what did we see in ohio? i am hugely impressed that over a half a million people in ohio went out and said, i'm going to cast a vote for president obama, even though i know he doesn't need any votes at all. >> right. >> there's some real energy out there. >> it's a continuation of what we've been seeing in other primaries so far, not just with the turnout for obama, but the high turnout for obama but low turnout for the republican race. >> this is the low turnout, in the year of the tea party rage against the president. >> right. >> this tea party needs to change america, bring back america, all those slogans, they're not sure -- >> literally what the republicans are left with out of this process, there's going to be no energy for that nominee. they really are banking on all the energy being opposition to obama. >> these guys are flirting with, roughly a third, a little more than a third of the electorate in the states, that's what they call a win. and when you're campaigning in ohio in a primary like this, y

boating taking place in 10 states including ohio, is so- called swing state. >> ohio usually serves as a political barometer for the rest of the country. we take a look at the mood as voting gets under way. >> the state of ohio fits the heartland pretty well. three-quarters of the residents call themselves christian, a state of agriculture and industry. when it comes to elections, as ohio goes, so goes the nation. the candidates know that. head of the republican primary complement were flowing freely. >> you guys know this is the biggest prize on super tuesday -- ohio. it's always the biggest prize. as the epicenter of everything. >> republicans in nine other states are voting this tuesday. 40 percent of the delegates needed to win a republican nomination are up for grabs. ohio does not offer the most delegates, but it's the biggest state that is still competitive. winning those delegates it takes deep pockets. that is where mitt romney far as strips his rivals. he has flooded the airwaves with television ads attacking the competition and playing up business credentials. >> what i know

i was out in ohio. one of the things i noticed, talking about this, is that unlike old previous contested primaries, there's not a lot of terrible, fierce, bitter antagonism between the camps. i'm sure there are some people who despite romney or santorum but it's as if romney doesn't inspire people to hate him. >> that's the big thing is there's no connection at any gut or heart level with mitt romney. not a negative or a positive way and that's been a problem through the seven months of this campaign process. this process, this campaign has been mitt romney versus mitt romney. and will one mitt romney connect? and the mitt romney lost tonight to mitt romney. that's what happened tonight. and rick santorum was the beneficiary of that campaign going on. >> i'm going to put you in the democratic white house for a minute. and what do they think? >> they're enjoying this process very much. they're saying the long they are goes on, the bloodier it gets, the more fierce it gets in the fight going on, the bett

and 13 seed ohio bobcats playing the north carolina. and north carolina state takes on the kansas jayhawks. >>> and last night red sox-yankees tied 4-4 in spring training. coming up at the top of the morning in "morning joe," rick santorum said republicans might be better off with president obama than mitt romney. not his finest moment. when we come back we'll huddle around the water cooler for a man who really wants president obama to read his book. tries to get the commander-in-chief's attention during his speech. that clip, when "way too early" comes right back. this at&t 4g network is fast. hey, heard any updates on the game? i think it's final seconds, ohh, down by two, shoots a three, game over. so two seconds ago... hey mr. and mrs. harris, where's kevin? say hi kevin. hi. mom, put me down. put...the phone...down. hey guys. did you hear... the choys had their baby? so 29 seconds ago. well we should get them a gift. [ choys ] thanks for the gift! [ amy and rob ] you're welcome! you're welcome! [ male announcer ] get it fast with a

his rally last thursday in ohio attracted a group of home schoolers from the area. one of whom was mother of six, kim davis. >> i came away with a feeling that this is an honest man. a man i can trust. a man who shares my faith. shares my values system. >> woodruff: but santorum's recent controversial comments about contraception, for example, have hurt him with other women voters. just two hours away in powell, ohio, an affluent columbus suburb, we founted mostly romney supporters, many who said they are uncomfortable with santorum's views. >> i am definitely a conservative woman but i have different opinions on social issues. homosexuality and gay marriage is one of them. i'm very much for gay marriage. so i tend to like candidates that are more open minded on the social issues. i believe mitt is. >> woodruff: santorum supporter ohio attorney general mike dewine defends the former senator and insists his main focus is the economy. >> should not come as a shock to people that he is pro-life. but he's made it very clear, for example, in regard to birth control that,

