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In Mississippi, Santorum Makes Case For Two-Man Race By NBC's Andrew Rafferty JACKSON, Miss. -- Rick Santorum called on Mississippi voters to deliver the knockout blow that would end Newt Gingrich's candidacy and make it a two-man race between Mitt Romney and the former Pennsylvania senator for the Republican nomination. "You have an opportunity here in Mississippi to narrow this race, narrow this race to a conservative versus the insider moderate. I ask you here tonight to stand with me," Santorum told a crowd of 300 at the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum on Wednesday. "If we win Mississippi, this...

A new poll released on the eve of Rick Santorum’s first campaign visit to Alabama shows the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania leading in the state Republican Party presidential primary. The statewide poll conducted by Alabama State University’s Center for Leadership and Public Policy showed 22.7 percent of likely Republican voters supported Santorum, who is scheduled to make campaign appearances Thursday in Huntsville and Mobile. Former Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney trailed Santorum with 18.7 percent, followed by Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House from neighboring Georgia, with 13.8 percent. The telephone poll of 470 likely GOP voters showed...

Newt Gingrich stands to gain more than 50 delegates in the Republican presidential race, thanks to his overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s Georgia primary. .....If the totals hold, Rick Santorum would fall about 3,500 ballots shy of reaching 20 percent of the statewide vote. Failing to meet that threshold means Santorum was shut out of a share of 34 delegates awarded based on the statewide vote. Only Gingrich and Romney met that minimum percentage. Based on his vote total alone, Gingrich stands to win 16 statewide delegates; Romney 8. Under the state GOP rules, the remaining 10 statewide delegates are awarded...

'I don't think that Barack Obama is really looking out for my interests as he said he would,' 26-year-old law student tells MTV News. ATLANTA — When we showed up at the pseudo-ritzy Renaissance Hotel in suburban Atlanta last night for Newt Gingrich's victory party — looking like a hot mess after 12 hours of Super Tuesday shenanigans at Georgia Tech and Georgia State — we were planning to chat with diehard young Republicans who'd been reppin' their party since they were in Reagan-themed diapers. And sure, there were plenty of GOP geeks in full Newt regalia spittin' campaign lines...

On Fox News, Randy Evans outlines Newt’s path forward and breaks down the delegate math, which shows 2/3 of delegates are still available. Brett Baier - We thought we'd have a battle of the white boards here. First to you Randy. How does Speaker Gingrich get this nomination? How do you plan to say you can have the number of delegates? Randy Evans - Well Brett, lets start with two things first is that this idea that somehow the nomination is over. That somehow nobody can get the number now or that governor Romney has it. Lets look at this...

Mitt Romney Wins Alaska Caucuses March. 7, 2012 JUNEAU, Alaska, March 7 (UPI) -- Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney claimed victory in the Alaska caucuses, picking up the majority of states in Super Tuesday contests. Alaska's 27 delegates will be awarded proportionately later in March. With 4,285 votes, Romney claimed 32 percent of the statewide vote, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania claimed 29 percent, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas captured 24 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich got 14 percent.

Newt Gingrich is canceling campaign events scheduled for Kansas at the end of the week to shore up support in the Deep South. The former House speaker plans to pour his time and resources into Alabama and Mississippi. “Everything between Spartanburg all the way to Texas, those all need to go for Gingrich,” said campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond. The candidate’s bus, his rallies and campaign events will be trained on a southern strategy... Campaign aides also brushed off suggestions by supporters of Rick Santorum that Gingrich drop out... “All of the logic being used by the Santorum campaign is simply...

In a memo to reporters, Romney Political Director Rich Beeson laid out his camp's view that neither Santorum nor any of the other candidates in the race has any chance of securing enough delegates to secure the Republican nomination...... "Super Tuesday dramatically reduced the likelihood that any of Governor Romney's opponents can obtain the Republican nomination," Beeson wrote. "As Governor Romney's opponents attempt to ignore the basic principles of math, the only person's odds of winning they are increasing are President Obama's." Beeson cited Romney's current lead in delegates and a tough upcoming primary and caucus calendar as examples of...

