This Week’s Report: Presidential Election

This year’s race for the White House, pitting President Obama against an unusually large group of GOP contenders, is shaping up to be one of the most bitterly fought presidential campaigns in recent memory.

As veteran political analyst Bob Benenson explains in this week’s report, wealthy donors are pouring millions of dollars into TV attack ads through so-called SuperPACs, the conservative Tea Party movement and Occupy Wall Street protest are animating the candidates’ stump speeches and the struggling economy is providing a high-stakes backdrop to the election campaign.

--Thomas J. Billitteri, Managing Editor