Romney takes New Hampshire primary; Paul comes in second
CBS
Updated 12:23 a.m. ET
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, overcoming harsh attacks from his rivals to complete an unprecedented sweep of the first two states on the GOP nominating calendar.
Second place went to Texas Rep. Ron Paul. Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, who essentially staked his entire campaign on a strong showing in the Granite State, came in third.
Republican Primary Election Center
Romney's win in New Hampshire, coupled with his victory in the very different state of Iowa, cements his status as the clear frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination - albeit one about whom many Republicans have yet to embrace, as evidenced by national polls showing him unable to win more than 30 percent support.
"Thank you, New Hampshire," Romney said Tuesday evening. "Tonight we made history!" (Watch his remarks at left.)
Looking ahead to the general election, Romney then pivoted to a criticism of "the failed leadership" of President Obama, who won the Democratic primary in New Hampshire Tuesday in the absence of serious opposition. Romney did not name any of his GOP rivals in his victory remarks.
With 284 of 301 precincts reporting, Romney had 40 percent of the vote, or 95,666 votes, followed by Paul with 23 percent and Huntsman with 17 percent. They were followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich with 10 percent, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum with 9 percent and Texas Gov. Rick Perry with 1 percent.
Only 12 delegates were at stake in New Hampshire -- 1,144 are needed to win the nomination -- but its status as the first-in-the-nation primary gives the state outsize importance in the nominating process. Candidates that exceed expectations often receive a boost in fundraising and momentum, while those that come in below expectations can take a hit that can drive them out of the race.
Full New Hampshire primary results
For Huntsman, who saw his poll numbers inch up ahead of primary day, the third-place finish is something of a disappointment. The former Utah governor and U.S. ambassador to China under Mr. Obama, who has a reputation as a moderate thanks to his positions on issues like climate change and illegal immigration, skipped the Iowa caucuses to focus almost exclusively on New Hampshire.
As the results were becoming clear Tuesday evening, Huntsman vowed to stay in the race. He was upbeat in remarks Tuesday night, stressing to supporters the importance of "putting this country first." Huntsman has portrayed Romney as putting his personal ambition ahead of the needs of the nation.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I think we're in the hunt," Huntsman told cheering supporters. "I'd say third place is a ticket to ride." (Watch his remarks at left.)
Jon Huntsman to continue campaign, says he's headed to South Carolina
Jon Huntsman survives, but for how much longer?
For Paul, meanwhile, a second-place finish is a victory - but unlike for Huntsman, it was far from crucial. That's because Paul's antiwar, free-market philosophy has attracted a passionate base of supporters who are poised to stick with him - and continue to offer financial support - as he attempts to build up delegates over the long haul.
Paul's second-place finish was driven by independents and young voters, and exit polls showed he was the top choice of voters under the age of 40. In his remarks Tuesday, Paul said his finish was a victory for "the cause of liberty." (Watch his remarks at left.)
Paul said he called Romney to congratulate him, telling his supporters that Romney "certainly had a clear cut victory, but we are nibbling at his heels." The Texas congressman's call for pull American troops out of foreign countries prompted chants of "bring them home" from his backers.
Ron Paul: We're "nibbling at" Romney's heels
The exit polls showed that 60 percent of New Hampshire voters who cited the economy as the most important consideration supported Romney. He also received the most support from voters for whom electability was the top concern, with 62 percent of those voters backing Romney.
The former Massachusetts governor fared well among conservatives, moderates and Tea Party supporters in New Hampshire, with Romney the favored candidate of all three groups. The exit polls showed Romney winning 39 percent of moderates, 42 percent of conservatives and 40 percent of Tea Party supporters.
Why Mitt Romney won the New Hampshire primary
While the GOP electorate in New Hampshire, which allows independents to vote in the GOP primary, is more moderate than the GOP electorate in Iowa, 53 percent of New Hampshire voters identified as conservative, and 51 percent said they support the Tea Party.
More than one third of New Hampshire Republican primary voters in New Hampshire called themselves moderates, compared to just 15 percent in the Iowa caucuses. Twenty-one percent identified as white evangelicals, compared to 56 percent in the caucuses.
Independents made up 47 percent of the New Hampshire GOP primary electorate on Tuesday. They were divided between three candidates: Paul, who got 32 percent of their support, Romney, who got 29 percent, and Huntsman, who got 23 percent.
