candidate who makes the case that he can take on the president and win may well carry the day. >> jan crawford in new hampshire, thanks, jan. >> for more perspective on the republican battle, we are joined by cbs news political director john dickerson, good evening, john, mitt romney has a sizable lead in the polls in new hampshire, so how important really are these debates going to be? >> well, romney's opponents are going to try to make them important, newt gingrich spokesman said tonight was fight night, another republican veteran said he expected newt gingrich to be so ready to attack romney he would come on stage in a black cloak carrying a size and santorum says romney should wear a flack jacket. >> his opponents to soften romney up for the upcoming contest in south carolina. >> if somebody doesn't emerged in south carolina, john, is this race essentially over, if someone doesn't challenge romney there? >> well, in conversations with gop strategists that is the feeling is that romney's advantage in money and organization plus the fact that his opponents are splitting the anti-romney vote

we begin with jan crawford who is with the romney campaign in gainseville, jan, good evening. >> reporter: well, good evening, jeff. with the polls showing that dramatic swing, everyone today is asking the same question, what happened. romney directed his answer to that right at gingrich. >> they're selling influence in washington at a time we needed people to stand up for the truth in washton. >> reporter: gingrich went on the sunday shows and blamed romney for his drop. he said chris wallace the vote will be closer than the polls suggest. >> we have a shot at winning but frankly it's upheel against the sheer weight of romney's money and negativity of his campaign. >> reporter: romney threw that back at him. >> he's on tv going from station to station complaining about what he thinks are the reasons he's had difficulty here in florida. but you know, we've got a president who has a lot of excuses and the excuses are over. it's time to produce. >> reporter: the battle for florida has been fierce. romney and gingrich and the outside groups supporting them have hit each other hard with tough

not only for the republican nomination but for the soul of the republican party. >> jan crawford, thank you. >> okay, for more now we're joined by cbs news political director john dickerson. good evening to you. jan talked about this battle for the soul of the republican party. how does that battle play out in florida? >> it plays out over the airwaves. florida is a state where being on television is more important than shaking hands and holding rallies. that will help newt gingrich because of his win in south carolina. a lot of people will see that on the 10 media markets there. there are also two debates worked well for gingrich in other states. mitt romney is plan connect the airwaves with money, millions of dollars of ads he's run. and he's also spending his money on organization. he's reaching out to 400,000 absentee voters of the 2 million since mid december his team has been looking for anybody who has an inclination to vote for mitt romney and making sure they do so. >> so john at this point are we talking about a protracted batle that lasts not just beyond florida into the week

. >> pelley: jan crawford, bill whittaker, dean reynolds are with the candidates. bob schieffer looks at what this means to the republican party. new research shows cancer death rates are down, but not for teens or young adults. dr. john lapook explains. is oil production causing earthquakes in the midwest? michelle miller which is the scientists trying to find out. and the new face of employment in america, there may be jobs, but cynthia bowers reports they aren't what they used to be. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. good evening. it is a new reality for republicans after the closest iowa caucus in history. and who would have guessed. in december, rick santorum was polling at 4%, but last night he virtually tied mitt romney for the win, losing by eight votes. out of more than 122,000 cast. it was a record turnout. michele bachmann who won the iowa straw poll this summer dropped out today after mshing sixth. the ink was barely dry on the ballots when the candidates moved onto new hampshire where the primary is next tues

jeff, he is still the front-runner. >> jan crawford on the campaign trail, jan, thank you. also on the campaign trail is our political director john dickerson, john joins us from new hampshire as well. john, so from your perspective any serious damage to mitt romney in this double header? >> well there were were some tough attacks in that second debate. byous ba loany is the kind of frank language we don't normally get there a campaign debate and the charge is the one that has always haunted romney, that he is pretending to be something that he is not. the largest version of that is that he is pretending to be a true conservative. but romney has been able to weather that charge before. he still seems positioned to do well here in new hampshire. and he has the money and organization to go forward. so he may have taken some nicks but a win here in new hampshire will do a lot to overcome any new damage. >> so he takes these nicks and all the other candidates seem to perform reasonably well in these debates which also then even helps romney, correct? >> that's right. all of the

