Paul, Santorum, Gingrich, and Huntsman: Mitt Romney's downfall

[Maxwell]

Paul and Santorum: The Collapse of Willard Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul wins the Iowa Caucuses! Rick Santorum takes a surprising second place


Iowa Caucus Results:
Ron Paul 24.56%
Rick Santorum 24.53%
Mitt Romney 21.43%
Newt Gingrich 13.3%
Rick Perry 10.33%
Michelle Bachmann 4.97%

Bachmann drops out, endorses Rick Santorum

“Things aren’t looking good for Mitt Romney, a nomination that was looking to be his, is now being bombarded by a resounding loss in Iowa, and a violent drop in his poll numbers in New Hampshire” – Chris Matthews

“It seems that the Republican establishment is in a panic mode of Ron Paul and Rick Santorums momentum, seeing him now within the margin of error of Mitt Romney in NH and Rick Santorum with Mitt Romney nationally, and now even Huntsman is moving up from Romney falling.” – Rachel Maddow

National Poll:
Mitt Romney: 25%
Rick Santorum: 24%
Ron Paul: 20%
Newt Gingrich: 10%
Jon Huntsman 10%
Rick Perry: 1%


NH Poll:
Mitt Romney - 26%
Ron Paul - 25%
Jon Huntsman - 24%
Newt Gingrich - 12%
Rick Santorum – 6%



 “None of the other candidates on this stage are proposing any real cuts to the budget, I am” – Ron Paul

“Look, I don’t want to cut a trillion out of the budget right away, I want this to work reasonably. We can’t resort to extremism in economic times like this. We need to push our economy in the right direction before we do anything drastic.” – Mitt Romney

“When he was a governor, Mitt Romney was on the wrong side of the issues: he supported gay marriage and was pro-choice. As soon as he left office to run in 2008, he abandoned these issues to become a conservative. Now, can we really trust someone who changes this quickly. I’ve been a social conservative no matter what, cause I am a real conservative.” – Rick Santorum

“What a lot of these candidates are proposing is reckless extremism, while what Mitt Romney proposes is whatever people want to hear. I am here to propose real solutions, solutions that might not be popular to some, but solutions that will put America back on the right track” – Jon Huntsman

National Poll:
Rick Santorum: 30%
Mitt Romney: 27%
Ron Paul: 19%
Jon Huntsman: 16%
Newt Gingrich: 8%
Rick Perry: 0%


NH Poll:
Jon Huntsman: 27%
Mitt Romney: 25%
Ron Paul 24%
Rick Santorum: 13%
Newt Gingrich: 7%
Rick Perry: 0%

South Carolina poll:
Rick Santorum: 24%
Mitt Romney: 23%
Newt Gingrich: 19%
Ron Paul: 14%
Jon Huntsman: 10%
Rick Perry: 3%

“Mitt Romney got savaged on that stage from all sides, economic Conservative, social conservatives, and even moderates, while Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum did well on that stage. Pauls numbers stayed consistent, with more of his base getting rallied up due to his victory in Iowa, but more GOP fear coming through and balancing out.” – Chris Matthews

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Awesome stuff man. Hope to see more.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This was how things were supposed to go

[NHI]

Interesting, looking forward to this one.

[Maxwell]

ELECTION NIGHT NH

1% of the Precincts reporting
Ron Paul: 25.9%
Mitt Romney: 25.6%
Jon Huntsman: 25.4%
Rick Santorum: 18.4%
Newt Gingrich: 5.6%
Rick Perry: 0.1%


“It’s too close to call now, but it looks like there is a three way tie for first place right now, with a surprisingly strong fourth finish from Rick Santorum. Things don’t look good for Mitt Romney, even if it’s a narrow win, considering just before he was leading by as much as 30 points before the Iowa caucuses before his third place showing there.” – John King


 “Now hold on John, it looks as if, with more results in, we have a clearer picture of the race now. Even though the winner still isn’t clear, it looks like Rep. Ron Paul will be getting third place now, narrowly. It’s all down to the surging Jon Huntsman and establishment favorite Mitt Romney” – Wolf Blitzer

