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WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney padded his delegate count on the biggest night of the GOP presidential primary season but Rick Santorum demonstrated enough strength to ensure that there's more convulsion ahead as Republicans struggle to settle on a candidate to take on President Barack Obama.
Super Tuesday gave Romney a narrow victory in pivotal Ohio, a home-state win in Massachusetts, and triumphs in Idaho, Vermont, Alaska, and Virginia. But it was no knock-out punch.
Santorum, for his part, won Oklahoma, Tennessee and North Dakota, and Newt Gingrich picked up his home state of Georgia.
"This was a big night tonight," Santorum said. "We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South, and we're ready to win across this country."
The split decision refreshed questions about Romney's appeal to conservatives in some of the most Republican states in the nation. The best-funded and best-organized of the four Republican candidates, Romney vowed to press on.
"Tomorrow, we wake up and we start again," he told supporters. "And the next day, we'll do the same. And so we'll go, day by day, step by step, door by door, heart to heart."
House Republican Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, a Romney supporter, said Wednesday that Romney's claim to the nomination is inevitable, adding that Santorum and Gingrich "have not demonstrated an ability to do what needs to be done." But in a morning interview on CBS "This Morning," Cantor acknowledged there is still plenty of ongoing debate in "a robust party with many ideas."
Obama chose the busiest day of the GOP race to speak from the presidential bully pulpit, where he dismissed the Republicans' almost constant criticism of his administration.
"Those folks don't have a lot of responsibilities," Obama said in a White House news conference. "They're not commander in chief."
Gingrich's win in Georgia, which he represented for several terms in Congress, was his first victory since he captured the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21. The former House speaker said it would propel him on yet another comeback,
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, still in search of his first victory of the nomination battle, had pinned his hopes on winning Idaho and Alaska but fell short in both.
Ohio was the marquee matchup, and for good reason. No Republican has won the presidency without carrying the state in the general election. It was a second industrial-state showdown in as many weeks between Romney and Santorum and drew the most campaigning and television advertisements of the 10 Super Tuesday states.
With 99 percent of Ohio precincts reporting, Romney had 38 percent to Santorum's 37 percent, an uncomfortably close margin for a candidate who had spent nearly four times as much money as his rival in the state.
Romney spent $1.5 million in television advertisements and Restore Our Future, a super PAC that supports him, spent an additional $2.3 million. Santorum and Red, White and Blue, a super PAC that supports him, countered with about $1 million combined, according to information on file with the Federal Election Commission.
There were primaries in Virginia, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Georgia, Tennessee and Oklahoma. Caucuses in North Dakota, Idaho and Alaska rounded out the contests. In all, 419 delegates were at stake across the 10 states. Romney picked up at least 212 delegates during the night; Santorum got 84, Gingrich 72 and Paul at least 22.
That gave the former Massachusetts governor 415, more than all his rivals combined. Santorum was second with 176 delegates, Gingrich had 105 and Paul had 47. It takes 1,144 delegates to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer.
In interviews across all of the primary states, Republicans said the economy was the top issue and a candidate's ability to defeat Obama was what mattered most as they cast their votes.
Ohio Republicans were sharply divided, according to the popular vote and interviews with voters as they left polling places. Santorum triumphed over Romney among Ohioans with incomes under $100,000, while Romney won among those with six-figure incomes and up. Romney won among working women; Santorum won among women who do not work.
Santorum also was preferred by the half of the electorate that is born-again, while Romney was the favorite among those who were not.
The race moves to contests in Kansas, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi and Missouri. Voting in Puerto Rico, Illinois and Louisiana rounds out the nomination schedule for March.
Copyright 2012 The Associated P
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Comments » 4
KlausStoertebeker writes:
In the "Super Tuesday" in the United States, the day in just ten States the Republican primary took place yesterday at least three men ran in the heads. Mitt Romney against Rick Santorum against Newt Gingrich and a bit against the deprived Ron Paul.
The men shot with millions to sign with harsh words and great promise. But during Mitt Romney (won in six out of ten countries on Tuesday) as favorite for the post of Barack Obama contestant is traded, the race is still not long since decided.
35 Area codes are still open before the end of August in Tampa (US State of Florida).
BUT: EVERYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
Also, that throwing himself still a woman in the race. A woman who knows how to fight, one that has ever done and apparently can prohibit it: Sarah Palin. Four years ago, she wanted to put as US Vice President on the side from John McCain in the White House. She failed, but then she said at the fight the Democrats and also their own Republicans with their conservative tea party movement.
In the US broadcaster CNN said the former Governor of the State of Alaska now: "anything is possible, I suggest to any doors that are perhaps out there open."
So far it supports even Newt Gingrich, the man who can get hardly hopes. In Tampa, it wants to be the end of August in any case in because there could beat their great lesson. Should that none of the current candidates at the nominating Convention have the necessary majority of delegate votes, she would jump up, so Palin to CNN.
And when's then again doesn't work? Gives up it finally?
