Newt’s supporters won’t be pleased by this. But, thank God, Romney was edged out anyway. It was very close—although if you put the two conservatives together, Romney lost by a 2-1 margin.
Hard to say where Ron Paul voters would go if he dropped out. But he won’t, anyway. He is too fond of himself to do that, and he seems to enjoy being a spoiler. Plus, it does seem likely that Romney has promised him the VP-ship for Rand if he wins with Ron’s help.
Shoot, I'm pleased as punch this evening.
If these primaries had been held three weeks ago, Newt would have finished a distant third in both, losing to both Santorum and Romney by at least ten points. As it stands, he finished a close second in both, in large part because Santorum underperformed among groups that are supposedly his core source of support. Even though Santorum won, the results tonight suggest that Santorum's slide is still continuing, and that Newt's momentum is still building, both of these observable trends over the past three weeks that remain true, regardless of headlines.
“But, thank God, Romney was edged out anyway”
Yup.
I think the rumor that Romney and Paul have some sort of deal was put out there by the Santorum camp. I doubt Romney would pick Rand Paul for VP. I imagine it would be Marco Rubio or some other Hispanic.
Ron Paul is more humble than the other candidates. Of course, one has to have some ego to even think of running for president. Most have far too much.