candidate comes to steubenville, ohio, much less hold their victory party here in steubenville, ohio. [cheering] >> we near a high school gymnasium. i just came from our war room, which doubles as as the weight room for the high school. i was pouching a little iron to get myself psyched for coming out here. we just prepared our talk, we -- where many talks were prepared for this gym floor, in the coaches room. this is our roots. here -- here behind me is part of our family because this is where we are from. we are from down here in the areas of southeastern ohio, and southwestern pennsylvania, where the folks who worked hard and built this country lived and worked for many, many decades. i am particularly kite excited to be here with my family, not just my family, our immediate family, but my -- my mom powho is right here, this is my mom, kay. 93. and karen's mother and father, ken and betty lee, right over there, garver. thank you. i got my brother here and his family and karen has -- well, karen's one of 11 children. so you can imagine -- brothers, sisters, nieces nephews. we have

wins in ohio or just gets almost immeasurely close in ohio, what about the of rick santorum, republican presidential nominee, what do you any? >> well, the next time i'm depressed about anything, i am going to call michael steele and have him turn it around for me, and what i think is bad news is good news. michael, i have the number and i will do that. >> call me any time. >> and cheaper than sxanax and much more fun. >> yes. but i want to say that i agree with michael on, i'm happy to have is people in the republican party saying that i don't want the guy who is trying to buy my vote. tlt is -- there is something very healthy about this, and i don't say much positive about the republican party, but it is to be said that the money is in the sewer, and santorum rising above it, and the voters saying, i have listened to the crappy ads and i will vote for him anyway, and something as an american, there is something encouraging about it. to many, it is interesting. >> and if you look at "restore our future" the huge $2.6 million buy in ohio to basically win the primary for romney, it is on

the biggest thing for me as a proud son of ohio -- as a proud son of ohio is to welcome him and give them the support he needs. the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. please. thank you. thank you. thank you. you know, -- thank you. thank you so much. if i was as big and strong as nick, this race would be over. quite a champion of the ohio state university. [applause] i am excited by the response by the number of people here by your enthusiasm and passion. before i offer my remarks, i want to think about those that are hurting today. with tornadoes that have touched down across this great land, we have had people lose everything they own. we have had people lose their lives and their loved ones. so in respect for those who have great sorrow today, i wonder if we might take a moment to collect our thoughts, a moment of silence, and offer a word of prayer in our own ways to ask our father in heaven to bless those that are troubled and sorrowful today. thank you so much. i am it proud to be in this place. i do not know if i can pronounce

santorum has to win i believe ohio. the last poll he was up quite a bit. up 21 points the last poll in tennessee, those numbers are going to come down. mitt romney will win vermont and idaho and massachusetts. if he manages to come in second in some of these southern states it's going to be tough for rick santorum. he thinks this thing has changed before it could change again. they don't have any debate and that is going to hurt. >> bill: one more thing and senator santorum is coming up behind you. it's money. he doesn't have any money rick santorum right now. >> he has some money. >> bill: not much. >> raised 8 million or 9 million in february. romney has burned through a lot of money. don't forget burned through it in the last year and a half. >> bill: 350 million of his own he could throw in at any time. huge advantage. >> spending your own money bill that gets harder. >> bill: he did it last time he will do it this time. rick santorum enters the no spin zone. how is he going to derail mitt romney next tuesday. the senator will tell us. later, tourists

all eyes will be on ohio on tuesday. thank you, joe. >> greta: super tuesday take the race to the south with tennessee and georgia, hold thrg primaries. georgia and the state speaker gingrich, represented congress for 20 years, with 76 delegates. and it's the state that speaker gingrich is banking on, pouring more money into his home state than anywhere else. will his southern strat strategy work? grif jenkins hit the ground. >> reporter: in carrollton, georgia, in the 1970s that newt gingrich took his first job as a history professor in west georgia college. even with a classical title, the year 2000 and if he ran for congress for the first time in 1974. he lost and ran again in 1976, the year jimmy carter was elected and the he lost. but in 1978, he finally won, beginning a political career that took him to washington. he would see the speakership, the house of representatives and now, presidential run to take him to the georgia primary. does your dad have a home-field advantage here? >> dad really appreciates georgia

ohio, ohio, ohio. the key battleground state. and as expected we cannot make a projection in ohio right now. it is close. the exit poll results though are in. let's share with you what the voters were telling us after they emerged from the polling booths in ohio these are the results from the cnn exit poll. 40% for mitt romney. 36% for rick santorum. 12% for newt gingrich, and 11% for ron paul, and you see a four-point spread. these are early numbers in the exit poll and they could change, but right now, these are the exit poll questions, and we are being transparent with you, with a slight advantage for mitt romney over "situation room" in the key battleground state of ohio. let's go to candy crowley who is covering the romney campaign in boston right now. and candy, this is is a moment that i am sure that mitt romney would love to say, i won ohio. >> absolutely. that would be the major headline and here are the three reasons they believe they will do well there tonight. and they are hoping for a victory and here are the signs p

