Right now I am watching CNN's Nevada coverage, and as somewhat expected, Mitt Romney is the projected winner by a substantial margin. Earlier today he made a campaign stop in Colorado, the next primary, but he is back at Romney headquarters in Nevada to address his supporters. As of now, the results are as follows: Romney 47%, Gingrich 22%, Paul 19%, and Santorum 12%.
According to the entrance polls, Romney won nearly every category. Not only was he favored among moderates and liberals but also among the "very conservative," a constituency for whose loyalty he has struggled. Economic issues seemed to be the most relevant for Nevada citizens, which certainly helped Romney's cause. 45% of Nevada voters said that the ability to defeat Obama was their most important candidate quality, and these adults gravitated towards Romney. He won 91% of the Mormon vote (shocker), but also the largest chunks of the Catholic and Protestant vote.
Rick Santorum did not really bother with Nevada, focusing his attention on getting a headstart in Colorado. He spoke at a dinner tonight, discoursing mainly about liberty, health care, and the qualities of an ideal Republican nominee. Santorum attacked Obama's fancy of entitlement programs and claimed that the president "doesn't believe that America was born great." Santorum is not phased by Romney's win in Nevada, calling the state Romney's "home court." Furthermore, Santorum frequently cites recent polls that show that he, not Romney, would actually have the best chances against Obama.
Newt Gingrich continues to maintain that he will not drop out of the race, at least before Super Tuesday on March 6th, on which day Gingrich expects to win a handful of states.
Although Romney's victory tonight comes as no huge surprise, many commentators believe that his win in this first state in February will set a precedent for the rest of the month, and that that momentum would cut deeply into Gingrich's chances to win big on Super Tuesday. What are your thoughts?
Pete & Joe
1 hour ago
2 comments:
I do think that the large amounts of Mormons in Nevada helped Romney win the state. It was expected for him to win since he had won Nevada in the 2008 elections. I agree that Republican voters are focused on a candidate that can stand against Obama and a candidate that can help bring a healthy economy. It’s clear that Romney has this momentum that can help him win the primaries and causes that are to come. With his consecutive victories, Romney is the candidate to beat.
However, Romney seems to be focused on Obama more than ever and trying to ignore his Republican rivals. But I think that Romney should keep a sharp eye for Gingrich because he will not go down that easily. Gingrich has already called Romney a liberal and has stated that Romney is pro-abortion, pro-gun control, and pro-tax increase. Gingrich might also get a rebound on Super Tuesday where he will find friendlier voters in Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.
Katherine makes a really good point. While Romney's attacks on Obama are clear indicators that he is confident he will win the nomination, the race is not over yet. Romney does need to watch Gingrich, and be ready and able to fire back a rebuttal should Gingrich make any further attacks (as I am sure he will). As we learned in class and from the textbook, it has become more damaging in recent years to let an attack go undisputed.
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