Posted on 01/31/2012 2:36:57 PM PST by Red Steel
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Republican presidential hopeful Buddy Roemer said the GOP race will still be wide open after the Florida primary Tuesday, regardless if Mitt Romney wins.
Roemer said even with a Florida victory, Romney doesn't have a hold on the Republican nomination as he lost Iowa, won by a less-than-expected margin in New Hampshire and got "killed" by Gingrich in South Carolina.
"It's too early, it's wide open; Romney has no hold," Roemer said in an interview. "What will he win with [Tuesday]? Forty percent or less? I mean, he has been running for years and years and years and years, and spent hundreds-of-millions."
Romney could expect to have a significant advantage in the wider GOP race if he wins Florida's 50 crucial delegates, because the candidates immediately head west for Nevada's Feb. 4 caucuses that favor the former Massachusetts governor.
Romney won Nevada in 2008 with 51% of the vote and he crushed his next closest opponent, Ron Paul, who finished with 14%.
"He [Romney] loses Iowa, he wins by a sliver in New Hampshire -- I think 12%, he expected 22% -- he gets killed in South Carolina; he'll win tonight at 12% -- that's not enough," Roemer said.
Romney won New Hampshire by 16.4 percentage points against second-place finisher Paul, but an aggregate of major polls for that primary called for Romney to win by 20 percentage points. Romney lost the South Carolina primary to Gingrich by a shocking 12.6 percentage points after the former governor had led in most polls a week ahead of the primary.
Roemer pointed out that Barack Obama beats Romney and Gingrich in most hypothetical head-to-head general election polls because he said Republican voters are still searching for a person that can rebuild the country.
"I'd like to make my case, and we're trying to get a debate stage so we could do that," Roemer said. "I keep thinking the race is going to be over, I think it's just started.
Roemer said he wouldn't run as an independent candidate because he said it's too early in the race to make that decision.
I completely forgot about this guy. Maybe he should come out of his hole more often to get some notice.
Ok, I give up. Who is Buddy Roemer?
How many Florida voters are snowbirds? Is it common for New Englanders to register in Florida? Seems like a lot of New Yawkers would skew the results.
How many snowbirds vote in Fl or vote absentee from their state of origin. Im unsure of voting laws. Any input??
Or what is the delegate count?
Can we please let everyone vote before a winner is announced.
Will my Texas vote matter? ...I hope so.
BUT what if Romney LOSES?... by a good percentage...
roemer is my buddy!!
I guess that's the good part about polling at 0%... you can keep trying to "make your case" or whatever, but in the process you don't bring down any venom upon yourself by splitting the voter base to some other candidate's benefit.
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