Super Tuesday 2012
Tomorrow will be "Super Tuesday", the day on which 9 states will hold their Presidential primaries. For the Republican Party, it means that 410 delegates will be awarded, almost 18% of the total amount. In addition, it will be the beginning of the Alaska Caucuses which run until March 24th. Following are the states which hold their contests, and the amount of delegates that will be awarded:
Georgia (76)
Idaho (32)
Massachusetts (41)
North Dakota (28)
Ohio (66)
Oklahoma (43)
Tennessee (58)
Vermont (17)
Virginia (49)
Frontrunner Mitt Romney is expected to do well in Virgina and Massachusetts, while Newt Gingrich is ahead in the polls in Georgia. In Virginia, only Romney and Ron Paul are on the ballot because the Gingrich and Rick Santorum organizations failed to obtain enough signatures to get their candidates on the ballot by the due date. Close races are expected in Ohio and Tennessee, in both of which Santorum had comfortable leads in the polls, but in recent days he his poll numbers have been dropping, and in fact today's polls show Romney with a slight lead in Ohio.
According to Real Clear Politics, here are some recent poll numbers:
Georgia (March 4th)
Gingrich-38%
Romney-24%
Santorum-22%
Paul-3%
Ohio (March 5th)
Romney-34%
Santorum-31%
Gingrich-15%
Paul-12%
Tennessee (March 4th)
Santorum-34%
Romney-30%
Gingrich-18%
Paul-8%
Vermont (February 29th)
Romney-34%
Santorum-27%
Paul-14%
Gingrich-10%
Virginia (March 4th)
Romney-69%
Paul-26%
This year it looks unlikely that Super Tuesday will decide who the winner will be, but it could be determinative indirectly. If Gingrich or Santorum fare poorly, this could effect their fundraising and their ability to compete in upcoming states. Of course the longer the contest goes, and the more the GOP candidates attack each other, the happier incumbent President Barack Obama will be. Whatever happens, tomorrow night will be a political junkie's dream.
Georgia (76)
Idaho (32)
Massachusetts (41)
North Dakota (28)
Ohio (66)
Oklahoma (43)
Tennessee (58)
Vermont (17)
Virginia (49)
Frontrunner Mitt Romney is expected to do well in Virgina and Massachusetts, while Newt Gingrich is ahead in the polls in Georgia. In Virginia, only Romney and Ron Paul are on the ballot because the Gingrich and Rick Santorum organizations failed to obtain enough signatures to get their candidates on the ballot by the due date. Close races are expected in Ohio and Tennessee, in both of which Santorum had comfortable leads in the polls, but in recent days he his poll numbers have been dropping, and in fact today's polls show Romney with a slight lead in Ohio.
According to Real Clear Politics, here are some recent poll numbers:
Georgia (March 4th)
Gingrich-38%
Romney-24%
Santorum-22%
Paul-3%
Ohio (March 5th)
Romney-34%
Santorum-31%
Gingrich-15%
Paul-12%
Tennessee (March 4th)
Santorum-34%
Romney-30%
Gingrich-18%
Paul-8%
Vermont (February 29th)
Romney-34%
Santorum-27%
Paul-14%
Gingrich-10%
Virginia (March 4th)
Romney-69%
Paul-26%
This year it looks unlikely that Super Tuesday will decide who the winner will be, but it could be determinative indirectly. If Gingrich or Santorum fare poorly, this could effect their fundraising and their ability to compete in upcoming states. Of course the longer the contest goes, and the more the GOP candidates attack each other, the happier incumbent President Barack Obama will be. Whatever happens, tomorrow night will be a political junkie's dream.