in real ohio. 96% white in this primary in ohio, only 81% white in the real ohio. almost twice as many senior citize citizens. 26% and real ohio, 14%. even if he can win there, it's not represented. the republican parties getting older, whiter and more right wing not a good thing to build a future on. >> your question of connecting with voters, how do you do that? a lot of times we make a mistake in politics, you can connect to tell you they're like voters. you don't do that. the way you connect with voters, you elevate them. you tell them this election is not about you, it's about them and this election in this country's future -- >> are you quoting president barack obama? specifically saying that things speech. >> mitt romney suffers from the same disease barack obama does at times. tell you about them. i'm a businessman. i'm very bright, barack obama and tell us the differences between them. that's not the way you connecticut with voters. you look at a voter and say, look, this corinthians buntry i trouble. it's in your future and your hands and your life. you h

we see is at 51% in virginia. 45% in ohio. he's not doing as well in ohio yet. the numbers are being supported by the fact that people are feeling a little better about the economy. we ask if the worst is behind us. people are saying we have turned the economic corner right now and things are getting better. the worst is behind us. not that the worst is yet to come. that shifts the context. republicans have to bring this to a close. then they start closing the gap as we move through the conventions and into the fall. then we'll be seeing whether it's a different picture than it is now. right now, it's not a pretty picture for republicans. >> always great to see you. thank you. >> let me bring in tom davis, who is a mitt romney supporter. good morning, congressman. >> good morning. >> there are more a few strategists who said ohio could clinch the nomination for mitt romney. it's hard to see how rick santorum moves ahead if he doesn't win. do you buy that? is this make or break? >> no. i think it's going to go on for awhile. >> does that hurt the republican party

we are in columbus, ohio. it is looking incredibly close. >> it is incredibly close to the point where the word out of the mitt romney camp is they think there could be less than 1000 votes and there is the potential that there may be no official call at all this evening. back is the situation at the moment. earlier in them evening, it looked as though rick santorum was ahead. the more rural counties seem to be reporting earlier. the counties for the three main urban centers were taking longer. there is nothing between them at the moment. we are waiting for this final counts. there is a suggestion that perhaps if it is that close, it will go down to recounting. the important thing is the delegate count. what we're looking at at the moment is that even if rick santorum won the popular vote, the bulk of delegates will probably go to mitt romney. it is those maps that matter overall. we are now in a race for who can reach the magic number of 1144. this will move mitt romney closer to that. even if rick santorum w

year in ohio, still too close to call. -- here in ohio, still too close to call. [cheers and applause] but just like the folks here and throughout the ohio valley and all of the valleys of this country that are the heart and soul of this country, they worked hard, and they overcame odds. that is what we are here to talk about, and that is why we came to steubenville, and that is one reason why i am so proud to have my mother and father-in- law and others on the stage with me. they are part of the greatest generation. [cheers and applause] they preserve the liberty by sacrifice immeasurably to keep this country free. ladies and gentlemen, it is a different battle we are engaged in today, but it is no less a battle for the liberties that this country was founded on. we have a group of people in washington and in other places around this country that believes that they are the ones that should be making the decisions for all of us, and they have systematically gone and grown the size and scale of government to beyond where it was recognizable. we are running deficits

mitt romney took 6 out of the 10 contests especially in ohio. mitt romney is taking 38 percent santorum coming in second with 37 percent. >> and then another call coming in. this one from alaska. romney winning alaska. this was the last one to come in at 33 percent. santorum 29 percent. coming in second. earlier in the night romney claims victory with paul coming in second. 40 percent verses -- if we could bring that back up, vermont. and we will move on to virginia for you. ron paul came in second in virginia where rick santorum and gingrich fail to do qualify for the ballot in virginia. ron at 60 percent paul at 40 percent. >> vermont romney got 40, paul got 35 percent. in igingrich finishing hath there. >> massachusetts up next mitt romney taking that with 72 percent santorum with 12 percent. >> rick santorum took three states for the night. >> oklahoma leaving romney and gingrich to battle for second place. as you can see in tennessee santorum beating out gingrich and -- santorum takes it. leighing romney and paul battling for second place.

