Here are ten things you need to know today.
- High stakes for Newt in the South: Newt Gingrich canceled campaign appearances in Kansas this week to focus on Alabama and Mississippi, whose primaries are on March 13. Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond indicated that both states are must-wins for Gingrich to remain a viable candidate.
- Santorum wants a two-man race: In Mississippi Wednesday, Rick Santorum told a crowd that if he won Mississippi, Gingrich would drop out, and he would beat Romney for the nomination. Santorum has said he won’t ask anyone to drop out — but he wants Mississippi voters to help Gingrich make that decision.
- Romney and his supporting super PAC throwing money at AL and MS: Romney’s campaign and supporting super PAC are in Alabama and Mississippi in a big way right now. Restore Our Future has put over $1 million into TV ads and put out at least 4 pieces of direct campaign mail. On Thursday, the Romney campaign begins airing six figure’s worth of attack ads, reports Politico.
- Romney raises $11.5 million in February: The Romney campaign raised $11.5 million in February, almost doubling its January haul of $6.4 million, reports the Los Angeles Times. Romney had made renewed attempts to attract more donors and broaden his base of support as larger donors hit the maximum giving limit.
- Trump recording robo calls for Romney: Donald Trump will record robo calls on behalf of Mitt Romney which will go out nationwide, reports ABC News. “The Donald” did radio interviews and automated calls for Romney in Ohio, and now those calls are going nationwide. On the calls, Trump will praise Romney’s stances on China, OPEC, and jobs, among other things.
- New poll shows Blunt Amendment could be a problem with voters: A new poll commissioned by Planned Parenthood and EMILY’s List by pollster Anna Greenberg shows that nearly half of all voters are less likely to reelect their member of Congress if they voted for the Blunt Amendment, and that includes 53% of independents and 40% of Republicans.
- Karen Santorum as husband’s surrogate: The Santorum campaign sent out a message to supporters, urging them to watch an interview with the candidate’s wife, Karen Santorum. In the interview with CBS, Santorum talks up her husband’s complete dedication to women, saying that if she had not wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, he would have supported that “100%.” Rick Santorum has received negative press on the issue and under-performs among women voters.
- Rove predicts a long slog: In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Karl Rove argues that even though Mitt Romney will be the nominee, the race will likely continue “months, not weeks.” After Romney failed to deliver a decisive blow Tuesday, the other candidates have little reason to drop out now.
- Romney heads south: Mitt Romney will hold a campaign event Thursday evening in Mississippi and spend Friday in Mississippi and Alabama. Romney and his super PAC are putting a lot of money into these Southern states.
- Santorum will hit three states in three days: Rick Santorum will campaign in Alabama Thursday, then head to Kansas Friday, a day before their primary contest, and then spend Saturday in Missouri, whose caucus is March 17. Santorum won Missouri’s “beauty contest” primary in February where no delegates were awarded.