32% of the Precincts reporting:
Mitt Romney: 26.3%
Jon Huntsman: 26.2%
Ron Paul: 24.5%
Rick Santorum: 18.5%
Newt Gingrich: 4.0%
Rick Perry: 0.1%

“Now our reporters at Romney headquarters say there is a dead calmness in the room right now. There aren’t many people there, a sure sign of weakness, but the people who are there are now patiently awaiting the results. Hoping for a glimmer of hope from this weakening campaign” – John King

“Well the Romney camp certainly has something to be afraid of here, but no longer is it Ron Paul” – Wolf Blitzer

That morning...

“It looks like the election is being called… for Governor Romney!” – Wolf Blitzer

Mitt Romney wins the New Hampshire Primary, Huntsman and Paul close second and third


100% of the Precincts reporting:
Mitt Romney: 26.0%
Jon Huntsman: 25.9%
Ron Paul: 24.8%
Rick Santorum: 18.6%
Newt Gingrich: 5.0%
Rick Perry: 0.1%

Rick Perry Drops Out, doesn’t make an endorsement, but makes statements favorable to Santorum and Gingrich.


"Even though Romney, from the brink of death, pulls a victory out, he still has plenty of competition for the position that he previously claimed throughout the primary race." - Chris Matthews

Delegate Count:
Mitt Romney: 11
Ron Paul: 10
Rick Santorum: 8
Jon Huntsman: 3
Newt Gingrich:0

[GLPman]

Interesting. I'd love to see Gingrich clinch the nomination .

[Maxwell]

South Carolina

National Polls:
Mitt Romney: 20%
Rick Santorum: 20%
Ron Paul: 19%
Jon Huntsman: 16%
Newt Gingrich: 12%

South Carolina Poll:
Rick Santorum: 26%
Newt Gingrich: 23%
Mitt Romney: 20%
Ron Paul: 12%
Jon Huntsman: 7%

Florida Poll:
Mitt Romney: 32%
Newt Gingrich: 23%
Jon Huntsman: 22%
Rick Santorum: 8%
Ron Paul: 5%

Nevada Poll:
Ron Paul: 30%
Mitt Romney: 29%
Jon Huntsman: 28%
Newt Gingrich: 5%
Rick Santorum: 4%

“Due to Gingrich’s performance in the South Carolina debate and his newfound monetary strength,  he’s being pushed into the top tier of the South Carolina primary, beating a 3rd place Romney by a full six point margin. However, Santorum’s strength with social conservatives in South Carolina is causing Newt to but head to head with the former senator” – Wolf Blitzer

“Thanks to Mitt Romney’s superior strategy and thinking ahead, Romney still maintains a strong lead in Florida, but for how long? What seemed like an insurmountable lead has now shrunk to single digits, with Huntsman and Gingrich surging. Santorum, rather, is looking towards South Carolina for his first win, while Paul is looking for his second win in Nevada, where he has considerable Mormon competition in Huntsman and Romney, looking like a rematch of New Hampshire.” – Chris Matthews

Skipping to the results (cause I am feeling a tad lazy)

Rick Santorum wins the South Carolina Primary, even in the midsts of Newtmentum
South Carolina Results:
Rick Santorum: 31.26%
Newt Gingrich: 30.00%
Mitt Romney: 18.54%
Ron Paul: 12.20%
Jon Huntsman: 8.00%




“I will continue to fight for the conservative values that I believe in, and the results show that America is fighting with me!” – Rick Santorum



“Just a couple of weeks ago, they counted us out. They said we couldn’t do it. Well let me tell you America… big ideas CAN still happen!” – Newt Gingrich



“I will continue my campaign as we look on to Florida, where I think we will make a big impact.” – Mitt Romney

Delegates:
Rick Santorum: 27
Mitt Romney: 11
Ron Paul: 10
Newt Gingrich: 4
Jon Huntsman: 3

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Its make or break for Romney in Florida, but if he is forced out, I have a hard time seeing Huntsman filling in the void as the main "establishment" candidate. God knows Paul won't be that guy, so I guess Santorum will get that slot.

