Still a lot of bumps in it.
"Even after 2d win, road to nomination still rocky" January 11, 2012|By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff
CONCORD, N.H. - Even if Mitt Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, does well enough in South Carolina on Jan. 21 and Florida on Jan. 31 to retain front-runner status, new party rules that distribute delegates in proportion to the vote in later states may prolong the campaign. Some Republicans fear this will weaken the ultimate nominee....
Good! Then RON PAUL CONTINUES to get a PLATFORM whether the AmeriKan media like it or not!
Highlighting the importance of South Carolina as the first major conservative test: No Republican candidate has won the party nomination since 1980 without winning the South Carolina primary.
Winning there would keep Romney on a strong trajectory heading to the Florida primary; placing second in a state where 70 percent of poll respondents are weekly churchgoers, many of them evangelical Christians, would also be respectable for the first Mormon in US history challenging strongly for the White House. But, respectable or not, a second-place finish for Romney would mean that the winner becomes a viable alternative to him. That could prolong the race and cause him problems down the road.
Romney supporters say South Carolinians will take a look at Romney’s Iowa and New Hampshire victories and get on board....
“They look at a winner. They want to win,’’ said Representative Phyllis Henderson, a Greenville Republican who has endorsed Romney....
Because Florida is so large, however, it requires deep pockets, a big organization, and an extensive TV advertising presence in multiple cities. Advantage: Romney. None of the other candidates can match him in money or organization.
“Governor Romney has the airwaves and the mailboxes already. I’d rather be our campaign than anyone else at this point, by a long shot,’’ said Susie Wiles, a Republican campaign consultant who was working for Jon Huntsman earlier in the campaign and is now backing Romney.
A Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters last week found Romney on top with 36 percent, Gingrich in second with 24 percent, and Santorum with 16 percent. Romney had the best favorability rating in the poll: 73 percent.
As in other primary states, sentiment in Florida is shifting and unpredictable. The Quinnipiac survey found that more than half of those polled said they might change their mind.
That's the formula for stealing votes from Ron Paul and giving them to someone else.
--more--"
Related: Tea Party’s opposition to Romney weakens
Must be the controlled-opposition wing.