Karl Rove mockingly dismissed the value of Sarah and Todd Palin's endorsements on a private conference call today, noting that their backing of Newt Gingrich in Alaska "demonstrated that endorsements don’t mean snot." BuzzFeed obtained the dial-in information for the conference call with Barclays Capital clients and employees, in which Rove outlined the state of the Republican race for the presidency and the path forward for the candidates. It’s no secret that Rove, who orchestrated President George W. Bush’s presidential wins, is no fan of the Palins, and has repeatedly sparred over with the former Alaska Governor since she entered...

Long-time conservative activist Richard Viguerie suggested today that Newt Gingrich suspend his campaign and endorse Rick Santorum in order to unite conservatives against Mitt Romney. "Looking at last night’s numbers, it has become increasing clear that the former Speaker can either be a kingmaker or a spoiler," Viguerie said in a statement today, "because, to unite conservatives, Gingrich would have to suspend his campaign and endorse Rick Santorum for the Republican nomination for President." Viguerie argued that Romney must lose the nomination in order to prevent "the debacle of four more years of an Obama presidency." Read more: http://newsok.com/richard-viguerie-suggests-newt-gingrich-drop-out/article/feed/356737#ixzz1oSe1bS1N

BOSTON -- Mitt Romney's campaign gathered the national press corps in their campaign war room this morning to deliver a simple message: It would take an "act of God" for any candidate not named Mitt Romney to win the Republican nomination. The Boston-based campaign projected confidence in Romney's ability to win the nomination given the emerging delegate math in the campaign following last night's Super Tuesday contests. "We will get to 1,144 whether it's on someone else’s timeline, or on our timeline," said one top Romney aide. "We will get to 1,144 and be the Republican nominee." The background briefing...

2012 Primary Process Delegate Allocation: Of the 66 total delegates, 48 are allocated on a winner-take-all basis by Congressional district. Fifteen at-large delegates are allocated proportionally based on statewide vote for candidates, with a threshold of 20 percent; winner-take-all if a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the statewide vote. Three R.N.C. representatives are unbound. Eligibility: Open to members of the Republican Party. Members of other parties can change party affiliation and vote in primary.

Newt was on Bill Bennett’s show this morning. He sounded very tired (to be expected) but encouraged that he had done well and picked up his home state. He sounded committed to the idea of promoting his values and agenda. Neither of these two, Santorum and Gingrich, really want to get out but they are both realizing that America's third choice is careening towards a delegate victory. If neither of them is going to get out, Gingrich and Santorum need to have some Lincoln Douglas modified debates that exclude the two liberal candidates. I think they would begin to siphon...

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...

Columbus, Ohio (CNN) -- Mitt Romney won six Super Tuesday states including the big prize of Ohio, while Rick Santorum took three states and Newt Gingrich grabbed a vital triumph in Georgia, CNN projected. Romney was projected early Wednesday to win Alaska's caucuses, the last to tally votes among the 10 states with delegates up for grabs.

Rick Santorum's campaign is calling on conservatives to pressure Newt Gingrich to abandon his bid for the White House, a senior adviser told reporters tonight. Senior campaign strategist John Brabender said the key for the campaign going forward will be creating an opportunity to challenge Mitt Romney one-on-one, though Brabender maintained the Santorum campaign would not directly call on Gingrich to drop out of the race. "We're never going to call on anybody to get out, but what we are calling is on Tea Party supporters and conservatives is to rally behind the only candidate that has demonstrated over and...

Romney wins OH. Gingrich scrapes 15% of vote.

Contra Michigan, early voting may save Santorum in TN. Basically a 3 way tie among election day voters, but he's up with early ones.

Ohio: Romney 37, Santorum 36, Gingrich 15, Paul 11 Romney and Santorum tied at 36 among Ohio election day voters, but Romney up 41-34 on votes in the bank This seems like it could be a key stat- Romney up 40-23 with folks who decided in the last few days in Ohio.

Rick Santorum indicated that Newt Gingrich should drop out of the presidential race, arguing -- as Gingrich did during his surge -- that splitting the "anti-Romney" vote helped Mitt Romney win the Michigan primary and Washington caucuses and contributes to his overall success so far. "It's always harder when you've got to conservative running in the race as we have seen in Washington and we've seen in other states," Santorum said on Fox News Sunday. "We have the anti-Romney vote, if you will. Both Gingrich and I are slugging away." Santorum stopped short of calling for Gingrich to exit the...