Romney was the top choice among both men and women, and he dominated among voters making more than $100,000 per year, winning nearly half of their support.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney gives a thumbs up as he campaigns on primary day outside a polling station at Webster School in Manchester, N.H., Jan. 10, 2012.
/ AP PhotoRomney, who hails from nearby Massachusetts and has a summer home in New Hampshire, was heavily favored to win the state. He entered Tuesday's primary day polling about 20 points ahead of his nearest rivals.
Had Romney fallen far short of expectations - say, by winning the state, but only with a single-digit margin - his finish would have be seen as less than a triumph. Yet the former governor appears poised to win the state comfortably. Romney entered primary day having endured some of the roughest days of his campaign, with his rivals aggressively attacking him over his record at venture capital company Bain Capital.
Gingrich, Perry and others characterized Romney as a ruthless corporate raider, the leader of a group of "vultures" who were unconcerned with the layoffs they sometimes instituted after taking over a struggling company. Romney also made a pair of gaffes in recent days that fed into his rivals' portrayal of him, including his comment that he "like[s] being able to fire people" during remarks about the importance of being able to choose between health care providers.
In his victory remarks Tuesday evening, Romney criticized his GOP rivals -- though not by name -- for their attacks on his business record.
"President Obama wants to put free enterprise on trial. In the last few days, we have seen some desperate Republicans join forces with him. This is such a mistake for our Party and for our nation. This country already has a leader who divides us with the bitter politics of envy. We must offer an alternative vision. I stand ready to lead us down a different path, where we are lifted up by our desire to succeed, not dragged down by a resentment of success.
Gingrich, who initially vowed to run a positive campaign, turned nasty toward Romney in the wake of the decision by Romney's allies to run attack ads that helped torpedo Gingrich's chances in Iowa. Gingrich's supporters are planning to run millions of dollars to attack Romney in South Carolina, which holds its primary on January 21.
Gingrich vowed to stay in the race Tuesday, telling supporters, "This is step two of a long process." (Watch his remarks at left.)
In a speech peppered with references to former President Ronald Reagan, the former House speaker said he is offering Americans the option of "very dramatic, very fundamental change."
Gingrich, Perry and Santorum are poised to battle for the hearts of religious conservatives in the socially-conservative Palmetto State. The decision by all three to stay in the race raises the prospect of a split in the conservative vote there that would allow Romney to win yet another early state -- and in doing so, effectively wrap up the nomination far earlier than most anyone expected. It's a scenario that has prominent conservatives scrambling to find some way coalesce around a Romney alternative, though it remains unclear who that alternative might be. Many on the right distrust Romney thanks to his moderate record as governor, which includes signing a universal health care law similar to the "Obamacare" health care law reviled by conservatives.
After a New Hampshire win, Romney braces for a fight in South Carolina
Perry, the onetime frontrunner in the race who faded in the polls despite outspending most of his rivals, downplayed his poor showing in New Hampshire. Perry did not campaign in New Hampshire, opting instead to focus on South Carolina.
"Tonight's results in New Hampshire show the race for 'conservative alternative' to Mitt Romney remains wide open," he said.
Santorum, meanwhile, told supporters Tuesday night that he was offering a "message for America," casting himself as a "messenger that can deliver what we need - which is first and foremost to defeat Barack Obama." (Watch his remarks at left.)
New Hampshire primary night scenes
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Prove it.
or An American Poisonous Plant......hmmm??? LOL
I'm done tryin to figure you out at work!
Actually, the dysfunctional Congress led to the credit downgrade, and the biggest drivers of our current budget deficits, are our severe revenue shortfall since 2001 due to the bush tax cuts, the quadrupling of the military-industrial complex under the bushies, and the out of control health care spending like for danny's SOCIALIZED health care!
"The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America's governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in the debate over fiscal policy. Despite this year's wide-ranging debate, in our view, the differences between political parties have proven to be extraordinarily difficult to bridge, and, as we see it, the resulting agreement fell well short of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation program that some proponents had envisaged until quite recently. Republicans and Democrats have only been able to agree to relatively modest savings on discretionary spending while delegating to the Select Committee decisions on more comprehensive measures. It appears that for now, new revenues have dropped down on the menu of policy options."
That started happening in huge quantities decades ago, by both wealthy individuals and multi-national corporations.