[Maxwell]

Its make or break for Romney in Florida, but if he is forced out, I have a hard time seeing Huntsman filling in the void as the main "establishment" candidate. God knows Paul won't be that guy, so I guess Santorum will get that slot.

Thats the kink in my narrative that I am quietly working out, whether or not Romney wins in Florida, but you're right that it gets difficult to see who takes that establishment spot once Romney is forced out.

[Mister Mets]

Interesting.

I've been considering recently who Santorum would have chosen as a running mate. My guess was Rand Paul, as a way to broaden his base.

So I'll definitely be interested in this version of the veepstakes.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Interesting.

I've been considering recently who Santorum would have chosen as a running mate. My guess was Rand Paul, as a way to broaden his base.

So I'll definitely be interested in this version of the veepstakes.

Rand or Huntsman would of been great picks. It's funny, I too was thinking the same thing last week.

[Maxwell]

Florida Primaries

National Polls:
Rick Santorum: 28%
Mitt Romney: 19%
Ron Paul: 19%
Newt Gingrich: 17%
Jon Huntsman: 17%

Florida Polls:
Newt Gingrich: 27%
Mitt Romney: 26%
Jon Huntsman: 22%
Rick Santorum: 13%
Ron Paul: 8%

Nevada Polls:
Ron Paul: 33%
Jon Huntsman: 27%
Mitt Romney: 24%
Rick Santorum: 3%
Newt Gingrich: 3%

Colorado Polls:
Jon Huntsman: 42%
Ron Paul: 28%
Mitt Romney: 15%
Rick Santorum: 7%
Newt Gingrich: 2%

Minnesota Polls:
Ron Paul: 41%
Rick Santorum: 24%
Jon Huntsman: 20%
Mitt Romney: 7%
Newt Gingrich: 2%

Missouri Polls:
Rick Santorum: 40%
Mitt Romney: 25 %
Newt Gingrich: 20%
Jon Huntsman: 7%
Ron Paul: 3%

“Florida Polls are showing that, inspite of Gingrich’s narrow loss in South Carolina, his campaign in the state seems to be working, putting him oh so slightly ahead of Romney in the polls there. Santorum’s win in South Carolina certifies him at this time to be the frontrunner. Don’t count Romney quite out yet, he’s within margin of error of Florida, the make or break state for his campaign. He's not Giuliani yet! However, the three states after Nevada, where Romney is within margin of error of second (would be the easy winner if it weren’t for the Mormon split with Huntsman), things aren’t looking favorable for him: Minnesota is clearly Ron Paul territory, even with Bachmann's Santorum endorsement, Huntsman is aiming at his first win in the state of Colorado, and Santorum is aiming for a HUGE win in Missouri, where he leads only second place finish in those states by a whole fifteen percentage points. It’s all down to Florida though for his campaign.” – Chris Matthews



“I think the American people want to know what you did at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac!” – Mitt Romney

“I think it is unconscable for someone to try to pin that on me, I was merely a historian” – Newt Gingrich”

“They don’t hire historians for over 2 million dollars Newt!” – Mitt Romney

“YES THEY DO!” – Newt’s thoughts

“As the Florida debates close, Romney gets at least a couple points boost, pushing him back in the lead in Florida, the ever important decision maker for Romney, It seems as if the make-or-break state for Romney is going to be a make. Gingrich is falling down and Huntsman can’t seem to pick up his numbers, even though he is pushing a hard third, maybe even up to second by election day!” – Wolf Blitzer

FLORIDA ELECTION DAY
12% of Precincts Reporting
Mitt Romney: 27%
Newt Gingrich: 25%
Jon Huntsman: 25%
Rick Santorum: 13%
Ron Paul: 10%

“While its too close to call yet, Romney’s lead has been growing since the beginning of the night, so it looks as if it’s a Romney win right now, but its hard to say.” – John King

“What does this say about Santorum and Paul, who are clearly fourth and fifth respectively?” – Wolf Blitzer

