Romney, Santorum, Gingrich Post Wins on Super Tuesday; Ohio Too Close to Call
Three of the four GOP hopefuls have laid claim to at least one victory in the campaigns' biggest single day yet. So far, Mitt Romney has won Virginia, Vermont and his home state of Massachusetts. Rick Santorum has won Tennessee and Oklahoma while Newt Gingrich has won his home state of Georgia.
The bellwether state of Ohio – viewed by most pundits as the evening's deciding factor – is still too close to call.
Romney took the stage in his home state of Massachusetts and as he has done in most election night speeches, focused on beating Obama in November by mentioning the millions who have been unemployed for so long.
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"Tonight we've taken one more step towards restoring the promise of America," Romney said from Boston. "And tonight, I'd like to say to each of them: You have not been forgotten. We will not leave you behind."
Santorum, who has shared front-runner status with Romney for the past few weeks, claimed victories in both Tennessee and Oklahoma, two states where evangelicals flexed their muscles.
With 78 percent of the precincts reporting in Oklahoma, Santorum captured 34 percent of the vote with Romney coming in second with 27 percent. In Tennessee, where 65 percent of the precincts were in, Santorum led with 38 percent, compared to Romney's 28 percent. Gingrich also had a respectable showing in the Volunteer State with 23 percent of the vote.
"We can add to Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado – now Oklahoma and Tennessee," Santorum said in Super Tuesday remarks.
Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota were all that were left. However, CNN has predicted Santorum would win North Dakota based on exit polls.
Gingrich easily won his home state of Georgia. With 76 percent of the state's precinct's reporting, the former congressman and speaker of the House had 48.3 percent of the vote.
In a rambling speech in typical Gingrich style, he maintained his commitment to staying in the race, saying, "Tomorrow will bring another chapter in the race for the nomination."
But what most of political world is eagerly watching is what happens in Ohio.
Pundits are saying that if Romney pulls out a victory in Ohio, it will prove too challenging for Santorum to catch up. However, if Santorum hangs on to win the Buckeye State, the race to the White House will still be in play.
With 68 percent of the precincts reporting, Santorum held a razor-thin lead in Ohio with 38.1 percent of the vote, compared to Romney's 36.6 percent.
