A snapshot of the Republican presidential candidates' economic platforms

The eight candidates running for the Republican nomination in the 2012 presidential election race have become household names, but their plans to balance the budget, create new jobs, and jump-start the economy are not so well known. As election 2012 swings into high gear -- we take a look at each candidate's stand on various issues.

With the help of journalism students at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, we pulled together data on each candidate's position on topics from social security to defense spending, giving you a thorough snapshot with the click of a mouse.

Edited by: Marketplace's Liza Tucker and USC's Gabriel Kahn, Illustrations by: Dan Archer, Produced by: Millie Jefferson

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