“Well, all that means is that their focus is, rightly so, on future primaries. Paul is focused heavily on smaller states, while Santorum is looking at his socially conservative base, which extends to Missouri, the south, and even Michigan. Santorum might even hang on to his national lead if Romney squeaks out, which is what is seeming to happen.” – John King

“What about Gingrich, if he loses tonight, where does he go?” – Wolf Blitzer

“It’s hard to say, Gingrich has been staking his campaign on wins in South Carolina and Florida. His campaign would’ve continued with a win in one, but as it looks like now it’s a win in none, so his chances are thin and I think he is done even with a strong second because he has no real base of support.” – John King

“And Huntsman?” – Wolf Blitzer

“Unlike Gingrich, Huntsman has been running a great campaign on more moderate/conservative republicans that are frustrated with Romney’s constant flip-flopping and Santorum’s socially-focused conservatism, but are unwilling to go into the Paulite zone. A strong second in Florida would help him solidize himself as a serious candidate, and should he make a strong performance in Nevada, and finally, a win in Colorado, then he should be on the map.” – John King

“We’ll get back to that in a moment, but CNN would like to call the Florida election for Mitt Romney.” – Wolf Blitzer

Romney wins the Florida Primary, with Huntsman edging second
Florida Primary Results:
Mitt Romney: 28.46%
Jon Huntsman:  27.12%
Newt Gingrich: 22.45%
Rick Santorum: 12.97%
Ron Paul: 9.00%



“I’m glad America is on board with our message of personal responsibility and economic prosperity!” – Mitt Romney


“I was surpised by how close I came once again to a huge victory! All I have to say is Nevada and Colorado… I’m coming for ya!” – Jon Huntsman



“Tonight, I am suspending my campaign. Even though we came back from the brink, what ended up happening was a fallbackward, and no longer see an opportunity for grandiose ideas. I will not be making an endorsement until all is final in the unrest of these primaries” – Newt Gingrich

Mitt Romney: 61
Rick Santorum: 27
Ron Paul: 10
Jon Huntsman: 3
Newt Gingrich: 4

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

I think Florida was supposed to allocate delegates proportionally, as no state could use a winner take all system til after April 1st. I don't know why the RNC never used its own rules. But this is great. I'm working on something similar.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Great update Can I suggest using the color code "gold" instead of yellow? It makes it easier to read, while not going all the way for organge.

Even with a Florida win, where else can Romney really go in the near future? He might be able to hold out until Super Tuesday, but that still is a good distance into the future.

[Maxwell]

Nevada, and then Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado

National Poll:
Rick Santorum: 34%
Ron Paul: 24%
Mitt Romney: 22%
Jon Huntsman: 20%

Nevada Poll:
Ron Paul: 35%
Jon Huntsman: 30%
Mitt Romney: 25%
Rick Santorum: 5%

Colorado poll:
Jon Huntsman: 45%
Ron Paul: 25%
Rick Santorum:16%
Mitt Romney: 14%

Missouri poll:
Rick Santorum: 50%
Mitt Romney: 30%
Jon Huntsman: 10%
Ron Paul: 5%

Minnesota:
Ron Paul: 45%
Rick Santorum: 30%
Jon Huntsman: 14%
Mitt Romney: 7%

Maine:
Ron Paul: 42%
Jon Huntsman: 30%
Mitt Romney: 23%
Rick Santorum: 5%

Much Later:

Michigan:
Rick Santorum: 35%
Mitt Romney: 25%
Jon Huntsman: 22%
Ron Paul: 15%

Arizona:
Mitt Romney: 40%
Jon Huntsman: 34%
Rick Santorum: 20%
Ron Paul: 15%


"The map ahead so far looks stagnant: some for sure wins for candidates. Ron Paul has a death grip on Minnesota, Jon Huntsman on Colorado, and Santorum on Missouri. It looks like an uneventful night coming up. But tonight is the night before the Nevada primary, where Ron Paul has been seriously throwing his resources against Huntsman and Romney. Romney, just winning the Florida primary by a thread, looks for a way, any way, to continue his momentum. Unforunately, it seems like Paul and Huntsmans constant campaigning (and Huntsman splitting of the mormon vote) has shut down Romney's possibility in the state, pushing him to third place. It looks like Romney will have to wait til Michigan, where Santorum has worked himself a huge lead in a state where Romney was born in. Luckily, Romney still holds a sizable lead in Arizona, a must win state." - Chris Matthews