As a matter of fact, there was just another article about even more American corporations paying no taxes for 2011 than in 2010, and that's because of offshore tax havens!
Did someone cut out part of your movie, or are you just naive?
January 6, 2012
by Alex Blumberg: Money goes in. More money comes out. Corporations don't lobby Congress for fun. They lobby because it helps their bottom line. Getting a regulation gutted or a tax loophole created means extra cash for the corporation.
Reuters: Corporations gear up for major U.S. tax battle
December 24, 2011
By David Ingram and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON -- Huge U.S. corporations are forming lobbying groups to try to influence what could become the hottest congressional debate over comprehensive tax reform in a generation.
Sorry danny, but just parroting your idol, the druggie rushbo, actually proves how little you know about the Constitution, and all of those little amendments passed by the vast majority of Americans!
You really are a drama queen first, and then a welfare queen!
Article I, Section 8:
"The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States"
16th Amendment:
"The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration."
It's not stealing at all, and clearly agreed to by the vast majority of the states and the vast majority of Americans!
YOU can leave any time you want, and Somalia might be the best place!
"Render until Ceasar......"
Its not theft - ACCORDING TO JESUS! : )
Considering that taxes are at a 60-year LOW, you're making absolutely no sense, and actually besides being a welfare queen for your own entitlements, you're a drama queen too, with the "tax to death' B.S.
Did I mention I've known them for a long time? I had to remind him that "he" was one of "they." They've been the benefactors of unemployment, SCHIP, housing finance programs, Medicaid and the benevolence of friends and family.
His response was that he really didn't use that much of the aforementioned assistance, his wages have been stagnant, taxes and how low his refund was last year. Without getting too involved, I again reminded him that I've helped prepare his taxes. I had to remind him about his tax bracket and what that really meant -- his taxes have never been lower. As a matter of fact, the only taxes they actually paid were state taxes.
Hey LGM -- thanks for putting a face on the reality of the situation, which includes the complete dumbing-down of America, and how so many of the ignorant partisans continue to vote against their best interests!
Your long-time "friends" certainly are confused, and will most likely make matters worse when they vote!
Sorry, I had to pick myself up from the floor after that hypocrisy!
Sounds about like our welfare/drama queen danny, unwilling to talk about his entitlements, but certainly willing to deny others!
No danny, I just proved to you it is the corporate influence that is the problem -- buying the media and our politicians -- and just like Mussolini told us decades ago, the blending of government and corporate influence is a corporatocracy or outright FASCISM!
God Help Us! LOL
So danny, just in case your math is just as poor as your reading comprehension, gov. walker has raised $5.1 million -- mostly from outside the state -- and United Wisconsin, the organization heading the Walker recall effort, raised more than $300,000, 82 percent of which came from in-state, of which ONLY $41,000 was from the UNIONS!
GEE danny, that $41,000 from the unions sure is small compared to gov. walker's corporate influence from outside the state of $5.1 million!
But I can see why it has you so upset, since it's all about ideology, and your hatred of the declining unions, ever since 1981 and raygun!
Instead of sweating the small stuff like the declining unions and their few dollars, YOU should start worrying about the billions from the corporate American interests buying ALL the media and our politicians!
Governor Walker Rakes In Outside Cash for Recall Fight
Gov. Scott Walker submitted documents revealing nearly half of the $5.1 million he raised -- the most by one candidate in one filing period in state history -- came from beyond state borders.
Other documents made public Friday covering contributions from July 1 to Dec. 10 show:
-- United Wisconsin, the organization heading the Walker recall effort, raised more than $300,000, 82 percent of which came from in-state.
-- The biggest donor to the Democratic Party was the State Senate Democratic Committee, which gave $212,949. Three unions giving about $41,000 total were among the Democrats' biggest donors.
http://www.politicususa.com/en/governor-walker-rakes-in-outside-cash-for-recall-fight
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So danny, just in case your math is just as poor as your reading comprehension, gov. walker has raised $5.1 million -- mostly from outside the state -- and United Wisconsin, the organization heading the Walker recall effort, raised more than $300,000, 82 percent of which came from in-state, of which ONLY $41,000 was from the UNIONS!
Hey danny -- how does it feel to always be so wrong?
Why did the dems run to ILL? To avoid the vote.
Obviously, more of that republican FREE SPEECH and FREEDOM!!