our chief political correspondent jan crawford is in coin -- council bluffs, iowa, with the romney campaign. jan? >> good evening, jeff. half of iowa republicans in this poll said they consider mitt romney the most electable, and listen to this, 78% of them say they would be very enthusiastic or okay with it if he were the nominee. >> happy new year to you, too. >> reporter: republican front-runner mitt romney is hoping 2012 brings him a one-two punch in iowa and new hampshire. >> i do not want to radically transform america. i want to restore the principles that made america great, andly do it. how are you? >>. >> reporter: riding atop voter opinion polls in both states, the former massachusetts governor and businessman is staying focused on his message, that he can turn around the american economy and lower the federal debt. >> there are a number of programs that we're going to have to stop doing them, and that will require a sacrifice to say good-bye to some programs we likement we just can't keep -- you think about this. we just can't keep spending massively more than we take in. >> rep

our chief political correspondent jan crawford is there tonight. jan. >> reporter: well, scott, the cheers had barely subsided after that big win in new hampshire and romney was heading here to south carolina for what will be his biggest test yet. now, he arrives here with a strong organization already on the ground. he's got $19 million of cash on hand to spend here, and he's picked up some key endorsements people like governor nicki haley, speaking right now at this rally on his behalf. he has some challenges ahead. there are roadblocks in his path he has to get around and he knows it. here's what he said on the plane on the way down from new hampshire. >> and with regards to the south carolina, last time i came in fourth. so, you know, our-- our team recognizes this is going to be a challenge. >> reporter: now, of course south carolina is a much more socially conservative state than 93. , and, scott, those voters have not embraced romney. they think he's too much of a moderate, that he's not a true conservative. and then there are his rivals. th

with just three days to go, jan crawford is in iowa as voters close in on a republican presidential choice. women and war. a conversation with a passionate advocate who has made it her life's work empowering women in times of war. >> women's voices are crucial in creating lasting peace. >> mitchell: and charlie dag tahas the improbable story of the voices behind britain's top-selling holiday hit. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with russ mitchell. >> mitchell: good evening. we begin in los angeles where for the past two nights a wave of arson has lit up the night sky. so far there have been three dozen separate blazes and now local investigators have called in the federal government to help. national correspondent lee cowan is in los angeles ands what the latest. >> reporter: it's become a terrifying predawn pattern-- for the past two nights, more than 30 vehicles in and around hollywood have been exploding in flames. >> i screamed for everyone to get out of their apartment. >> reporter: all the cars intentionally firebombed, say authorities, for reasons unknown.

jan crawford covered last night's debatd in myrtle beach and she joins us this morning. jan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, erica. last night's debate was different than the ores. and there have been a lot. there are two reasons. one, there are just two candidates. number one, the others dropped out and two, time is wasting on these candidates if they're going to stop romney's pass for the nomination. if you add these things together you get a debate that's serious and intense. the four challengers took the stage with the same goal, to weaken mitt romney's support and build up their own. newt gingrich hit hard over negative ads. >> so i think it is an absurdity and it would be nice if governor romney would order hiss staff to take falsehoods off the air. >> reporter: romney answered back. >> if we're talking about super pac ads that are inaccurate, mr. speaker, you have a super pac ad that attacks me -- now just hold on -- that attacks me. it's froebl biggest hoax since big foot. >> reporter: rick santorum set the tone early, taking on both romney and gingrich o

our campaign 2012 team is in new hampshire tonight, and we'll start with jan crawford on the romney campaign. jan? >> reporter: well, scott, romney went into conservative iowa and his victory theres with a remarkable turn of events for a candidate who had all but written off that state, just a few months ago. >> my goodness what a squeaker, but it sure is nice to have a win, i'll tell you. >> reporter: romney won iowa a good strategy. >> thank you, iowa. >> reporter: for months he had downplayed expectations, but after seeing competitors like newt gingrich fade and hold, including his own, indicating he could finish strong, last week romney went all in. he toured the state with his wife ann, while he and other candidates and their super pacs blanketed the air waves with tough ads aimed mainly at gingrich. >> newt has a ton of baggage. >> reporter: romney won on the issues voters say they care about most. aemergency those who said beating obama was most important, 48% voted for romney. far above the other candidates. he also won voters who picked the economy as their top concern. he flew to n

