Republican hopefuls sprint to Super Tuesday

[March 05, 2012]  CANTON, Ohio (AP) -- The stakes enormous, Republican presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum were making last-minute appeals to woo Ohioans in a Rust Belt state where polls show a neck-and-neck race just one day before the Super Tuesday primary.

Ten states across all regions of the country will hold GOP nominating contests Tuesday, presenting a critical test of momentum and organization for the GOP hopefuls in what's become a prolonged battle for the right to take on Democratic President Barack Obama in November.

In an interview Sunday with The Associated Press, Santorum said Romney's inability to wrap up the nomination, despite an enormous financial advantage, "raises a lot of questions in people's minds whether this is the man who can unite the party and be effective as a foil against Obama." He suggested that the GOP nomination may not be settled until this summer's party convention.

In Knoxville, Tenn., Romney didn't mention his GOP rivals, instead quoting verses from the theme song to Davy Crockett and exhorting the hundreds who showed up to vote for him Tuesday.

Romney and Santorum both were to campaign across Ohio on Monday. While Romney has a significant advantage in northeastern states like Vermont and Massachusetts and Santorum sees advantages in conservative states like Oklahoma, Ohio is a critical battleground that also has a history as a key general election swing state.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was set to campaign in Georgia, where he began his political career. He has labeled that contest a must-win for his fading presidential bid.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul spent Sunday in Alaska, a state where no other candidates have campaigned in the 2012 primary season.

Romney has been working to avoid intensifying debate over conservative social values -- and Republican icon Rush Limbaugh -- as he tries to keep his focus on the economic concerns that surveys show voters most care about.

Limbaugh, who boasts a huge conservative following, recently apologized for calling a Georgetown University law student a "slut" and a "prostitute" on his nationally syndicated radio program. The woman testified at a congressional hearing in favor of an Obama administration mandate that employee health plans include free contraceptive coverage.

While religious institutions are exempt, their affiliates, such as hospitals and universities, were at first included in the requirement. Under criticism from conservatives, President Barack Obama later said the affiliates could opt out, but insurers must pay for the coverage.

The GOP framed the issue as one of religious liberty. But Obama's chief political strategist suggested that Limbaugh's comments -- and Republicans' slow repudiation of them -- would benefit Democrats in the general election this fall.

While the contraception debate raged on national television Sunday, Gingrich predicted a strong performance Tuesday would resurrect his fading candidacy. Romney and Santorum spent Sunday racing across Georgia, Tennessee, Oklahoma and Ohio, four of the ten states to host elections on Super Tuesday, the biggest single voting day of the 2012 primary cycle.

Romney picked up endorsements from two influential Republican lawmakers: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, widely regarded as one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate.

Super Tuesday's defining contest may be Ohio, where Santorum and Romney have devoted tremendous time and resources in recent weeks. Santorum's performance there could well define his fate -- and Romney's -- in the rollercoaster race going forward.

Romney's campaign began preparing for a possible loss in the Buckeye State, where polls show the former Massachusetts governor locked in a dead heat with Santorum, a former senator from neighboring Pennsylvania.

"I don't think any state is a must-win," Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom said Sunday. "I think the only must-do on a candidate's check list is getting 1,144 delegates." Still, Fehrnstrom said he believes momentum is on Romney's side, as polls have shown Santorum's lead narrowing in recent days.

Romney has won four consecutive contests, including Saturday's Washington caucuses. His broad, well-disciplined organization virtually assures he'll collect more delegates than his opponents on Tuesday, in contrast with Santorum's looser group of supporters. Santorum and Gingrich did not collect enough signatures to qualify for the Virginia ballot, for example, and Santorum cannot win 18 of Ohio's 66 delegates for similar reasons.

[Associated Press; By KASIE HUNT and STEVE PEOPLES]

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