Results of the Maine 2012 Caucuses

Mitt Romney Appears to be Coasting to Big Victory in Nevada Republican Caucuses (UPDATE: Romney Wins Nevada)

Mitt Romney cruising to easy win in Nevada …

With early results being counted in the Nevada Republican Caucuses, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney appears well on his way to an easy and overwhelming majority victory in Nevada. According to CNN, with 3% reporting, Romney 52%, Paul 20%, Gingrich 19% and Santorum at 9%, Romney will win gig in Nevada with Gingrich a distant second and possible third. Although, Ron Paul has already left Nevada and is in Minnesota giving speeches. What’s up with that?

Looks like Romney will win by this much

Mitt Romney is actually doing better than pre-Caucus polling. In 2008, Romney won the Nevada Caucus with 51.1% of the vote.

UPDATE I: The following is quite amazing for Romney, if the majority voting margin continues … as per the AP,  Conservatives accounted for about 4 in 5 voters in the Nevada Caucus and around 3 in 4 Nevada voters said they were tea party supporters.

UPDATE II: 10% reporting, Romney 48%, Paul 21%, Gingrich 20%, and Santorum 11%.

What is interesting is that it looks like Nevada will be the second state in a row that dispels Gingrich’s theory that Santorum needs to get out of the race to consolidate the conservative vote against Romney to win. That was not the case in Florida and certainly not in Nevada. So far Gingrich + Santorum only equals 33%. That is 15% less that Romney’s totals so far tonight.

UPDATE III: CNN Calls Nevada for Romney.

Florida Primary, a Romslide: Mitt Romney Rolls in the Sunshine State, Wins Big … Romney 46%, Newt 32%, Santorum 13%, Paul 7%

Mitt Romney wins big in Florida …

After all the debates, after all the ads, it was not even close.  With nearly 100% of the votes in, Mitt Romney wins in a landslide with 46% of the vote, Newt Gingrich second with 32%, Rick Santorum third with 13% and Ron Paul fourth with 7%. Romney gained a greater percentage of the vote than even the polls predicted.

It was an emphatic comeback for the former Massachusetts governor, who successfully fended off a major threat from former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Ga).

With 74 percent of precincts reporting, Romney led Gingrich 47 percent to 32 percent. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum came in third with 13 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul was last with 7 percent.

Exit polls showed the factors that most Florida voters used to make their decision clearly favored Romney.

Voting by county can be seen HERE.

The primary battle moves on to Nevada and Michigan, both Romney territory. Some have questioned the nastiness of the tone that the GOP primary has become; however, Mitt Romney took a different perspective on the negative campaigning during his victory speech tonight.

Welcomed to the stage at his election-night party in Tampa by his wife, Ann Romney, the former Massachusetts governor said he had news for those in the Democratic Party who hoped a hard-fought primary would leave the eventual nominee too weak to win in November.

“I’ve got news for them: A competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us, and we will win,” Romney said. “When we gather back here in Tampa seven months from now for our convention, ours will be a united party with a winning ticket for America.”

However, if Romney continues to win primaries, Newt Gingrich is going to have to bow out for the good of the party and unity. Although Newt pledges a drawn out primary battle. Really Newt? You are so quick to tell Santorum to leave the race, yet if you get beat in primary after primary, you with stay in the race. Who does that benefit but Obama? At some point if it comes to a continued primary thumping like Gingrich suffered this evening, he is going to have to act like a statesman and for the for the good of the Republican party end his Presidential run and endorse the GOP nominee. A continue drawn out primary is a mistake.Newt, you might want to think of country first and not yourself, it that is possible.

But the former House speaker is vowing a drawn-out battle for delegates as the Republican race turns next to Nevada, and then a batch of primaries in western and midwestern states. Gingrich said at his Florida rally that the latest primary showed the election has come down to a “two-person race” between him and the “Massachusetts moderate.”

As supporters waved signs emblazoned with the words, “46 States To Go,” Gingrich declared he plans to defeat “money power” with “people power” in the coming months — casting his campaign as a counterbalance to the “establishment.”

Good grief Newt, how about some cheese with that “whine”? I am no avid Romney supporter but dude … you lost and lost badly. Your complaining about negative, false ads is pathetic. What do you think that Barack Obama is going to do with $1 billion and a MSM who is in the tank for him? And also no congrats to Romney for the win in Florida. Newt may be the greater conservative, but that thin skin is hardly a positive.

Hat Tip: Hot Air

It is pretty obvious that Romney will win Nevada as it has a huge Mormon population. Romney won the 2008 Nevada caucus with over 51% of the vote. It would be a huge upset if Mitt did not do the same in 2012.

FOX News Calls South Carolina Primary for Newt Gingrich

The polls have closed in South Carolina and Fox News has called the primary for Newt Gingrich. The late Newt Gingrich surge takes the Palmetto state of South Carolina. So now each candidate has won one primary/caucus. Onward to Florida.

The South Carolina by county vote can be seen here.

ABC News also calling it for Gingrich as well. CBS counting the votes.

Newt Gingrich will defeat Mitt Romney to win today’s South Carolina primary, according to ABC News projections based on exit poll data.

Ron Paul and Rick Santorum were battling for third place.

According to exit polls, two-thirds of South Carolinian’s said that the debates matter and that the Newt affair or “open marriage” accusation from Gingrich’s ex-wife did not.  However, what should matter to GOP primary voters is why Newt Gingrich left office amid his ethics scandal. Mark my words, this will come out in the general election if Newt wins the GOP nomination and we best know up front why he left rather than face an October surprise.

Fox News calling Santorum will be third and Ron Paul a distant fourth.

As the GOP candidates head into Florida the RCP average polls are as follows: Romney 40.5%, Gingrich 22.0%, Santorum 15.0& and Paul 9.0%.

UPDATE I: Final South Carolina primary results:

Gingrich: 40.4% 243,153
Romney: 27.8% 167,279
Santorum: 17.0% 102,055
Paul: 13.0% 77,993
Cain: 1.1% 6,324
Perry: 0.4% 2,494
Huntsman: 0.2% 1,161
Bachmann: 0.1% 494

RUT-ROH … Obama All Tied Up in Hypothetical Presidential Match Up with Mitt Romney and Ron Paul

RUT-ROH … Obama All Tied Up in Hypothetical Presidential Match Up with Mitt Romney and Ron Paul

So much for Barack Obama just having to worry about a head to head match up between himself and an unnamed Republican for the 2012 Presidential election. According to a recent CNN poll, Obama finds himself in a tie with GOP Presidential primary hopefuls Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. However, some wonder whether CNN is manipulating the polls again for for “Mittens”.

According to the survey, if the November election were held today and Romney were the Republican presidential nominee, 48% say they’d vote for the former Massachusetts governor, with 47% supporting the president. Romney’s one point margin is well within the poll’s sampling error.

The poll also indicates Paul statistically tied with Obama, with the president at 48% and the longtime congressman at 46%.

Full CNN poll can be read HERE.

Meanwhile, in the race for the GOP nominee, Mitt Romney is up big nationally according to Gallup … 23 point lead. Looks like Romney is up big in Florida as well.