we'll go first to our chief political correspondent jan crawford who is with the romney campaign tonight. jan? >> well, scott, tonight mitt romney did what no other republican candidate who is not an incumbent has ever done: he won new hampshire and iowa. he was speaking just a few minutes ago when he came out. here's what he had to say. >> you know, tonight we celebrate. tomorrow we go back to work. ( cheers and applause ) we do remember when barack obama came to new hampshire four years ago, he promised to bring people together. he promised to change the broken system in washington. he promised to improve our nation. those were the days of lofty promises made by a hopeful candidate. today we're faced with the disappointing record of a failed president. ( cheers and applause ) >> now romney won new hampshire in many ways the old- anshioned way. he spent an enormous amount of time here. he kicked off his campaign here but he also stressed issues that voters here say they care about most: the economy. he said he was the best candidate to fix jobs. they believed it. the campaign always saw

jan crawford and john dickerson are covering. the government launches a new attack on alzehimer's disease. dr. jon lapook has the battle plan. and he risked his life to save his shipmates. john blackstone on why it's taken 66 years to honor his war- time heroism. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. divers pulled five bodies from the partially sunken "costa concordia" today, bringing the dead in the italian ship disaster to at least 11. the captain has been placed under house arrest with dramatic few evidence tonight that he left the ship before his passengers. we now have these remarkable pictures of the friday night evacuation. this is black and white infrared video taken from a helicopter and those dark figures are hundreds of passengers standing on the side of the ship and lowering themselves in a long line down a rope ladder into the sea. 24 are still missing, including jerry and barbara heil of white bear lake, minnesota. the "costa concordia" nearly a thousa

bob schieffer and jan crawford are back to talk about that.role in the latest viral video sensation. over here. the 22-year-old man says he loves jesus but hates religion. >>> autism is diagnosed and there could be a game changer. >>> a comedy act on the road, on the view, she's hitting the big screen. sherri shepherd is joining us today. you're a newlywed with a young son. i'm thinking, did you just not have enough to do in your life? >> i can't sit still. that's what it is. i cannot sit still. i had to keep working. i don't know how to be a stay-at-home mom or wife. i'd be eating all day. >> that would not be good. >> not saying anything about stay-at-home moms or wives. >> i agree. sherri shepherd >>> there were three people who claimed god told them to run. cain, perry and michele bachmann. all said they got the go ahead from you know who. and god's 0 for 3. [ laughter ] >>> from you know who. bill maher may not like religion and politic, but it's important to a lot of people who voted in south carolina on saturday. it's 8:00. welcome back

first, jan crawford with the romney campaign. jan? >> reporter: well, good evening, scott. as you said, it was just a week ago that romney was fighting to get back his momentum after that crashing defeat in south carolina. what a difference a week can make. >> with a turnout like this, i'm beginning to feel we might win tomorrow, what do you think? >> reporter: campaign advisors say for romney south carolina was a gut check. florida would be different. he brought in a new debate coach and schooled gingrich in several exchanges that stuck with voters-- as when gingrich proposed lunar exploration. >> if i had a business executive come to me and say they wanted to spend a few hundred billion dollars to put a colony on the moon, i'd say "you're fired." >> reporter: he outspent gingrich by as much as 5-1 on television ads blanketing the airways with relentless attacks on gingrich's record. >> newt attacks because he has more baggage than the airlines. >> reporter: he tapped into his superior campaign organization to identify voters and encourage turnout. and he went after gingri

jan crawford is in myrtle beach tonight, jan? >> reporter: scott, huntsman's campaign never really took off except among newspaper editorial boards. among republican voters he was polling in the bottom, in the single digits. so while his endorsement of mitt romney may not bring along a lot of votes, it does reinforce romney's message that he is the one candidate who can beat barack obama. >> i believe it is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat barack obama. >> reporter: it was just a week ago jon huntsman was throwing punches at romney. >> governor romney enjoys firing people. i enjoy creating jobs. >> reporter: today he urged the other candidates to stop the negative campaigning. >> this race has degenerated into an onslaught of negative and personal attacks not worthy of the american people. >> reporter: the race has grown increasingly heated as the contenders try to stop the romney juggernaut. former house speaker newt gingrich-- once a front-runner-- has thrown the sharpest jabs. but th

reports from jan crawford and dean reynolds. bill plante with the new kennedy tapes. ovembeesident says november 25, 1963 will be a tough day. l was-- for the entire nation. and it looks like "star wars." the sun pelts the earth with a burst of radiation. bill whitaker on what a solar eruption will mean for our planet. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley reporting tonight from washington. >> pelley: good evening, in a short while president obama will leave the white house and make his way up pennsylvania avenue to the capitol to deliver his third state of the union address. the nationally televised speech will, in many ways, be the unofficial kickoff for his campaign for reelection, setting the tone and laying out the themes. chief among those themes, what he calls economic fairness. the same rules top to bottom. tonight the president will call for an america with "no bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts." norah o'donnell has seen more of the president's speech. she's at the white house tonight. norah? >> reporter: scott, the