Ron Paul wins in Nevada, beating his poll numbers!
Nevada Primary Results:
Ron Paul: 40.82%
Jon Huntsman: 28.53%
Mitt Romney: 19.56%
Rick Santorum: 11.09%



"My supporters are wonderful, and I am glad they are continuing their support of the freedom revolution currently happening within the Republican party!" - Ron Paul

"Ron Paul wins the first sizable victory of the campaign! It looks like the Paul campaign, inspite of all efforts to invalidate its viability, remains so. Huntsman, slightly downgrading his poll numbers, still gives a strong showing that won't destroy his decidedly very strong showing in Colorado, and Santorum even pushes 11% in a state when he was previously polling below 3%. Among all this progress, its Romney, the leader of the pack in Florida, who goes down." - Chris Matthews

Meanwhile, at Fox News...



"The utter incompetency of the Romney campaign to deal with these people challenging his campaign is absurd. He's dealing with the craziest senator in the country, a moderate-to-liberal Governor of Utah, and the craziest congresman in the country... this is outrageous" - Bill O'Reilly

"If the Romney campaign doesn't shape up, it looks like the American people will shut them down" - Sean Hannity

"A campaign of this level of incompetency is something I can't even remeber. Even McCain managed to get rid of his competitors, although now I question him because of them is Romney. It's time for him to step down and let a real conservative take the reigns" - Rush Limbaugh.

Back in the World

"It looks like Fox News's fury is all on Mitt Romney, surprising since he's been trying to appeal to them, while fellow moderate Huntsman has been taking the high road. Either way, this can't be good for his campaign, going into three states where it doesn't look favorable."

Results from Triple State Fantasm:

Minnesota:
Ron Paul: 47.53%
Rick Santorum: 27.43%
Jon Huntsman: 16.23%
Mitt Romney: 8.81%

"This is not a good showing for a state that Romney won significantly in 2008, but there are reasons. One, Ron Paul showed strong in 08, and it seems Ron Paul's movement has shown much more traction this year. Another reason is that Santorum has high traction with social conservatives, and this plays to his strength in Minnesota, where the Republicans are further to the right than most in liberal states such as Minnesota. Finally, Huntsman is gaining traction with moderates, seeing as Romney isn't picking up really anywhere." - Wolf Blitzer

Colorado:
Jon Huntsman: 43.54%
Ron Paul: 34.95%
Rick Santorum: 15.21%
Mitt Romney: 6.30%

"Huntsman's long anticipated win finally came with Colorado, but it wasn't as big as expected, mostly suffered by Romney, but also by Santorum, whose social conservative base did not come to show as big this year. Ron Paul, however, thanks to momentum from a more serious win in Nevada, pushed his margin closer, and moving towards the single digits. Still, Huntsman pulls off his first big win." - John King

Missouri:
Rick Santorum: 59.55%
Mitt Romney: 17.36%
Jon Huntsman: 15.45%
Ron Paul: 7.64%

"... and Santorum pulls off a 40 point victory over Romney and Huntsman in Missouri, a state that was obviously his for the win. Not a single piece of good news tonight for Romney, whose momentum after Florida was immediately killed." - Wolf Blitzer

Delegates:
Rick Santorum:90
Mitt Romney: 68
Ron Paul: 64
Jon Huntsman: 27

[Maxwell]

Michigan, Arizona... and the build-up to the Most Super Tuesday of 2012!

