(CNN) – Two influential conservative politicians in South Carolina predicted Sunday that Mitt Romney will effectively wrap up the Republican presidential nomination if he wins the upcoming Palmetto State primary.
Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Tim Scott, both Republicans, told NBC's "Meet the Press" that a Romney victory in South Carolina on January 21 would end the suspense after the former Massachusetts governor won the first two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
"If for some reason he's not derailed here and Mitt Romney wins South Carolina, no one's ever won all three, I think it should be over," Graham said. "That would be quite a testament to his ability as a candidate and a campaigner."
On the same program, Scott said: "If Romney wins South Carolina, I think the game is over."
The comments followed a meeting of influential Christian conservative leaders over the weekend that resulted in an endorsement of former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in an effort to prevent a split among voters on the religious right.
Scott, who won his 2010 election with heavy backing from the tea party movement, said the impact of the evangelical vote - a typically large voting bloc in conservative South Carolina - will be "huge" on Saturday. However, he added that Romney will benefit if evangelical Christian voters are divided between Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry, as polls have indicated.
"It's hard to find a single candidate that rallies all of the Christian voters in South Carolina and therefore that splintered approach will probably have a major impact in the state's primary," Scott said.
Also see:
Group backing Gingrich hits Romney for health care law and Bain record
Romney gives cash to struggling supporter at rally
From CNN Politics
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pure propoganda- ron paul is a far superior canindate, dont try to act like hes not there
Just like that woman that prayed for Romney and $60, I too will pray for Romney. If I do not receive $60 I will feel that I've been treated unfairly.
Long time back democrats predict Romney is GOP nominee
They keep trying to convince us.......but I am not convinced. Perhaps Rpomney only becomes the nominee, if the other candidates can't afford to stay in the race.
It's not exactly a long-shot prognostication; since 1980 the winner in SC has eventually become the Republican nominee.
That being said, if he does win in SC, about the only thing that could prevent Mitt from winning the nomination would be for all the other candidates but one (take your pick) to drop out and endorse the non-Romney. "Anyone but Romney" still has a lot of support in the GOP, and Mitt will have his hands full trying to motivate those people to work for his election.
Given a choice between Romney and Obama, a lot of republicans will opt to stay home with Jack Daniels on election day.
My prediction, if Romney wins we're doomed!
So the other 47 states can just cancel their elections because they don't count anymore?
Notice that little scar undr his chin? That's where he had some of the fat removed last year . I remember when it happened.
He needs to go – and McCain too. They've outlived their usefulness. Blowhards not wanted.
The fear Ron Paul must strike in these people is amazing! For them not to mention the 2nd place candidate and mention a guy who had 9% of the vote is laughable. These people are hanging on by a string....
If Romney can win in states as politically diverse as Iowa, NH, and SC he will have proven that he can win the nomination. That is a big step, but can he gender enough support to win a general election?
Yeah right....3 primaries are all that matter? That's why we have 50 primaries, so that only the 1st 3 matter. I tire of the lamestream media refuses to question anything. Where is the actual deconstruction of this notion in this article? Where' the track record of these two political morons on predicting other races? Are they god? do they not deserve questioning of their opinion or should it simply be stated as fact as this article does?
The fix was in from day #1.
Mittens has already been chosen by the Kochs and Rove, so it is over. Actually, the republican primary has been over for six months.
Maybe so, but he won't win the general election. I am wondering if he wasn't running for President would he have given that women any money. Don't think so and when yyou do help people why must you make it a story. Help them because you want to and you mean it, not because it looks good.. No class and it's all about Mitt. "See what I did, I am such a nice guy." NOT
Romney will win SC with 25% of the primary vote, and will be named the official GOP corporate raider against the American people.
What he's trying to say is South Carolina is crazy enough to represent the Republican Party and certainly they are gullible enough to fall for the ads played by Romney's super PACs. Once again... we can thank the US Supreme Court for serving their masters – the Republican Party. It's a sad day when the Court becomes the lap-dog of a political party. It simply removes a critical check & balance from our democracy and makes a cynical joke of our legal system.
So, is this really democracy at work?
Two relatively small states have decided who will receive the Republican nomination, how is that democratic!
