Delegate tally approximately
Romney 51 Newt 45
when FL vote divided per RNC rules!
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Posted on 02/07/2012 1:20:59 PM PST by VinL
Tuesday, February 07, 2012
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney now holds a seven-point lead over Newt Gingrich to reclaim the lead in the national race for the Republican presidential nomination.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary Voters shows Romney with 34% support to Gingrich’s 27%. Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania gets 18% of the vote, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul runs last with 11%. Three percent (3%) prefer some other candidate in the race, and seven percent (7%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Two weeks ago, it was Gingrich, coming off his big South Carolina Primary win, ahead by seven - with 35% to Romney’s 28%, Santorum at 16% and Paul at 10%. But Romney’s decisive win over Gingrich in the subsequent Florida GOP Primary appears to have changed all of that.
Gingrich remains Romney’s strongest rival, even when the race is reduced to a two-candidate faceoff. When it’s Romney versus the former House speaker with no other candidates in the contest, it’s Romney 46% to Gingrich’s 40%.
Pitted against Santorum, Romney leads 50% to 38%.
The frontrunner holds a nearly two-to-one lead – 58% to 30% - over Paul in their one-to-one matchup.
Romney holds double-digit leads in both Arizona and Michigan where Republican voters will vote in February 28 primaries.
The national survey of 1,000 Likely Republican Primary Voters was conducted on February 6, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC
(Excerpt) Read more at rasmussenreports.com ...
You got it.
After tonight when Santorum wins the states, are you going to request Newt bow out? I am sorry but Newt has only won one state and Santorum will be at 3 states and they are important states quite frankly. South Carolina will always vote Republican. The states that Santorum are winning are swing states and with Santorum winning them, it will be a boon for the General.
I don’t care how many states Ricky gets, he won’t be able to carry his own state (or any other) in the general. Have your fun now but if Romney end up the nom, we’ll lose, and people WILL blame Rick Sanorum for it.
Newt needs to focus 100% of his attacks on Romney’s one and only strength: his veneer of “electability.”
That is the ONLY thing Romney’s support is built on. Create enough doubt about the wisdom of the Establishment here, and Romney’ support will crumble.
Attack Romney surrogates - Bob Dole and John McCain should be primary targets. Link Romney and Bob Dole at every chance.
Reduce Romney to Donald Trump’s “apprentice.” This works on a few different levels.
Romney’s stuttering, stumbling, stammering, flip-flops and “gaffes” should be presented as proof of a weak candidate who doesn’t know his material, and lacks the basic understanding of conservatism. Newt should present himself as the professor of conservatism, ready, willing, and able to educate the public about conservative principle as a candidate and as a president, contrasting Romney’s inability to advance the dialogue and win the debate for conservative governance.
Newt should make the case that with himself as the nominee, he will bring back conservatism from exile in Washington, and usher in a new era where conservative ideals flourish, while under Romney, conservatism will deteriorate as a movement from neglect.
I’m sure Romney will be able to buy off the delegates one way or another and ensure he comes out on top in a brokered convention. Only the Ron Paul people seem to have a grass-roots plan to become their own delegates and make sure their votes go to their guy.
The best argument I saw on here about electability said that the elites fundamentally misunderstand it. The elites think we need a moderate candidate that supposedly the independents would identify with. But that’s now it works. It didn’t work that way with Obama. What works is exciting your base so much that they create a powerful campaign and an infectious enthusiasm that the independent voters then get swept up in. They are wishy-washy enough that when they see so many people enthusiastic about any candidate, they assume that candidate must be the best one and vote for them. How anyone could think the guy who engineered the takeback of Congress in 1994 after 40 years doesn’t have EXACTLY the kind of electability we need now is beyond me.
You’re assuming Newt or Santorum voters would all avoid Romney if one of the two drops out. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. Look at the one-on-one numbers.
Romney has his eye on Virginia's Governor. (The one who helped limit the Virginia ballot to just Romney and Paul.)
I am so angry with Santorum, and the fools who support him, I could spit. And they will never see the damage they have done, nor do they care.
We should be applauding Perry for his love of country and patriotism. He puts santorum ( small s intentional ) to shame. Go NEWT!!!!
More good news ping!!!
Santorum is in an ego trip. His has always been a vanity run and now he’s perpetuating evil by permitting Romney to win. But for the vicious attack ads by Romney and Paul in Iowa, Gingricch would be running away with the race in all states and nationally and Santorum would be back home where he belongs.
Such a shame and a loss for our nation, when this election should be about real ideas and solutions, not about Romeny first buying the nomination with his lies and smears.
Perry was and is the bigger man than Rick.
Rick is going to net a couple of delegates on the only states he won’t finish last in, midwestern states.
Then his congregation will scream “SURGE!!!!!!!”
Just like Huckabee when he “surged” again and won WV, Arkansasm, and TN. It’s not a surge, it’s that he’s least weak in this region.
Rick will still be last in delegates heading into Super Tuesday. No matter, he’s running for Mitt’s Veep slot and/or a 2016 run where he’ll claim it’s his “turn.”
Rick Perry is my guy in 2016 because of his heroic act in SC. Santorum won’t even be considered. We need to reward acts like Perry’s, and punish the Santuckabees for their nonsense.
GET OUT!
Ditto that!!!!
If that’s the good news, where is the bad news?
I really want to see Romney in 3rd place! Or 4th! :)
“The only way Newt can win is if Santorum either drops out or people finally see through his campaign for what it is (spoiler). Clearly the establishment is funding to keep Santorum alive.”
I love Rick Santorum and his history of principled stands on moral/social issues near and dear to me. I WILL NOT say negative things about him. Also, I DO NOT think he is being backed by the “establishment” to knock out Newt. I think he is sincerely in the race to win.
Now, having said the above, I am supporting Newt this cycle because I think he is the best “overall” conservative (no he doesn’t match Rick on moral/social conservatism - but only there). Also, I think Rick should, God Bless Him, work out a deal with Newt to be his Veep, and then drop out and urge his group to go with Newt. In fact the two should openly say they are running as a team.
I just finished voting in today’s Missouri “beauty contest.” Newt wasn’t on the ballot....so I wrote him in. However, the polling place was deserted except for workers. I was the only person there to vote at around 4:00 PM. The machine showed only 150 people had voted in the primary (that included all parties). So, it is not being taken seriously (as it sholdn’t).
Rick needs to take on the role of servant and work with Newt. I think they would make a formidible team. They would really complement each other.
The only way Newt can win is if Santorum either drops out or people finally see through his campaign for what it is (spoiler). Clearly the establishment is funding to keep Santorum alive.Santorum is the Establishment's "conservative" decoy. His role is to run interference for them against real conservatives like Toomey and Newt, and convince conservatives that Big Government solutions are good. Santorum's "conservative" credentials are built 100% on his social attitudes towards abortion and homosexuality, not on his policy prescriptions for how the country should be governed. The truth is, there's not a dime's worth of difference between Santorum and the typical Rust Belt Catholic Democrat like Bart Stupak or Bob Casey.
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