. >> pelley: jan crawford, dean reynolds and john dickerson on the fast-changing battle. mark strassmann reports the sfrovplt investigating that deadly disaster on a florida interstate. >> what is going on? >> pelley: with rebels at his doorstep, syria's assad intensifies his crackdown. david martin is following developments. and florida's space jobs vanish into thin air the new manned space program rocket was supposed to be called constellation. >> uh-huh. >> pelley: and now you guys call it... >> cancellation. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. the race for the republican presidential nomination has changed course with every caucus and primary. tonight here in florida it appears the winds are shifting again and filling the sails of mitt romney. in a suffolk university poll out today, romney leads newt gingrich by 20 points-- 47% to 27%. a new quinnipiac poll shows a somewhat tighter race with romney 14 points ahead 43% to 29%. it's a long way from just one week ago when both men were essentially tied in

reports tonight from dean reynolds, jan crawford, and bob schieffer. john blackstone at the scene of a fast-moving wildfire near reno. it's already destroyed dozens of homes. alan pizzey reports a new danger in the search for victims of the italian cruise ship disaster. and steve hartman on the road with a refreshing politician, one with absolutely no political aspirations. >> we're here to talk about your political career. >> oh. >> reporter: you don't seem too excited about that. >> no. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. we are hours away from the first primary there the south, south carolina, and it's turning out to be a more critical battle for the g.o.p. nomination than anyone might have imagined. have a look at what just happened. in the latest preprimary poll out today, newt gingrich has passed longtime front-runner mitt romney. gingrich now holds a six-point lead, 32% to 26%. we have a team of campaign 2012 correspondents covering the south carolina primary. first, dean reynold

jan crawford on how that changes mitt romney's chances. lucy craft is in the radiation zone near japan's crippled nuclear power plant. see how the dangerous cleanup is going. >> reporter: this contains the top inch of soil, it's highly contaminated. >> pelley: and on this martin luther king day, the civil rights history you've never heard. jim axelrod has our story. >> reporter: were you thinking to yourselves "hey, we're going to make history here"? >> no, we were thinking we were going to sit and enjoy dessert. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. we begin tonight off the coast of italy where crews are searching for survivors from that cruise ship that ran aground and foundered on friday night. 4,000 passengers and crew were on board. italy's coast guard says at least six people are dead and tonight the number of people missing has risen to 29. they include jerry and barbara heil of white bear lake, minnesota. a retired couple who raised four children and dreamed of this e

. >> pelley: jan crawford, bill whitaker and dean reynolds are on the campaign. norah o'donnell on a shakeup in the obama administration. the man who runs the white house is out. dr. jon lapook has details of a drug recall. were powerful painkillers mixed into bottles of over-the-counter drugs? and we'll take you to an american town that's buried in snow-- 18 feet of it. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. reporting tonight from manchester, new hampshire. >> pelley: good evening from the granite state where mitt romney's lead heading into tomorrow's republican primary is rock-solid. the latest polling shows him 13 points ahead of ron paul. romney at 33%, paul at 20%. and one week after romney's narrow, narrow victory in iowa, a cbs news poll just out tonight finds him the favorite of republicans nationally with 19% followed by newt gingrich at 15% rick santorum at 14% and paul at 10%. it's the first time romney's had the lead to himself since october. well, not entirely to himself. he is tied with someone else. that so fa

reports from dean reynolds, jan crawford and john dickerson. allen pizzey at the italian cruise ship disaster. new audio tape raise sz more questions about the captain. new guidelines for heart patients, dr. john lapook with everything they need to know about sex but may be afraid to ask. and did the rules of war cost a wounded soldier his life? >> my husband laid there, wondering why nobody is coming to get him. >> pelley: david martin on whether changing those rules could save lives. captioning sponsored by cbs this is the "cbs evening news" with scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening. mitt romney has just found out that you can't count on anything in politics, not even the elections you win. today iowa republicans took away his victory in the caucuses, and his lead heading into saturday's primary in south carolina has suddenly disappeared. look at how quickly things have changed. in a poll taken the day after the iowa caucuses, romney was far ahead in south carolina, 31% to newt gingrich's 24. but in that same poll today, gingrich leads by on

