• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, February 27, 2012

Gearing up for the 2012 election season, The Washington Post Monday launched a new politics-focused iPad app featuring video, photos, graphics and animation. Dubbed “WP Politics,” the new app will offer content from Chris Cillizza’s political blog The Fix, Ezra Klein’s Wonkblog and items from The Fact Checker.

But the emphasis will be on visual information including polling data and results, a heat map showing where most ads are running from which candidates and motion graphics showing how candidates’ views have changed over time. The new title is a follow up to The Washington Post’s main iPad app, which is also free and has a 2.5-star rating in iTunes.

User, however, can also opt for a monthly $2.99 subscription to the WP Politics app that gives users access to The Insiders’ Corner and content featured in the Campaign Files section that hasn't been published in the last 48 hours. The subscription will also include a variety of additional tools expected to launch in the near future. Obviously, WaPo is banking on political junkies to power sales of the paid version.