Sure you can predict that he will be the president. That's just based on the past happenings. Mitt may be killed, or get arrested for being a pedophile. However, he may also just lose to someone else.
Also, this kind of story really puts down my state. It says that my caucus doesn't matter. Sorry, Mitt, you're a liar to me, you get no vote.
Ann Coulter’s Change of Heart about Mitt Romney
"If we lose we will never get the country back, it will be gone. We will be Western Europe," Coulter says.
The rats are boarding the ship of fools !
Bought elections-we are no longer a democracy if we allow these actions to continue.
OBAMA/BIDEN 2012/WARREN ANY TIME
According to a 2012 Pew Forum poll of members of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS) 98 percent said they believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, and 97 percent say their church is a Christian religion. Mormons have a better understanding of Christianity than any other denomination, according to a 2010 Pew Forum poll.
11 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence (including several presidents) were non-Trinitarian Christians. Those in South Carolina who now insist on their narrow Trinitarian and salvation-only-by-grace definition of Christianity for candidates for public office are doing our Republic an injustice.
They are just predicting but NOT endorsing him. This tells all.
Oh, CNN, you never cease to amuse me. Let's really review the case so far though... In Iowa, Mitt got merely 8 more votes than Santorum and Ron Paul only lagged by 4%. It was nothing even remotely resembling a decisive victory. New Hampshire is practically a home state for Mitt, so his large win there was quite anticipated. IF Romney wins S.C., it's hardly indicative at this point that he's swept all the other candidates or is clearly who the country wants for the nomination. It would be the first state Romney truly won decisively, which I'm doubting he'll even do there. Furthermore, the smear campaigning has just started to get into full swing and it's hard to say who is going to take heat and how badly they're going to be burned and if you've seen "When Mitt Romney Came To Town", it certainly looks like he's going to get the brunt of it all. Add in the fact that, despite you refusing to inform the people of it, Ron Paul recently won the Saddle Up Texas Straw Poll decisively, which, while being Paul's home state, holds enough delegates to really be a big deal in terms of who wins it. 155 delegates if a winner were to take 50% of the vote. Romney honestly isn't as clear cut of a winner as you try to depict him. Stating that something has consistently happened and citing that as a call for him to get the nomination is just silly. This isn't every election cycle before us, it's this one, so let's go through it and see what actually happens instead of bogging ourselves in what it has been before.
►S.C. predictions: If Romney wins, he's the nominee◄
If "IF" was a NOT – then we all have to wait and see!!!
In the meantime, Obama 2012!!
How many of the declaration signers wore magic underwear and believed that major biblical battles were fought in upstate NY?
Sorry folks, this is one Christian that cannot vote for a mormon. Joseph Smith? Get real. Really, get real.
Time to flush Graham, Boehner, McConnell, Santorum, Cantor, Ryan and all Tea Party GOP morons down the toilet of history.
Obama-Biden in 2012!
Time to Mute Romney.
Even if a single candidate received every single vote in all three contests it would be absurd to anoint him (or her) as the candidate. Taken together, Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina represent less than 3% of the U.S. population–and, though you could do it, you'd have to work pretty hard to come up with a less representative 3%.
When it comes to our political system the idea seems to be "if it's broke, don't fix it."
We should have the first primaries in the largest diverse states in the country. It appears we are losing our democracy. This is no longer The United States Of America I know.
Well let's get on to the general election race... to heck with the other states.
Mitt is going to be the nominee. He was always the one. The rest of the GOP field look like they are either crazy or going there really, really fast. In any case, Obama will win again.
Romney may very well be the Republican running for president this fall. However I a conservative christian Republican will not vote for this fraud. . I will not knowingly turn this country over to a RINO and I will never vote for a non christian for president.
The country is broke people and you can't fix it with a closet liberal like Romney, Please don't waste your vote.
VOTE CONSERVATIVE!
It is very sad that a Moderate (Closet Democrat) Republican is the host of the Conservative Party in America. Romney will self destruct when faced with questions he must answer honestly. The GOP made huge mistakes in 2008, and guess what, the GOP is about to make another mistake in 2012. Mitt Romney has not presented one single new idea for job creation in America. If you are going to claim you know how to create jobs, don't wait for the November Election, start talking about your ideas now.
