Delegate Count!
Mitt: 71/1144
Newt: 23/1144
Ron: 3/1144
Ricky: 13/1144
Source: NY Times
***
So Ron and Ricky skipped Florida all together. This makes a good amount of sense...it's a winner-takes-all state as far as delegates are concerned. In NH, Paul gained a goodly number of delegates with his 2nd place finish, and even a few for his 4th place in SC. Same story with Ricky. But when there are no delegates up for grabs unless they win, why should they invest limited time and money in the race?
By focusing on Nevada and other Western states where they can pick up delegates even if they don't win, Paul and Ricky are keeping their races alive and improving their positions.
Positions for what? Is a good question.
I recently watched "Borgia" Season 1, and loved the scene where Rodrigo Borgia is threatening, pleading, bribing, and haggling his way to the Pope's hat. Specifically, there's still a deadlock, with Cardinal Sforza holding enough votes to prevent Borgia's accension...but not enough to win himself. Sforza is finally won over by the piece of wisdom: "You cannot be Pope by this Conclave, but you can be something just as good--the Pope-maker!"
Who knows what bargains will be struck when the time comes for these two to bow out? The eventual nominee will need to placate them somehow in order to avoid a protracted battle at the convention. Just another element to watch...
Wednesday
Monday
Republican GOP Race
So, to recap:
Rick Santorum wins by a hair in Iowa, which I find truly bizarre considering how progressive Iowa tends to be. I mean, Santorum is a one-man intolerance factory. In one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage...he has that strong a showing? Buhwah? A case of "not Romney?" Is hard to tell. You do have to give him some credit for essentially coming out of nowhere to win like that, even if the margin is pretty pathetic.
TIME had a nice story about how filthy politics can get in South Carolina, so it shouldn't be a shock to anyone that Newt Gingrich pulled off the win. What I find more interesting is that Newt is doing so strongly despite all the allegations of a debauched lifestyle so devoid of the party's prized social conservatism. It shows exactly how fragmented the base is.
Iowa Caucus:
| Rick Santorum | 29,839 | 24.6% |  |
| Mitt Romney | 29,805 | 24.5% | |
| Ron Paul | 26,036 | 21.4% | |
| Newt Gingrich | 16,163 | 13.3% | |
| Rick Perry | 12,557 | 10.3% | |
| Michele Bachmann | 6,046 | 5% | |
| Jon Huntsman | 739 | 0.6% | |
| Other | 316 | 0.3% | |
| Source: AP |
Rick Santorum wins by a hair in Iowa, which I find truly bizarre considering how progressive Iowa tends to be. I mean, Santorum is a one-man intolerance factory. In one of the first states to legalize same-sex marriage...he has that strong a showing? Buhwah? A case of "not Romney?" Is hard to tell. You do have to give him some credit for essentially coming out of nowhere to win like that, even if the margin is pretty pathetic.
New Hampshire Primary
| Mitt Romney | 97,532 | 39.3% | |
| Ron Paul | 56,848 | 22.9% | |
| Jon Huntsman | 41,945 | 16.9% | |
| Newt Gingrich | 23,411 | 9.4% | |
| Rick Santorum | 23,362 | 9.4% | |
| Rick Perry | 1,766 | 0.7% | |
| Other | 3,621 | 1.5% | |
| Source: AP Not surprisingly, Romney wins in New Hampshire. I mean, the man was Governor of Massachusetts, and if he wasn't able to wield some influence in NH he didn't need to be running. Also unsurprising was Paul's showing...New Hampshire does like their against-the-grain politicians. |
South Carolina Primary:
| Newt Gingrich | 243,153 | 40.4% | |
| Mitt Romney | 167,279 | 27.8% | |
| Rick Santorum | 102,055 | 17% | |
| Ron Paul | 77,993 | 13% | |
| Other | 10,686 | 1.8% | |
| Source: AP |
What's even more interesting is we have no idea where the race is after three states. Newt and Mitt battle for the front runner spot, while Paul is in a perfect spoiler position with the number of delegates he's earned thus far. Santorum too, is keeping enough momentum going to allow him to muddy the waters.
Curious. VERY curious.
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