPT. 2011: Obama introduces the American Jobs Act, a $447 billion stimulus, to combat the 9% unemployment rate. The bill is met with opposition from the Republican representatives and weak support from the Democratic ones.

NOV. 2011: Obama and ‘Super Committee’ fail to come up with a deficit reduction plan.

OCT. 2011: Sarah Palin states she will not enter the 2012 presidential race.

DEC. 2011: GOP presidential debate takes place in Sioux City, Iowa. Participants include Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann, and Ron Paul. Later, Herman Cain announces the suspension of his campaign.

JAN. 2012: In his State of the Union Address, President Obama talks about taxing the wealthy more to better distribute wealth among the working class. He also champions improvement in education, corporate regulations, and clean energy.

FEB. 2012: Romney bounces back from his defeat at the S. Carolina primary and wins the Florida primary by a margin of 16%. The competition between Romney and Gingrich intensifies. Though Gingrich continues to lead the GOP race nationally, Romney begins to gain on him.

MAR. 2012:Obama is heard telling Russian president Dmitry Medvedev to give him “space” regarding issues such as missile defense.

MAY 2012: Romney and his wife each donate $75,000 to his Victory fund, the first time they make contributions out of their own savings. Meanwhile, May marks the 40th
consecutive month that unemployment rates have exceeded 8%.

JUN. 2012: The Supreme Court rules in favor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, creating large range of benefits for minority groups. This doesn’t do much to bump up Obama in the polls.

JULY 2012: Mitt Romney visits the London Olympics, but accidentally questions Great Britain’s ability to host the event, inciting outrage from Britons and reproach from Prime Minister David Cameron.

AUG. 2012: Romney and Ryan are nominated President and Vice President at the 2012 Republican National Convention in Florida.

SEPT. 2012: Obama and Biden receive their nominations at the 2012 DNC in North Carolina.

OCT. 2012:The first presidential debate takes place on the 3rd. Most Americans believe Romney emerged victorious. Highlights include Romney’s reference to Big Bird, the lengthy argument over a $5 trillion tax cut, and moderator Jim Lehrer’s inability to keep control.