Mitt Romney won six out of 10 states last night, including the biggest battleground of Ohio. But the other candidates also gained enough with their victories elsewhere to ensure that their campaigns would continue, even as their respective shots at the nomination fade.
Rick Santorum won three states last night, including Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Dakota. The path to victory in each state was identical: Santorum beat Romney handily among Republican-voting evangelicals and other voters for whom moral issues are paramount. As long as Santorum can count on these votes, he can continue to do well in southern and rural states all the way to the convention without any money or organization.
Newt Gingrich crushed the competition in his, giving him enough of an excuse to compete in the neighboring Alabama primary next week. Ever since Iowa, Gingrich’s campaign has been more about attacking Romney than gaining delegates. As long as Gingrich’s ego is still bruised, he will try to stay in the race.
Paul didn’t take any states,, but he did win a congressional district in Virginia, netting him at least three delegates last night. He may end up winning a lot more when caucus states choose their actual delegates at state conventions later this year.
Romney did what he had to do to remain the presumptive front-runner last night, but the back-loaded and proportional nature of this year’s primary system is making it impossible for him to deliver knock-out blows to his competitors. Even though almost everyone observing the process now admits the drawn-out primary is hurting the GOP’s chances of beating Obama, nothing that happened last night suggests any of the candidates will drop out anytime soon. The beatings will continue until the GOP submits to Mitt.
Campaign 2012
Ohio: Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, became the first member of Congress to be defeated in a primary in 2012, losing her race on Tuesday to a Tea Party favorite, physician Brad Wenstrup.. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, also beat Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, leaving him without a seat in Congress for the first time in 16 years. And Samuel Wurzelbacher, a.k.a. “Joe the Plumber,” won Tuesday’s Republican primary in Ohio’s 9th Congressional District where he faces an uphill battle against Kaptur.
Around the Bigs
The Wall Street Journal, Dow Loses 200 Points: Stocks fell sharply, with the 203.66 loss being the biggest one-day decline thus far this year, weighed down by soft readings on global economic growth and concern over a looming deadline for Greece’s debt swap with private bondholders.
The Hill, Boehner warns House GOP he will take a detour on highway bill: Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, warned House Republicans Tuesday that he will take up the Senate’s bipartisan $109 billion highway bill if they keep refusing to pass his version.
The Wall Street Journal, Young Adults See Their Pay Decline: Data compiled for a coming report by the Economic Policy Institute, a center-left think tank in Washington, found that the average inflation-adjusted hourly wage for male college graduates aged 23 to 29 dropped 11% over the past decade to $21.68 in 2011. For female college graduates of the same age, the average wage is down 7.6% to $18.80.
The Los Angeles Times, Borrowing costs for bullet train revised upward: A state legislative analyst office study of California’s high-speed rail plan shows the state will have to pay more than $700 million each year to repay billions of dollars that officials plan to borrow to build just the first phase of a proposed bullet train. The figure is higher than in the past — partly because of higher borrowing rates — and does not count millions of dollars already being paid annually on about $500 million in debt incurred to plan the system.
The New York Times, Scrutiny of Political Nonprofits Sets Off Claim of Harassment: The I.R.S. has sent dozens of detailed questionnaires to Tea Party organizations applying for nonprofit tax status, demanding to know their political leanings and activities.
The New York Times, Obama Scolds G.O.P. Critics of Iran Policy: President Obama on Tuesday forcefully rebuked Republicans on the presidential campaign trail and in Congress for “beating the drums of war” in criticizing his efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis over Iran’s nuclear program.
The Washington Post, World powers agree to reopen talks with Iran: The United States and five other countries agreed to new talks with Iran on Tuesday, offering a diplomatic path to resolving the Iranian nuclear crisis after months of bellicose rhetoric that roiled markets and sparked fears of a new Middle Eastern war.
Righty Plabook
RedState‘s Erick Erickson declares Romney “The Nominee,” but he’s not happy about it.
At The Corner, David French and Jay Sekulow make the legal case for striking Iran.
The Heritage Foundation‘s J.D. Foster catches The Washington Post admitting that Keynesian stimulus doesn’t work.
Lefty Playbook
Senate Dems put out a video echoing Obama’s attack on the GOP on Iran, calling calling on congressional Republicans to stop “throwing the word war around so casually.”
Foreign Policy‘s Uri Friedman details how close Obama’s Iran policy is to President Bush’s.
Talking Points Memo‘s Evan McMorris-Santoro makes the case that Republicans are walking into a trap on the Chevy Volt.