Michigan Polls:
Rick Santorum: 37%
Mitt Romney: 26%
Jon Huntsman: 20%
Ron Paul: 17%

Arizona Polls:
Mitt Romney: 38%
Jon Huntsman: 33%
Rick Santorum: 24%
Ron Paul: 5%

Maine Polls:
Ron Paul: 44%
Jon Huntsman: 30%
Mitt Romney: 20%
Rick Santorum: 3%

Wyoming:
Mitt Romney: 43%
Jon Huntsman: 42%
Ron Paul: 10%
Rick Santorum: 5%

Washington:
Ron Paul: 38%
Jon Huntsman: 37%
Mitt Romney: 20%
Rick Santorum: 5%


"After the three state strike out for Mitt Romney, polls remain stagnant in these upcoming three states, even as Michigan stands as Romney's home state. Plus his 'trees are the right height' gaffe seems to be making an impact on his likability, where Santorum's family man image and populist conservative rhetoric is speaking to his consitutiency there. Maine seems increasingly out of reach for anyone not named Ron Paul, even with Huntsman's attempt at an insurgent campaign out there. In good news for Romney, Arizona seems to be safe keeping, even with, again, an insurgent campaign by Jon Huntsmen." - Chris Matthews



"Rick, you're going to try to convince people you're a conservative, but you're merely a big spending liberal who wants to invade our personal lives!" - Ron Paul

"You're right, Paul, I don't want to just let people do as they please! Thats not what our founding fathers invisioned!" - Rick Santorum

"I believe the statements that Santorum are making are just showing the kind of radical nature that Americans don't want in their politics! Should I be elected, we will focus on solutions, not soap boxes for extreism." - Jon Huntsman

"I agree with Huntsman" - Mitt Romney

"What was supposed to a momentum of vigor and force for the Romney campaign turned into one for Jon Huntsman, whose campaign has been quietly moving forward after his big win yet expected win in Colorado, picking up a large crowd of moderates unconvinced by Romney's constant change in ideology. It seems as if that will have an impact in Michigan, where Santorums numbers are shrinking due to his weak performance in the debate where he attempted to fight off blacklash from all three candidates. It looks like the polls, while less than expected, will stand in the elections tonight." - Chris Matthews

Michigan Primary:
Rick Santorum: 34.53%
Mitt Romney: 27.84%
Jon Huntsman: 25.52%
Ron Paul: 12.11%

Arizona Primary:
Mitt Romney: 34.21%
Jon Huntsman: 33.82%
Rick Santorum: 19.35%
Ron Paul: 12.62%

"Thank you people of Arizona for continuing my presidential campaign, and we will march onto Super Tuesday!" - Mitt Romney

"I am happy for our victory in Michigan, so hopefully we will push for more manfuacturing jobs as we lead the way to Super Tuesday!" - Rick Santorum

"Wow folks. Once again, the pundits couldn't catch us, as we managed to, once again, put the picked favorites into a tight squeeze. Even though we didn't quite make it, it shows that we are still a viable and electable choice for 2012 and I will be continuing my campaign onto Super Tuesday!" - Jon Huntsman

"The freedom movement will continue onto Maine, Washington, and to the states of Super Tuesday!" - Ron Paul

Speaking of Maine...

Maine Caucus:
Ron Paul: 43.21%
Jon Huntsman: 38.53%
Mitt Romney: 14.62%
Rick Santorum: 3.04%


"Well ya look at that!" - Ron Paul

"On the way, we have two more states before Super Tuesday comes up: Washington and Wyoming. One is very important to the Ron Paul campaign, the other to Romney, and both are important to Jon Huntsman: either one a win for Huntsman, and he gains some momentum for Super Tuesday. The other candidate, Santorum, having gained enough momentum from his victory in Michigan even when he lost the Arizona debates allows him to continue onto Super Tuesday, even without a giant win in either of the states, as the polls show him in dead last in both. " - Rachel Maddow

Washington Results:
Ron Paul: 40.25%
Jon Huntsman: 39.57%
Mitt Romney: 14.53%
Rick SAntorum: 5.65%

Wyoming Results:
Jon Huntsman: 45.34%
Mitt Romney: 42.45%
Ron Paul: 8.21%
Rick Santorum: 4.00%

"The story out of the night is that Huntsman survives. He skids out of the Wyoming caucus by beating Mitt Romney by 3 points. Ron Paul, however, also skids out of the Washington caucus, beating Huntsman by less than a percent. Either way, the momentum is on the side of any candidate for Super Tuesday. Any candidate, that is, except for Mitt Romney, who cannot build on any of his wins it seems like." - Chris Matthews