GonzoinHouston-I completely disagree. Im out here in CT and people are definitely rooting for Romney. I think the entire country is ready for Change, and i mean real change
While it's not at all surprising that SC would go for the latest shiny neocon robot GWB 2,0, the desperate pro-Robot spin from the Rove machine begs the question of how scared they must be of someone like Paul gaining traction. Rove's desperation to annoint Romney this early means he must be pretty scared about how bad things could look in a couple of months. Go Paul.
The conservative movement is dead, Mitt is a moderate or even liberal. Anyway, he'll put America in a "caste system".
I THINK We Can All Agree That there is Only One Candidate that REALLY Matters in The South Carolina Race. We KNOW That There Is ONLY ONE Red White and Blue Eagled American who deserves this Nomination: STEVEN COLBERT
Mitt Romeny is a good and decent man who has been forced to become someone he is not by the far-right evangelicals of the once-proud Republican party. The behavior of the Republican candidates against each other can only be described as shameful. And these are the loving Christians of our country? I have listened to the debates, read everything I could find to further understand each candidate, their thinking and their visions for this country. I will voting for President Obama, the most educated, qualified and trusted man in this race.
A win by Mittens will sew up Obama's reelection as the base of the GOP will not support a Magic Underpants wearings, flip flopping, non Christian by staying away from the polls in November.
They'll nominate him to lose for the republicans.
Then the good ones can come back and enter AFTER President Obama has cleaned up Ws failures for 8 years
@Southern Lady: While I agree whole heartedly with your comment I feel compelled to correct the thesis in your first sentence. Mr. Romney has not been 'forced' to do or say Anything. He is simply doing and saying whatever he thinks he needs to think or say in order to get votes. He is completely ethics-free and the poster child for cold hearted opportunist. Ayn Rand would have Loved him (and taken him for all of his money, heh).
Romney , five sons who avoided military service.
Why to go South Carolina !
Reading some of the comments here makes me wonder what else is required for the US Constitution to disintegrate. I see a society that is supposedly modern in relative terms yet it is plauged with broken families, selfishness-greed, hungry homeless people, countless foster children and an aging population. What's my point? I don't need Romney to give me a job. I pride myself as a self-starter and motivated from within. I have always been employed from the time I had arrived as a new immigrant. Unfortunately many who born and grown up here lack that self confidence, Romney enables them to fulfill their potential. For that very reason I support him. All other needs in their life will become a reality as they build their self-confidence and that is the true spirit of leadership.
Where's Romney's birth certificate? He hasn't shown it to us to prove that he's eligible to be a candidate for president.
IT's OVER??? REALLY??? So all the republicans in the other 47 states have ABSOLUTELY NO SAY???? If that's the case, that is what is wrong with the primary system
Oh boy, all those Conservative Christians who want Santorum will love this. NOT!!! I love it.
If Romney is the Repub nominee–might as well fo what the Univ of Carolina basketball team this past weekend. Walkoff the court and waive the white flag.
And don't mormons worhip some guy named Joey Smith? Strange prophet faith in that one. Maybe Donnie and Marie will get cabinet posts too.
In other words, if Romney wins the S.C. primary, Barack Obama will be re-elected by a landslide.
Romney is a moderate and therefore the only GOP candidate that will appeal to the independents in the general election. Without the support of the independents the GOP is doomed to fail against Obama.
I don't trust any of the republican canidates. we need some who is not affraid to speak the truth like Ross Perot now there is a man who would tell it like he saw it. the plain truth and if you don't believe it just look it up for yourself. I think the U.S. is going to be in trouble no matter who wins out of this bunch of canidates.
Huntsman is best. I didn't expect that South Carolina had such intelligence for its main newspaper to see that.
However, Romney will win the SC primary, and the Republican nomination.
People who still chafe at a minority race president will vote for Romney in November.
So will some others who genuinely disagree with Obama's perspective and policies to execute laws made by Congress (that's what the executive branch does).
As a moderate Republican running for election as a Democrat, Obama will most likely win re-election in November.
Right. (there is too much anti-Romney in the air for him to win; not even a polarized situation.)
Ron Paul will crush Romney as an Independent.
You teapublican losers have no chance againest Obama, time to clean house of republican trash!!!
