Gingrich win puts TN in play to decide Republican nomination

[Judi Lynn]

Gingrich win puts TN in play to decide Republican nomination
Super Tuesday may tip balance of race
12:13 AM, Jan. 23, 2012

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s big win Saturday in the South Carolina primary will probably thrust Tennessee into the fight for the Republican presidential nomination.

Tennessee and a handful of other states may tip the balance of the Republican race, which has seen each of its first three contests won by a different candidate. Even if former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney can win in Florida, the next race on the Republican calendar, the early contests have raised questions about his standing with Southern, socially conservative and evangelical voters that probably will not be answered until after Tennessee votes in the Super Tuesday contests on March 6.

“I think there’s a serious and real possibility that Tennessee and the other states that vote on Super Tuesday will be in play,” said John Ryder, a member of the Republican National Committee from Memphis. “The states that vote on March 6 are diverse, both in geography and size. Tennessee kind of falls in the middle.”

A heated Tennessee primary could make the state another bellwether for the preferences of Southern Republicans, and it would give Tennesseans a taste of the intensity of the race. It also could pump money into the state, mainly through advertising.

More:
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120123/NEWS02/301230034/1969/NEWS

[Owlet]

1. Somehow, this is not a comforting prospect

I have a rescue dog from Tennessee: got him as a pup. He was supposed to have been a Beagle/Basset mix. This guy (lovable dog, BTW - wouldn't trade him for anything) has not an ounce of Basset in him. He looks (and acts) like one of those English hunting dogs you see in the old lithographs. My point? If the GOP voters in TN are anything like the folks who determined this dog's lineage, then who knows what or who they will choose. My money is on Davey Crockett.

[AlinPA]

2. Gingrich will probably sweep the Southern states plus KS,OK,MO,ID,WY,MT,AZ....

[greiner3]

3. I'm hoping to work the polls;

In OH for the primary March 6. If the Newt is still in the running that will be a very good day for schadenfreude.