Delegate Map

Mitt Romney: 122
Rick Santorum: 103
Ron Paul: 96
Jon Huntsman: 80

Super Tuesday Poll Map

Romney States:
Massachussets (Easy)
Virginia (Medium, Slight Paul contention)
Ohio (Hard, Strong Santorum conetntion)

Santorum States:
Tennessee (Easy)
Oklahoma (Easy)
Georgia (Easy)

Paul States:
Alaska (Easy)
North Dakota (Easy)
Vermont (Medium, slight Huntsman contention)

Huntsman States:
Idaho (Hard, slight Romney contention and Paul contention)

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Hoping for a brokered convention

[Maxwell]

Super Tuesday: One candidates momentum is another candidates downfall!



"It looks as if the first results are coming in for Super Tuesday, and all of the states are serious contests. First Vermont, suprising, because most considered that an easier Paul state. But the liberal republicans in Vermont decided to, instead, side more with Huntsman, as he is leading by a paper thin margin so far, far exceeding his poll numbers. Still, its nothing to snuff at, its still early in the night" - Chris Matthews

Vermont, 33% of the Precincts in:
Jon Huntsman: 45.34%
Ron Paul: 43.45%
Mitt Romney: 8.12%
Rick Santorum: 3.09%

"Virginia seemed like an easy Romney victory, and it looks like he'll still win, but surprisingly, even with 15% of the Precincts in right now, its too close to call. Paul, despite demographics are running against him, has run a very insurgent campaign considering they are the only two candidates on the ballot." - Rachel Maddow

"Well, at least Romney has Massachusetts in the bag, as he pulls a far and away victory in his home state. Nothing to see there. Romney gets all 38 delegates from the state." - Lawrence O'Donnell

Virginia, 15% of the Precincts reporting:
Mitt Romney: 51.45%
Ron Paul: 48.55%



Massachusetts Results:
Mitt Romney: 59.45%
Jon Huntsman: 29.21%
Ron Paul: 7.45%
Rick Santorum: 3.89%

"Another close margin today, this time in a very important state for Romney to win: Ohio. And it  doesn't look good so far. He was leading by single digits, but Santorum's conservative populist message has managed to infiltrate, and so far he is picking up a lead early on. Still to close to call, but it looks call-worthy soon enough. This adds to Santorums good news with easy victories in Tennessee and Georgia." - Keith Olbermann




Tennesse Primary:
Rick Santorum: 51.23%
Mitt Romney: 28.06%
Ron Paul: 10.75%
Jon Huntsman: 9.96%



Georgia Primary:
Rick Santorum:57.19%
Mitt Romney: 25.91%
Ron Paul: 9.55%
Jon Huntsman: 6.56%

Ohio, 25% of the Precincts reporting:
Rick Santorum: 36.55%
Mitt Romney: 35.25%
Jon Huntsman: 17.85%
Ron Paul: 10.35%

"Now we're going to make some calls: we'd like to call Vermont for Huntsman, and Virginia for Romney." - Chris Matthews



Vermont Primary:
Jon Huntsman: 46.42%
Ron Paul: 42.83%
Mitt Romney: 8.25%
Rick Santorum: 2.50%



Virginia Primary:
Mitt Romney: 52.15%
Ron Paul: 47.85%

"Now a couple more states have results: One from North Dakota, and the other from Oklahoma. And the choices are clear for both states: North Dakota for Ron Paul (his first win of the night) and Oklahoma for Santorum." - Rachel Maddow



North Dakota Primary:
Ron Paul: 50.43%
Rick Santorum: 25.75%
Jon Huntsman: 12.32%
Mitt Romney: 11.50%



Oklahoma Primary:
Rick Santorum: 53.80%
Mitt Romney: 28.50%
Jon Huntsman: 9.63%
Ron Paul: 7.50%

"And now time for some calls... one that might the mark of an end of a campaign. Ohio goes to Santorum." - Chris Matthews



Ohio Primary:
Rick Santorum: 38.54%
Mitt Romney: 35.43%
Jon Huntsmen: 17.02%
Ron Paul: 9.01%