With regard to a candidacy at the presidential election 2016 said Palin CNN: "Everything is possible for an American, and I reject any plan which is currently evading my control." She will "everything seriously considering draw", what they can do to their country to "help"...
GOD BLESS AMERICA! Jeb Bush is the better alternative!
Finally great President Obama will win.
Americas majority is to clever to follow a joke.
KlausStoertebeker writes:
I read the book of Zbigniew Brzezinski. A great American politician.
Talk about America's crises that so summarizes Brzezinski in his latest book:
•an exploding national debt: Without budget reform America's liabilities according to Brooking s Institution be fast high already by 2025 to more than 108% of GDP - nearly orders of magnitude as in the failure state of Greece.
•a still lax controlled financial system, in which the four largest U.S. banks are now even greater than before the global financial crisis, "too big to fail" so. This invites you to new poker games.
•a dramatically increased gap between rich and poor, in which the richest percent of U.S. society has accumulated almost forty percent of the total assets.
•a rotting infrastructure, awarded by American engineer group a "D" - American students to transfer must fear with such a miserable note. For example, In China, most modern high-speed trains travel on 5,000 km of tracks. America's balance sheet: 0 km.
•public ignorance about the rest of the world: 88 percent of young Americans could find Afghanistan in polls not on the map, while U.S. soldiers there fought.
•a political system in which hopelessly divided camp would rather block place cooperate, fired by partisan media - and thanks to new funding rules five very wealthy individuals were allowed to finance about 25 percent of all Republican pre-election spending.
By conservative candidates, nothing is heard - aside from the national debt, which are consistently blamed on Obama on these points. Instead they outdo themselves in incantations, America still is how unique.
GOD BLESS AMERICA! AND GIVE AMERICA A WAKE UP CALL!
ajm3s writes:
Campaign slogan gaining popularity: ABO
In response to your bullets:
Point 1: the debt increase in the last 3 yrs dwarfs all debt increases in the prior years! Under whose watch?
Point 2: even with Dodd/Frank passage last year! That is quite a feat!
Point 3: the gap between rich and poor is old campaingn rhetoric we are now unto the new fixation from the White House: mandatory contraceptive coverage in all insurance policies, regardless of personal convictions of employer or self-insured agency. With personal calls to a law student lamenting its costs even with Planned Parenthood 3.2 miles away.
Point 4: rotting infrastructure which continues! Geez, with all that stimulus money, only a small portion of the $878MM was for infrastructure, and the rationale was for job ready NOT based on need. Jolly bridge was in dire need? but shovel ready!
Point 5: ignorance of the rest of the world?, that's why we use GPS, its now stored in chip memory instead of ours.
Point 6: I thought that was the function of the Senate to be a slow and deliberative body in contrast to the House which acted quickly as well served as the appropriation arm. Now replaced with executive orders by Mr. O.
Point 7: I believe Americans have waken, that is why you start to see some new signs on the lawn.
ABO
Note: the first two years of Mr. O's administration had control of both legislative houses. Imagine, squandering all that power, and now to claim its the Republicans or a divided legislature to blame for the points outlined above. Does leadership have any meaning in your lexicon? Because Mr. O is severely lacking, but not in donations to his re-election, which I believe will dwarf his opposition.
LOL
KlausStoertebeker writes:
Point 1: the debt increase in the last 3 yrs dwarfs all debt increases in the prior years! Under whose watch?
I GUESS PRESIDENT W BUSH!
Point 2: even with Dodd/Frank passage last year! That is quite a feat!
OF WHOM?
Point 3: the gap between rich and poor is old campaingn rhetoric we are now unto the new fixation from the White House: mandatory contraceptive coverage in all insurance policies, regardless of personal convictions of employer or self-insured agency. With personal calls to a law student lamenting its costs even with Planned Parenthood 3.2 miles away.
DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY AMERICANS ARE LEAVING BELOW
POVERTY LINE? BAD CAMPAIGN MOTIVE!
Point 4: rotting infrastructure which continues! Geez, with all that stimulus money, only a small portion of the $878MM was for infrastructure, and the rationale was for job ready NOT based on need. Jolly bridge was in dire need? but shovel ready!
THAT WAS NOTHING THAN A DROP IN AN OCEAN. FACT IS: AMERICA HAS NO MONEY ANYMORE. IN THE MOMENT THE DEBT INTEREST IS BY 1 %. MEANS 20 % OF THE FEDERAL BUDGET. DO YOU KNOW WHAT 2 % INTEREST AND MORE MEANS?
Point 5: ignorance of the rest of the world?, that's why we use GPS, its now stored in chip memory instead of ours.
BAD EXCUSE!
Point 6: I thought that was the function of the Senate to be a slow and deliberative body in contrast to the House which acted quickly as well served as the appropriation arm. Now replaced with executive orders by Mr. O.
NOT BAD!
Point 7: I believe Americans have waken, that is why you start to see some new signs on the lawn.
WE WILL SEE!
FINALLY EVERYBODY HAS THE RIGHT OF HIS OWN OPINION OR WORLD PICTURE.
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