[Toivaluadiora]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...8230GE20120312

"By John Whitesides

BILOXI, Mississippi | Mon Mar 12, 2012 5:12pm EDT

(Reuters) - Republicans Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney battled on Monday for conservative support in Mississippi and Alabama ahead of presidential primaries that polls showed have turned into tense three-way ties.

The stakes are high for all of the contenders in Tuesday's Deep South contests, with Gingrich fighting to keep his struggling campaign alive and Santorum hoping for a knockout blow that would consolidate conservative opposition to front-runner Mitt Romney.

The southern primaries, originally seen as a fight between conservatives Romney and Santorum, gained a new edge with an unexpected strong showing by Romney in polls.

For Romney, a win in either state would be a landmark breakthrough that would signal his ability to capture conservative support in the party's Deep South strongholds and put him on a path to the nomination.

Public Policy Polling surveys showed a three-way jumble in each state. In Alabama, the three candidates were within 2 points of each other, inside the margin of error. In Mississippi, Gingrich led Romney by 33 percent to 31 percent, with Santorum at 27 percent.

"I do need your help," Romney told supporters who turned out in a rainstorm to hear him in Mobile, Alabama. "This could be an election that comes down to a very small margin."

Romney has opened a big lead over his rivals in collecting delegates to the nominating convention but has not been able to capture the hearts of conservatives who distrust his moderate stances as governor of liberal Massachusetts.

Even in Illinois, a Democratic-leaning state, Romney has more work to do. A Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll found him slightly ahead of Santorum, 35 percent to 31 percent.

His campaign argues that Romney's rivals cannot catch him in the chase for delegates, but Santorum raised the possibility that no one would manage to win the 1,144 delegates to clinch the Republican nomination before the party's convention in late August.

"If this race continues on its current pace, it's going to be very difficult for anyone to get to the number of delegates that is necessary to win the majority at the convention," Santorum told reporters after an energy forum in Biloxi, Mississippi.

He said a long, drawn-out primary campaign would allow the conservative alternative to Romney to rise.

"If we are successful here, it will have a very positive effect," Santorum said. "People in Mississippi and Alabama want a conservative for sure, they want a conservative nominee."


How is Ron Paul not the most conservative nominee, most capable of beating Owe-bama ?

Is Ron Paul's support in Mississippi & Alabama really as weak as this article makes it look ? On issues of personal faith and pro-life, Ron Paul is bedrock. He gets mega support from US troops.

How could he not be winning solid support in Southern States like Mississippi & Alabama ?

[peveballery]

Rick Santorum Says Vote For Ron Paul If You Want Someone Who Voted Conservatively

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G106jlvZYmQ
Uploaded by CollectiveCheckup on Mar 12, 2012
A self-declared independent voter (but seemingly geared toward Ron Paul) attended a Rick Santorum event and asked what the reasoning was for Santorum choosing to vote for big government programs like Medicare Part D, No Child Left Behind, and five debt ceiling increases (which allowed government to borrow and spend more money).

In response and obviously backed into a corner given that no answer could be portrayed as conservative, Rick Santorum told the voter to just vote for Ron Paul then.

Top Comments

"Thats the most intelligent thing I've ever heard Rick say!"
"I agree Rick vote Dr. PAUL"

[AnetTeilor]

Here, the local news has stopped mentioning RP completely. It's as if he doesn't exist.

[Gideleb]

I heard that Reuters was owned by some banker guy... Rothshitz, Rottenchild, or something like that. Perhaps this banker doesn't like Ron Paul for some reason, or has some hidden agenda?

I have zero interest in this "election"... the fix is in, and this train is only going to accelerate towards calamity.

I don't know which is worse... black people voting for Obama because he's African, or white people voting for Romney/Santorum, because the GOP (aka AIPAC central) said they were "conservative".

[makemoneyonli]

I heard that Reuters was owned by some banker guy... Rothshitz, Rottenchild, or something like that. Perhaps this banker doesn't like Ron Paul for some reason, or has some hidden agenda?

I have zero interest in this "election"... the fix is in, and this train is only going to accelerate towards calamity.

I don't know which is worse... black people voting for Obama because he's African, or white people voting for Romney/Santorum, because the GOP (aka AIPAC central) said they were "conservative".

I think the worst thing is white people voting for Obama because he is African... Not that it matters what one votes anyway...