and ohio, and tennessee, and romney could put it away. the gingridge could be up, but romney is there today in atlanta. >>> let's turn to the former house speaker, newt gingrich. mr. speaker, welcome back to the program. >> david, it's good to be with you. >> i want to talk about the campaign and the numbers i just went through with chuck todd. i have to ask you about access to contraception. i know it's not at the core of your stump speech, but it's a debate highly charged in washington and congress -- >> no, no. >> but, it s. mr. speaker. let me take you through the conversation with rush limbaugh, and something he now apologized for. let me play it. >> what does it say about the college coed, susan fluke that goes before the congressional committee and says she must be paid to have sex. what does that make her? it makes her a slut, right? a prostitute? she wants to be paid to have sex. >> limbaugh issued an apology yesterday which many may not know about, and he said in this instance i choes the wrong words in my analogy of the situati

>> oh, i think in ohio, he probably has to do something else, while, ohio is-- there's a reason why ohio is such an important swing state. it's an extremely diverse state. >> right. >> it's not just all conservatives, i mean, you've he got-- >> ohio native speaking here. >> right. >> and gotten more complicated since i lived there. you've got all of these edged cities up in middle class people have grown up around places like columbus and cincinnati and yet, you have catholics in cincinnati and blue collar workers in cleveland and toledo and much of the state is rural and so it's very he complicated place, by and large, republicans will have won there, and been conservative and basically moderate in temperature. and rob portman and they're not everyone's conservative, but ohio's counti kind of conservatives. >> the thing is rick santorum has to win one of these, mitt romney doesn't have to on super tuesday, probably massachusetts, virginia, vermont going-- >> the other candidates aren't on the ballot in virginia. >> and newt gingrich probably being in a must-win for georgia. >> and romne

what's the latest from ohio? >> governor granholm, good to be with you and here in columbus, you see this as you have seen in all of the primary states so far, mitt romney and the super pac flooding the air waves and he is out spending rick santorum here in the buckeye state perhaps three or four to one. mitt romney's spending in virtually all of the media markets. rick santorum has been advised by former senator dewine to focus just on cleveland and try to pick up some of the delegates up there in the cleveland suburbs but speaking of delegates -- and this is where santorum has been on his heels for a couple of days. it came out on friday governor that rick santorum did not qualify properly in some of the congressional districts and three of the districts he will not be entitled to any delegates should he win them and then in six more he had incomplete delegates and so, therefore, his possibility of running delegates in those congressional districts has again diminished all out of 66 delegates up for grabs, rick

mitt romney seeps to be somewhat of a slight surge in ohio. what is your pulse in ohio? >> i think romney at the end of the day will take it. won't be a big advantage, probably split the delegates, but the big winner will be barack obama, they are running around ohio saying the same insane kind of comments they were saying in michigan about the auto industry, someone asked romney about how he will help him go to college, don't count on the government to help you, join the military, those phrases in ohio where people are trying to get a hand up, not a hand aren't helpful, barack obama will be the big winner in the ohio primary tomorrow. >> tim ryan, good to have you with us tonight. >> always a pleasure, ed. >>> when we come back, the republican sex pledge in south carolina, this is a brand new way to vet candidates. you won't want to miss it, stay with us. [ male announcer ] that. right there -- reminds you why you fell in love with her in the first place. and why you still feel the same. but your erectile dysfunction -- that could be a question of blood flow. cialis for

and some are missing in ohio. newt gingrich has given up in ohio, instead he stopped at the rocket center in alabama, a sign the pro-moon base newt gingrich isn't ready to -- >> i have opponents who are in a normal period are adequate, but they don't have anything like the scale of change i just described. >> reporter: where romney really lucked out is santorum is only now pointing out the former massachusetts governor has in the past voiced support for a mandate to buy health insurance. romney indicated as much in this interview in 2009. >> reporter: do you think this masterson plan could be a model? >> i think there's a number of features in the somes misplans that could information washington. the fact we have portable insurance and we were able to get people insured without a government option is on model i think they can learn from. >> reporter: she said he did not want a one size fits all plan for the country. that is a claim that santorum and gingrich could challenge if he do well tonight. if romney wins bi

, ohio is too close to call. senator santorum has won in oklahoma and won in tennessee, where he spoke from in that high school auditorium in ohio is a place from which he cannot win delegates tonight even if he does very, very well in ohio. senator santorum's campaign having organizational difficulties, did not file a full slate of delegates and that gives you a sense of the crazy narratives that created the strange, long primary process on the republican side. in ohio it's too close to call, rick santorum is having a big, big night. but his own organizational difficulties preventing him from capitalizing on that even in terms of the delegates. >> well, if he hangs on in ohio, he has the early lead in north carolina, there is a lot of territory being taken up by rick santorum -- >> north dakota. >> there is a lot of taken up by him tonight. and surprisingly considering all the issues that he has had with the media, we were talking earlier about the political s f self-inflicted wounds and the road he travelled, a

