Mitt Romney may have hit a speed bump in last night’s South Carolina debate, but a slew of national polls show him pulling away from the rest of the field:
- Fox News has Romney at 40%, up 25 points over second place Rick Santorum.
- Gallup has Romney at 37%, up 25 points over Santorum.
- Washington Post/ABC News has Romney at 36%, up 20 points over Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.
- CNN has Romney at 34%, up 16 points on Gingrich.
And that same CNN poll has Romney tied with President Obama in a general election match up. No other candidate, other than Paul, does as well against Obama. Since South Carolina became the first primary in the South, Republicans there have consistently voted for the establishment candidate. With Romney pulling away nationally, it is hard to see how South Carolina will buck this trend.
South Carolina Debate
The Washington Examiner‘s Phil Klein: “Whether or not tonight’s debate will influence voters in South Carolina is unclear, but if it does, it should provide a boost to Newt Gingrich. … for Romney, he couldn’t give a straight answer on whether or not he’d release his tax returns. He said he “probably” would in April, but added qualifiers such as “time will tell,” whatever that means.”
The Washington Examiner‘s Michael Barone: “I thought Romney was somewhat ragged in the first half of the debate and that his responses to attacks on his record at Bain were not as fully developed as they should be. He wasn’t as good on not bailing out Europe as he has been on other occasions. … If South Carolina voters are determined to pick presidents he probably came through satisfactorily.”
National Review‘s Rich Lowry: “[Newt] was absolutely splendid. He proved once again that if debating was all it took to become president, he’d be president, Secretary General of the U.N., and King of Siam.”
National Review‘s Terence Jeffrey: “Newt Gingrich won the debate. America faces the prospect of national bankruptcy because of a federal welfare state that was started by FDR with Social Security. Gingrich in this debate laid out an achievable plan for transforming Social Security into a system that liberates Americans from government dependency rather than forcing them deeper into it.”
National Review‘s Charlotte Hayes: “With conservatives finally moving in his direction, Mitt Romney picked Monday night to turn in a terrible performance. If somebody told him he just had to stand there and not make a gaffe, they were wrong.”
The Weekly Standard‘s Stephen Hayes: “If this was truly a ‘last chance’ debate for the non-Romney candidates, Gingrich seized it. Was it the proverbial game-changer? It’s still hard to see how anyone overcomes Romney’s considerable advantages, in organization and what seems to be growing acceptance among conservatives. And Gingrich has two obstacles: the way he’s campaigned over the past two weeks and Romney.”
Campaign 2012
Iowa: The Washington Examiner‘s Byron York reports that the Iowa caucuses results released on voting night were not the final numbers and that the certified final result could show that Rick Santorum won. York writes: “One campaign source says the vote count as of midday Monday showed Santorum ahead by 80-something votes.”
Gingrich: Former Pennsylvania congressman Bob Walker — a senior adviser to Newt Gingrich — tells National Review‘s Robert Costa that, after last night’s debate, Gingrich will drop his Bain attacks: ““We’ve suffered some backlash on those issues over the past week, but his answers on it tonight were right on target. He has moved on to other issues that we think are going to be key for South Carolina voters.”
Romney: Mitt Romney’s campaign released a new ad with audio from Mike Huckabee’s radio show defending Romney’s record at Bain Capital.
Santorum: Rick Santorum held a news conference yesterday and demanded that Mitt Romney ask his super PAC to take down an advertisement that he said suggests he supports allowing felons in prison to vote. A Santorum Super PAC released a new ad yesterday attacking Romney on Obamacare, bailouts, and social issues.
Paul: Ron Paul’s campaign released a new ad that attacks Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich.
Around the Bigs
The Washington Examiner, Congress returns, renews fight over spending: The House of Representatives will vote Wednesday on President Obama’s request to raise the nation’s borrowing limit to by another $1.2 trillion. While the Republican-dominated body is expected to reject the measure, it will not do so by the required two-thirds majority needed to stop the debt limit increase.
The Wall Street Journal, Congress Returns To Battle on Taxes: Frustrated by the outcome of December’s fight over the payroll tax, Republicans are determined not to back down over the re-extension of President Obama’s payroll cut.
The Wall Street Journal, Unions Try to Boost Image in New Ads: For the first time in a decade, the AFL-CIO is launching an ad campaign that seeks to bolster the labor movement’s image as unions try to reverse a slide in public approval and membership.
The Wall Street Journal, Bailout Fund Borrowing Costs Up Ahead of Bill Auction: Credit rating agency Standard & Poor’s cut its rating for the European Unions bailout fund yesterday. The decision is expected to raise borrowing costs when the fund has its first bond sale today.
The Washington Examiner, Pakistan in crisis, fears of military takeover grow: Pakistan’s Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Monday, ordering him to appear in court on Thursday. The court, which has strong ties to the country’s military and the dispute over corruption charges against President Asif Al Zardari is turning into a showdown between the civilian government and the military.
Righty Playbook
RedState‘s Daniel Horowitz tells conservatives how Republicans can break the GOP cycle of capitulation.
The Washington Examiner‘s Phil Klein outlines how Mitt Romney could win all 50 states.
Hot Air‘s Tina Korbe looks at how Kerry Kennedy stands to make millions from her crusade against Chevron.
Lefty Playbook
Democrats Jonathan Cohn and Democratic Governor’s Association Chairman Martin O’Malley both push back against claims that Mitt Romney is a moderate.
Talking Points Memo notes that Republican enthusiasm for voting is falling from 2010 levels.
Stan Collender investigates why three consecutive administrations have replaced an existing White House Chief of Staff with someone who at the time was the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