"As the polls close in Idaho and Alaska, it appears that Romney is preparing a statement. From what I hear, its about the state of his campaign, which seems to point to his withdraw from the campaign, but we will have to wait until then. The final two states are clear victories: Idaho for Huntsmen, and Alaska for Ron Paul." - Lawrence O'Donnell



Idaho Primary:
Jon Huntsman: 53.45%
Ron Paul: 33.22%
Mitt Romney: 10.00%
Rick Santorum: 3.33%



Alaska Primary:
Ron Paul: 40.82%
Mitt Romney: 28.42%
Jon Huntsman: 23.55%
Rick Santorum: 7.21%

Rick Santorum: 294
Mitt Romney: 258
Ron Paul: 152
Jon Huntsman:137

[Maxwell]

Mitt Romney quits race

"Thank you everyone for all of your efforts to help my campaign, but I no longer see a course of action I can take that would cause my victory without obstruction of the party. As a result, I am withdrawing from the Presidential race, and endorsing Jon Huntsman, whose strong executive leadership is closest to my solutions based campaign. Hopefully he will bring economic prosperity to this country and defeats Barack Obama!" - Mitt Romney




"Because of Romney's announcement, most of his numbers in the polls receeds to Huntsman, but even then, Santorum's momentum for Super Tuesday clearly makes him the frontrunner for the moment being." - Wolf Blitzer

National Polling:
Rick Santorum: 40%
Jon Huntsman: 35%
Ron Paul: 25%

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I assume Huntsman is now the "establishment" candidate? Weird seeing a liberal (in my opinion, the second most conservative, but the base does not think like me on this one), conservative, and tea party candidate all heading towards the convention. This will be good

Also, is Buddy Roemer still running? He might become relevent later on as the choices narrow down.

[Maxwell]

Skipping to the end of the Primary season:

Jon Huntsman: 968
Rick Santorum: 703
Ron Paul: 278
Mitt Romney: 258

"Now these would be the numbers, however Mitt Romney is making a special announcement today, and from what we hear, it is very beneficial to Jon Huntsman. That guess is partially because it is WITH frontrunner in terms of delegates Jon Huntsman." - Chris Matthews



"Today is the day I guess. I am announcing I am releasing my delegates, with a recommended course for the next president of the United States, Jon Huntsman!" - Mitt Romney

"Thank you, Mitt." - Jon Huntsman

"Since, as we expect, most, if not all, of Romney's delegates will go to his endorsed candidate, that pushes Huntsman over the 1144 edge, and, as a result, finally makes him the nominee for President under the rules of the RNC primary rules!"

Jon Huntsman: 1208
Rick Santorum: 709
Ron Paul: 290



"I guess its time to endorse, and I will fight for our Republican nominee..." - Rick Santorum



"I will not be making an endorsement as of yet, but it doesn't look favorable so far" - Ron Paul

PPP (D):
Jon Huntsman: 48%
Barack Obama: 44%

Rasmussen:
Jon Huntsman: 49%
Barack Obama: 42%

CNN:
Jon Huntsman: 46%
Barack Obama: 45%

Fox:
Jon Huntsman: 44%
Barack Obama: 44%

[Maxwell]

I assume Huntsman is now the "establishment" candidate? Weird seeing a liberal (in my opinion, the second most conservative, but the base does not think like me on this one), conservative, and tea party candidate all heading towards the convention. This will be good

Also, is Buddy Roemer still running? He might become relevent later on as the choices narrow down.

no, but in this timeline American's Elect gets its act together and nominates Buddy Roemer as their candidate.

The libertarians still nominate Gary Johnson as their nominee.

[Jerseyrules]

This is great man; keep it up!

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

This is great. But Huntsman is the one candidate that I and Obama was afraid of. He'll beat him sadly.

[Jerseyrules]

I don't know.  I think Obama and his team were pretty afraid of Ron Paul, if only because his low name regognition meant that he had a lot to work with once he got to tap into the GOP cash pits, provided something crazy happens and he actually wins the nomination.