Tag: Rick Santorum

Romney Looks Ahead to President Obama

Mitt Romney has now set his sights on President Obama and the general election with Tuesday’s sweep of Wisconsin, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

At a gathering in Washington, D.C. the following day, Mitt Romney made no mention of his primary opponents and took the opportunity to rail against the President.

In the week ahead of the primaries, influential Republicans such as Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, former President George H.W. Bush, and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush all endorsed Romney, trying to put to an end what has been a divisive primary.

On CBS Wednesday morning, former Republican nominee, and one time Romney opponent, John McCain called on Rick Santorum to drop out of the race saying, “It’s clear that [Romney] is the nominee,” … “I hope Rick Santorum understands that it is time for a graceful exit.”

Despite calls for his exit Rick Santorum has vowed to persevere. The next primary is on April 24in Santorum’s home state of Pennsylvania in what Santorum himself has described as a “must win.”

Experts question whether Santorum has the money to soldier on for the next three weeks.

On Tuesday, President Obama took a swipe at Romney, mentioning for the first time the candidate by name and signaling that the White House believes that Romney will be the eventual nominee as well.

Mitt Romney needs 1,144 delegates in order to wrap up the nomination. In the unlikely event that Romney fails to reach 1,144 delegates then the candidates would go to a brokered convention in August.

Santorum Drops Out of Republican Primary Race

In a surprise announcement, Rick Santorum dropped out of the race for the Republican primary bid today at an event in Gettysburg, Pa.

Santorum had previously pledged to continue through the primaries until the Pennsylvania primary, which will be held on April 24, but reconsidered today after poll numbers show that he was not ahead in the polls in his home state. His daughter Bella’s ailing health was also cited as a reason for his withdrawal from the race.

According to Yahoo News, Santorum called Mitt Romney to inform him of his decision to pull out.

With Santorum gone, Romney, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are the only three candidates left in the primaries. Gingrich, who is millions of dollars in debt from his campaign, said that Romney is “far and away the most likely” Republican nominee.

Paul, who has trailed behind in the polls, is adamant that he will stay in the race until the end. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Paul reiterated his stance.

The 2012 Republican Presidential Primaries

The presidential primary season is reaching its halfway point. On April 4 Mitt Romney swept the GOP presidential primaries in Maryland, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia, bringing him another step closer to securing the Republican nomination and the general election in November.

With another three primaries now over, it’s a good time to look at the race for the Republican presidential nomination as it stands now.

Who won which states so far:

Mitt Romney – New Hampshire, Florida, Nevada, Maine, Michigan, Arizona, Wyoming, Washington, Alaska, Ohio, Virginia, Vermont, Massachusetts, Idaho, Northern Marianas, Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin, District of Columbia

Rick Santorum – Iowa, Missouri (non-binding primary), Minnesota, Colorado, Oklahoma, Tennessee, North Dakota, Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana

Newt Gingrich – South Carolina, Georgia

Ron Paul – Virgin Islands

Latest delegate tally:

Mitt Romney – 655
Rick Santorum – 278
Newt Gingrich – 135
Ron Paul – 51

Though Romney boasts a clear lead, he still needs a total of 1,144 delegates to secure the nomination.

Also on Tuesday, President Obama formally clinched the Democratic nomination.

The next primaries will be held on April 24 with Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Delaware.

Sources:

The Washington Post, “Mitt Romney wins Wisconsin, Maryland, D.C. primaries”

Fox News, “Romney sweeps 3 primary contests, eyes general election battle”

2012 Presidential election schedule

Profile: Rick Santorum

Born in Great Falls, Virginia, Rick Santorum is a former U.S. Senator for Pennsylvania. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1990 and won a Senate seat four years later.

Since losing his bid for a third term in office in 2006, he has worked as a Fox News correspondent and written for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He also served for eight years on the Senate Armed Forces Committee.

He is a rising star in the Republican Party and a favorite among social conservatives.

With his wife Karen, he has seven children.

Sources: New York Times, RickSantorum.com

Mid-day Report: Super Tuesday Primaries

Today, March 6, is Super Tuesday. The polls are underway but, at least in the state of Virginia, voter turnout has been on the low side.

According to The Washington Post, counties like Loudoun are not even expected to reach the projected 10 percent voter turnout, noticeably down from the 2008 presidential primary, which saw numbers closer to 32 percent. In some counties, the numbers are currently as low as 1.5 percent.

One significant factor behind the lack of enthusiasm among Virginia voters for the 2012 Republican presidential primary is the absence of any apparent suspense or competitiveness. Only two candidates, Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, qualified for the Virginia ballot, and Romney is expected to win by a large margin.

The other states holding primaries or caucuses today are Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Vermont.

Ohio is one of the most-watched states on Super Tuesday, and The Washington Post reports that Santorum and Romney appear to be in a virtual tie there.

Newt Gingrich must win Georgia, his home state, in order to still be considered a genuine candidate. Though he had a head start and was polling with a double-digit lead over Romney and Santorum, few people believe that he has an real chance at winning the nomination, let alone beating President Obama. Polls in Tennessee and Oklahoma both showed Santorum with the lead over Romney.