(26 Mar 2012) HEADLINE: Romney, Santorum Slug It Out For Illinois
CAPTION: The Presidential primary race for the republican nomination is halfway complete with front runners Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney in a cage match, trying to gather delegates and win the Illinois primary. (March 19)
[LOCATION: ILLINOIS--MARCH 19, 2012]
[SOURCE: AP]
[NAT-BREAK: ROSEMONT, IL--MARCH 15, 2012]
[VOICE-OVER]
THE PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RACE FOR THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION IS HALFWAY COMPLETE WITH FRONT RUNNERS RICK SANTORUM AND MITT ROMNEY IN A CAGE MATCH, TRYING TO CLINCH THE NOMINATION
[STAND-UP: ROBERT RAY / ASSOCIATED PRESS]
"AND NEXT UP, ILLINOIS, WHERE THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN HOPES TO GIVE RICK SANTORUM A KNOCK OUT PUNCH. THERE ARE 56 DELEGATES FOR THE TAKNG AND THE LAND OF LINCOLN COULD PROVE TO BE A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN THIS CAMPAIGN. AND ONE HAS TO ASK, IF THE NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER THREE CANDIDATES, SANTORUM AND GINGRICH ARE HATCHING A BATTLE PLAN..."
[SOT: RICK SANTORUM / (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDIATE]
RAY: "IS THERE AN ALLIANCE BEING FORMED BETWEEN YOU AND SPEAKER GINGRICH.?"
SANTORUM: "WELL NOT TO MY KNOWLEDGE(SMILING)"
RAY: "WOULD YOU LIKE THERE TO BE?"
SANTORUM: "WELL I HAVE JUST ASKED THE FOLKS WHO ARE CONSERVATIVE WHO WANT TO SEE A CONSERVATIVE NOMINEE..EVEN AS SPEAKER GINGRICH HAS SAID THIS IS A TWO PERSON RACE IN ILLINOIS AND IT'S GOING TO BE A TWO PERSON RACE JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE IN THE FUTURE"
[VOICE-OVER]
[GRAPHIC INSERTED-DELEGATES ACQUIRED AT HALF-WAY POINT: ROMNEY: 521 , SANTORUM: 253, GINGRICH: 136, PAUL: 50"
BUT ON PAPER THIS DOESNT LOOK LIKE A TWO MAN RACE..IN FACT, MITT ROMNEY HAS MORE DELEGATES THAN ALL THREE OF HIS COMPETITORS COMBINED-SANTORUM, GINGRICH AND PAUL. THE NOMINEE WILL EVENTUALLY NEED 1,144 DELEGATES TO TAKE THE OFFICIAL NOMINATION
FOR CAMP SANTORUM, ILLINOIS IS IMPORTANT BUT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM.
HE CAN'T WIN AT LEAST 10 OF THE STATE'S 54 DELEGATES BECAUSE HIS CAMPAIGN FAILED TO FILE THE PAPERWORK
[SOT: MATTHEW STREB / POLITICAL ANALYST / NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY]
"THIS IS NO LONGER IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE, WE ARE AT LATE ENOUGH IN THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SEASON WHERE IT'S A DELEGATE BATTLE SO EVEN IF SANTORUM HAS A GOOD SHOWING ROMNEY WILL LIKELY WALK AWAY WITH MORE DELEGATES."
[SOT: MITT ROMNEY / (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDIATE]
"WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN REPLACING AN ECONOMIC LIGHTWEIGHT IF WE NOMINATE AN ECONOMIC LIGHT WEIGHT AND I AM AN ECONOMIC HEAVYWEIGHT AND CAN FIX THIS ECONOMY."
[VOICE-OVER]
ROMNEY, DELIVERING HIS MESSAGE ON THE ECONOMY TO VOTERS, UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL AND ACROSS THE AIRWAVES.. HIS CAMPAIGN HAS SPENT OVER 2 MILLION DOLLARS IN ATTACK ADS IN ILLINOIS ALONE GOING AFTER SENATOR RICK SANTORUM.
[SOT: RICK SANTORUM / (R) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE]
"I BELIEVE IN A LIGHT TOUCH OF GOVERNMENT WHERE GOVERNOR ROMNEY BELIEVES IN A VERY HEAVY TOUCH. SO HE IS AN ECONOMIC GOVERNMENT HEAVYWEIGHT. "
[VOICE-OVER]
HALFWAY THROUGH PRIMARY SEASON THE ROMNEY CAMPAIGN HAS SPENT NEARLY 45 MILLION DOLLARS IN CAMPAIGN ADS COMPARED WITH THE 7 MILLION THAT RICK SANTORUM HAS DISHED OUT
[SOT: DR. MATT STREB / POLITICAL ANALYST / NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY]
"MONEY CANT BUY ELECTIONS, MONEY CAN MAKE YOU A VERY CREDIBLE CANDIDATE BUT WE HAVE SEEN MITT ROMNEY SPEND A LOT OF MONEY IN A LOT OF STATES WHERE HE HAS BARELY WON OR NOT WON. I THINK THE BIGGER PROBLEM FOR SANTORUM IS LACK OF ORGANIZATION, THE FACT THAT HE WAS NOT ABALE TO GET ON THE BALLOT IN VIRGINIA, NOT GOT A FULL SLATE OF DELEGATES IN OHIO AND NOW IN ILLINOIS, THOSE THINGS HURT BECAUSE THIS IS A BATTLE FOR DELEGATES."
[VOICE-OVER]
ILLINOIS VOTES TUESDAY
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