Even if Ron Paul was the nominee I dont believe the electorial college would support him, I know they are bound by oath but they would find some way to wiggle out of it. We need to get rid of the electorial college and go by the popular vote , it is the fairest system to third party candidates, we need to end this 2 party dominated system. Just my 2 cents. PP
Ha! Every politician has to boost his own state's primary/caucus as "Decisive".
That's fine, the voters of SC have the right to vote whomever they want. I still refuse to vote Romney.
So if he is the GOP nominee, I will be stuck voting third party again this time. The GOP Establishment has been warned that a lot of evangelicals will defect if Romney is the pick; they have nobody but themselves to blame when Romney loses to Obama.
It is obvious that we need regional primaries if we plan on anointing candidates only after 3 primaries of three totally non-typical states.
Who cares what Lindsay Grahamnesty says. Here's a prediction:
Mitt Romney is going to thrown all of his political weight behind Rick Santorum for the GOP nomination.
Wire Palladin wrote:
"Mittens has already been chosen by the Kochs and Rove, so it is over. Actually, the republican primary has been over for six months."
This is a correct assessment. The only other candidate the GOP Establishment was even remotely interested in was Pawlenty, but he never caught fire.
And here's a question for the Paul-Bots: If Paul can't beat Romney in Iowa, NH, or S.C., how can he beat Obama? Republicans clearly don't like him all that much, based on the results of the two contests thus far as well as the current S.C. polling (he's 3rd in most surveys). I can tell you that Democrats don't like him either. The best you Paul-Bots can hope for is that he'll have enough delegates next September to force a change to the Republican Party Platform at their convention, e.g. returning to the gold standard.
Both the media and Ron Paul fans continue to insist that this is still a contest, but the Republican bosses decided on Romney as soon as Pawlenty stepped out of the race.
Well if Mitt is the one, why wait until the 21st for the vote. Just call it and get it over with. He has everyone he needs in his pocket by either money or promises. This is not the right way to do things. Thank goodness for the general election. This is no way to run a railroad. I will be voting for Obama.
"A Southern Lady
Mitt Romeny is a good and decent man who has been forced to become someone he is not by the far-right evangelicals of the once-proud Republican party"
Mitt was not forced to do anything. Lying is lying, and pretending to be something that you aren't is one of the biggest lies. At least Ron Paul is honest. Mitt could have done the same thing, and run as a 3rd Party Conservative Democrat or Moderate Republican, and instead, he cemented his reputation as a fake with a large segment of the American populace.
I continue to think Romney should reveal his tax returns. I also believe the companies in SC that he dealt with at Bain Capital should be disclosed. These are things that could certainly affect voters decisions.
To T'sah from Virginia:
Thank you for your comments. You have a complete grasp of the subject matter and your comments are always welcome and insightful
Romney – more of the same much like Obama. My hope is in Ron Paul
I have voted Republican all my life. I am voting and actively campaigning for Ron Paul.
There's no difference between Obama, Romney, Gingrich, Santorum. They are all big government guys who have no interest in public service. No interest in smaller government. No interest in cutting back spending. They simply want to advance their own personal wealth and power by directing money and power to their particular constituency.
I'll vote for Paul and carry THE MESSAGE until we win. I'ts about the message not the man.
Ron Paul 2012
Sweeping the Primaries.
Thank you, Senator Graham, for advising the remaining 47 states and the District of Columbia that our votes are not needed in selecting the Republican nominee. You saved us a bunch of time and all of those Corporate "persons" from having to spend more money selecting the final nominee.
Don't crown MITT yet.
1. ONLY 8 votes made him win Iowa and it is not certified yet.
2. NH is one of the most liberal states in the Union..not typical heartland/southern voters
3. Mitt has tons to spend..Santorum doing great on a shoestring.
4. Perry will drop and Santorum will pick up that base
5. Santorum recently got backing of Christian coalition...we like our guns/Bibles here in the south
....and Romney will then become the next candidate to be ripped to shreds in November.
Really, folks. This looser got smackdowned by McSame. McSame got turned into a tiny pool of protoplasm by Obama. And Obama's new campaign logo is "You. Can't. Touch. This." We're talking a smackdown of biblical proportions. The parting of the Red Sea will sound like a ripple in pond scum compared to what will be left of Romney.
