Santorum Doesnt Win News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Grass roots. tennessee's been one of those southern states where establishment has trumped the grass roots. it's why of all the southern states, counting virginia here because of -- with not everybody on the ballot -- but with the deep south states, that are deep red, that are not swing states, tennessee was the place that romney could sneak in a win. and that's sort of how he could do well in east tennessee, sort of the heart of the old business line of the republicans and then maybe with the nashville business community, that sort of -- the suburban vote in nashville, that's how he could pul...

His chances are dead but he refuses to accept it, refuses to know it yet. he doesn't want to admit that. i don't think he'll get out if he wins georgia by any margin at all. but it's only a matter of time. my point is this works against santorum. santorum is aching. he badly needs a one-on-one race with romney. that's what he's hoping, praying to get. i doubt that he gets it this time around. >> he knows it, he has said it. as i was watching those little clips of this previous week that our staff put together, i was looking at the energy and the passion of barack obama, frankly, compared to th...

For romney. romney would have to wait two weeks, three weeks to get into illinois, newark, even longer to get to california, those other big delegate-rich states that would make him the likely and overall math mematical nominee. he gets this idea by that perception and momentum he has effective control of this nomination. >> you've said that tennessee is the second most important state. a vanderbilt professor said, santorum doesn't win, it's the death nail for him. certainly ohio, tennessee, those two very important states. what's going to make the difference there, do you think? >> over the l...

>> let's go right now for more on the upcoming contest, next week to howard feinman both msnbc and nbc analysts. it seems to me, howard, that you've got mitt romney in virginia. you've got newt starting with probably georgia. tell us the states that are in play where the hot fights are going to be? >> well, the two key ones are ohio and tennessee. ohio is an absolute must-win, i think for both rick santorum and for mitt romney. ohio is famous as a bellwether state. famous as a battleground state. if rick santorum is going to win a big state, it has to be that because it neighbors his hometown ...

Rising gas prices that i think you'll see these candidates talking a lot more about, particularly as you move ahead to some of the energy states and some of the states that have great energy. >> well, look, you talked to the obama -- i watched the obama campaign. their first tv ad was a defensive ad on solyndra. they do know this is their soft spot. and, at this point, because of the improving overall economic picture, the improving picture, for instance, in michigan and manufacturing and things like that. republicans are going to go for the softest spot. and, frankly, the obama folks know. th...