The LA Times is reporting that three of the major Republican presidential candidates are changing tactics in their bids for the Republican nomination for president; Michele Bachmann, Mitt Romney, and Jon Huntsman, Jr. are not attacking President Barack Obama as openly as they once were and are taking more conciliatory tones towards Democrats in general.

Republicans Bachmann, Romney, and Huntsman are making statements about eliminating gridlock and about reaching across the aisles to Democrats in order to pass legislation. There is a reason for their shift in strategy. According to Republican strategist Steve Duprey, the Republican candidates are looking to gain votes from Democrats in the crowded Republican presidential primaries and caucuses across the country.

"With no Democratic race this time, there are going to be a lot of Democratic-leaning people who will vote in the Republican presidential primary," Duprey said. "It takes so few votes to win in a race when there are eight or nine candidates, you can find enough independents who are of your philosophical view to carry you over the line."

Bachmann is said to be trying to portray herself as more of a serious candidate instead of as the candidate who just gets easy press and throws insults. She appears to be backing away from earlier statements about the Obama family and their “anti-American views” and is calling herself a “unifying candidate.”

Romney is also trying to strike a more moderate tone with voters by reminding voters and the press of his relationship with Ted Kennedy and how although they disagreed often, they were still able to reach across the aisles and work together. However, Romney is not afraid to strike out at Obama and has attacked the president on the economy and recently labeled him “a failure” on a recent visit to Philadelphia. (This statement, of course, contradicts what the LA Times is reporting about the candidates’ more favorable tones to Obama.)

Huntsman is also changing his tone towards Democrats in general and Obama specifically; recently, the Republican presidential candidate recognized Obama for his “love of country” which is just in time for the fourth of July. 

According to the LA Times, Bachmann has a different focus than either Romney or Huntsman. She is vying for votes in the Iowa caucuses while Romney and Huntsman are focusing their attention on the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary instead.

Bachmann, like Sarah Palin before her, is also relying on her ability to reach out on a more personal level to potential voters by putting forth details of her personal life, including a recent decision to reveal a miscarriage. Of course, it remains to be seen whether stories of her personal life will translate into actual votes for Bachmann.