That is why this primary system is not fair. Two or three states hold primaries or caucuses and the decision is made. What about he rest of the people who would like an opportunity to vote in a primary? All of us in other states are supposed to accept this candidate.
What a mistake for hte country. The primary system needs to be overhauled soon. Meanwhile, our votes are not being counted.
Romney is head and shoulders above the others in terms of business experience, morals, and public relations.
The "Grinch" has the morals of an alley cat and NO business experience. Excepting Ron Paul that has a medical background, the others are strictly political talking heads and will NEVER in a millions years stand up against Obama.
And the writer THOMAS above....LOL....how do you avoid the draft, like Newt, when NO draft exists and the U.S.
now has an all-volunteer military. Most of these anti-Romney people find fault for the sake of finding fault.
Bottom line ... Mitt is creepy. No vote from me.
Obama 2012!
As many times as he has ran he ought to be good at it by now. And then of course with all that money he can blow the rest of the candidates away. Seems like the same old story, for republicans, the one with the most money wins. It is a shame that you republicans can buy the candidacy for president. People like Huntsman don't have a chance.
Romney wins, Obama wins. I bet the DNC is even paying for Romney's ads. As a democrat the only man I fear is Ron Paul.
Obama 2012
Romney's sons never avoided military service; there is no draft; they opted not to go in the service – same as 98% of the mail population in the US. This is the sort of rubbish Gingrich supporters put out
Does tht mean the rest of these clowns will go away after the SC primary? we couldn't be that lucky. Hope it's true so the Obama folks can focus like a laser on Mittens Romney and make anyone out there even considering voting for another republican for president understand just how much of a disaster another rethug presidency would be. didn't 'electing' Bush teach some of us anything? the country barely survived that fiasco. let's not elect another mess-maker. let's keep the clean-up team!
Hey, 'Older than Dirt,' since you're such a conservative, have you signed away your right to social security and medicare? bet not. are you even aware those are government programs? are you even aware your party wants to take them away from you and your descendents? someone older than dirt should be smart enough not to vote against his own self-interest.
The 45th President of United States Of America will be Gov Mitt Romney.
these boys need to remember one thing..this country, is and does operate under the philosophy "of the people, for the people, and by the people"..mr graham, and mr. scott are forgetting it's the people, not the super-pacs, not the wall street hacks, not the smoke filled, back room masterplan by a few, but by the people..and mr. romney is Not what the people want..you fat cats might want him, since you bought and paid for him, but the American people will prove you all wrong..for once..
This is hilarious. S.C. is anyone's game, I love how CNN is totally being oblivious to how Ron Paul just picked up a huge endorsement in S.C.! Tom Davis, the Senator of S.C., is endorsing Ron Paul.
HIstory is a good gauge of this. If Romney win, he'll have won the first 3 contests and have a lot of momentum. That will make it hard to beat him further along. That is assuming that everyone hasn't dropped out by the next major contest.
Mittens go home to your son's basement!
Are the other 47 states succeeding from the union? Do their delegates not count? Or, if CNN pounds ROMNEY, ROMNEY, ROMNEY, we will just like drones vote for ROMNEY? Wouldn't want to vote for a 'loser' now would we? God forbid we vote out of principle.
The republicans are amazing. The whole country needs to become enlightened about the real motivating factor in their caucases. They have but one issue, and it has nothing to do with pulling the country out of the worse recession since the thirties. Their only goal is to defeat Obama. The republican party is taking cues from a work of fiction called Atlas Shrugged. Then pandering to christian conservatives. And we're force fed the idologies as if they were carved in stone.
This is news? Yikes.
then why dont they puthim through then.
If Romney is the GOP nominee, it is only because the GOP is profoundly divided and disturbed by the choices and the anti-Romney vote is split among 4 candidates. If Perry and Santorum would lose their mega- Egos...we would see a move to Gingrich- who is a more formidable candidate than the Romney vulture. Romney is not backed by conservatives or tea party supporters. He is the epitome of the 1% and out of touch with Americans. He wins by deceit and would lead the same way. We are on the right path with Obama, Clinton and the entire administration..GOP- get out of the way and let us get on with the work of the people.