as paul just said, that's all going in his favor in ohio. 44% of republican voters in ohio are evangelical christians. guess what, 27% don't have a college education and, oh, guess what, 80% make under $100,000. so what we saw in michigan is romney did much better with higher earners, but managed to pull it out, and win michigan. so while i think santorum has all these things in his favor, he is viewed as a fake, i think on the trail in michigan, he sold the case for the working class folks. he sold the case to union workers and he was able to sell the case to evangelical christians, of course, even though as you pointed out, fred, he has three degrees. >> okay. so what is behind how romney is gaining some momentum, that gap between santorum and romney and ohio is narrowing. >> yeah, basically -- >> is it big money? advertising dollars? you're right, the romney campaign greatly outspending the santorum campaign and throw the super pacs in there. that's the true story this cycle. the pro romney super pac, greatly outspiending the pro santorum super pac. people turn on their tvs and that's a

. >>> ohio tiene un electorado representativo de la o univnacÓe muy importante ganar o perder en ohio porque se refleja a las elecciones generales, es un mito que si no se gana en ohio no se gata. >>> solo un 1. 4% son hispanos, un comercial de radio un abogado conservador criticÓ a santorum por votar por la confirmaciÓn de la jueza sonia sotomayor.o univ cartision eunivis@@ un tema ivi, y laun ticierivisioidenciuniviss lavado de dinero. y esta peticiÓn se da a semanas que el presidente calderÓn develara este anuncio en ciudad juÁrez. >>> no mÁsun armas hacia mÉxico. >>> durante esta visita el vicepresidente buscÓ ticiernotia relaciÓn bilateral. >>> es importante que en la relaciÓn bilateral se le de prioridad a la cooperaciÓn para el desarrollo. que haya crecimiento econÓmico en mÉxico. que haya empleo. y para que haya bienestar. >>> una tarea irrenunciable de combatir al crimen organizado, y con mayor eficacia. y no se centre si debe o no, sino como lograr mejores resultados. >>> hable con el vicepresidente de estados unidos sobre la agenda econÓmica. >>> se dan a 25 d

everybody is going to focus on ohio tomorrow. possible santorum could win ohio. it's likely to be close enough that romney. >> bill: romney walks away. >> he might get the lion's share because santorum don't have full slates of delegates in ohio. he is only competing like 63, i think available tomorrow. he is only competing for 45 of them. >> bill: why? >> organizational failure to get delegates. >> bill: his organization didn't get into all the precincts they needed to get into. >> same problem in virginia didn't get on the ballot. >> bill: romney the headline and newt gingrich the georgia. that keeps gingrich alive for the next primary in the south. paul is going to stay in why not because he has nothing else to do. and i think santorum, i can't foresee him dropping out, can you? >> there comes a point in these campaigns where even though you are, you know, getting some delegates and you are still alive, sort of technically. >> bill: you don't have any money, you don't have any money. what's been keeping gingrich and santorum alive is a couple of very rich guys

he did win ohio last night. had he lost ohio -- or i should say had he lost ohio just a couple of hours ago, we would now be talking about how mitt romney would be in trouble for this republican nomination. however, we're talking about how mitt romney is going to try to go on and try to collect delegates and close out this very, very divisive fight for the republican nomination. >> divisive fight, but if you look at the delegate count, romney is a shade below 400. 396 delegate. rick santorum is a long way behind with 158, and then you've got newt and you've got ron paul. to the average guy who doesn't know the arcane and fine points of how the election works, that sort of looks like he's got all the momentum and he's on the move, and it's a fait accompli, but it isn't, is it? >> no. because you need 1,400 delegates to secure the nomination. while super tuesday is important, we're looking ahead to kansas, who is already holding caucuses, and on to next tuesday where mississippi and alabama will be holding primari

you know, rick santorum did not win ohio, and ohio was a rematch like michigan, and in many ways ohio is like pennsylvania, where he lost by 18 points in a must-win state of course look, he could drop out too. but i'm not for that. look, i'm for, my current prediction is we will go to the convention and we will not have someone with enough delegates to take the nomination. and then we will have a good old fashion floor fight. >> then a good old fashion floor fight. let's open this up to the panel. santorum had a strong showing in georgia, but he did not do well in tennessee and oklahoma, he came in third. john, you want to get something out? >> he is from georgia. i mean, it's the -- you know, it's good. that is good for newt gingrich, he won his home state. he has not demonstrated strength in other places, he won south carolina, panhandle of florida and georgia, now the question is, whether that strength through the deep south continues to alabama and mississippi or whether as the questions we were talking about hogan gidley, gidley hogan earlier, if santorum can duplicate the streng