jan crawford is with his campaign in charleston. jan? >> reporter: well, scott, romney has tried to keep his focus on president obama, but with those polls now showing him in a dead heat here with newt gingrich, ch a had to shift gears. today, he used the president speech at disneyworld to attack them both. romney first took on the d itident. >> he's going to be in fantasy land, and it's obviously earsopriate, because he's been living in a sort of fantasy land these last few years, he'll be doiing about what a great job he's doing on the economy. has he not been out here? >> reporter: then he went after the man now threatening to win south carolina. own e may bump into speaker gingrich down there in fantasy land. ( laughter ) i only say that... i only say that because the speaker was talking about all the jobs that he helped create in the reagan years. ess tw been in congress two years when reagan came to office. >> reporter: romney's shift in focus, back to attacking gingrich, shows how concerned his campaign is about how quickly the ra

an and here in new hampshire, jan cr crawford tells us that everyone else was out to stop the front- ru runner today. jan? >> >> reporter: well, scott, up until now, romney's challengers have attacked him as a moderate, saying he wasn't conservative enough, but today they turned course and hit him from the left with an attack on his business background and his work on the investment firm bain capital. >> governor romney enjoys firing people. i enjoy creating jobs. >> r >> reporter: former utah governor jon huntsman and other candidates today leveled attacks teed up by former house speaker ne newt gingrich in the debates. >> >> bain engaged in behavior where they looted a company. >> reporter: romney's rivals are referring to his work at bain capital, an investment firm that bo bought and restructured companies. it provided cash for startups like staples but shut down and laid off workers in others that we were struggling. romney says because of his experience he knows how to create jobs, but yesterday a pcomrpac supporting gingrich released clips from an upcoming movie portraying him

jan crawford, good to see you. thank you so much. >>> we turn to the latest on rick santorum who seems to be having his moment in the sun here in iowa. dean reynolds is following the pennsylvania senator. he joins us now with the latest. good morning. >> good morning, norah. >> reporter: rick santorum seems to be peaking at the right time and is trying to maximize his position now in the last few hours. in his campaign swings now, rick santorum is asking voters not to compromise their beliefs. >> don't put forth with somebody who isn't good enough to do what is necessary to change this country. >> reporter: santorum is feeling good enough about his chances tomorrow to venture a kind of prediction. >> our feeling was from the very beginning, if we can pace ahead of perry and/or bachmann that we would be in good shape and we're moving in that direction. >> reporter: if you believe the polls, he certainly is. but the polling also shows that only 7% think the former pennsylvania senator is most lectable. he is, after a

we have reports this morning from jan crawford and dean reynolds beginning with jan crawford in columbia, south carolina. >> reporter: he was counted out of the race just a few months ago and finished at or near the bottom in iowa and new hampshire. but yesterday in south carolina, newt gingrich crushed the field and turned the presidential race completely upsidedown. >> people power with the right ideas beats big money. with your help, we're going to prove it again in florida. >> reporter: he did it with two strong debate performances where he excoriated the news media, the liberal elite and president obama. >> if he is re-elected after the disaster he has been, the level of radicalism of his second term will be truly frightening. >> reporter: gingrich won even though his second ex-wife mary ann went public just two days before the primary saying gingrich asked for an open marriage so he could continue an affair with a staffer 23 years his junior, calita who is now his third wife. south carolina voters forgave that sin. in fact, exit polls showed gingrich won the evangelical vote decisi

we asked jan crawford to fill us in. jan. >> reporter: well, scott, romney is not calling for immediate, radical change. me would keep perjury income taxes at their current rates for now, but there are several key changes that he says will encourage savings and spur job creation. unlike the other republican plans, romney's is more targeted to the middle class. >> anyone earning under $200,000 a year, i would propose pay no tax whatsoever on their savings. i think the people who have been most hurt in the obama economy should be able to save money tax free. >> reporter: that means romney would eliminate the tax on dividends interest and capital gains only for people who make less than $200,000 a year. he would make other changes that would affect all taxpayers, including permanently extending the bush tax cuts which lowered the individual income tax rates and cut the child tax in half. eliminating the estate tax and cutting the corporate tax rate from 35% to 25%. >> thanks, gentlemen. >> reporter: romney says these are jus

chief political correspondent jan crawford is in berry, new hampshire. good morning, jan. >> reporter: good morning, john. mitt romney has spent an enormous amount of time the last four years. the voters know him and say they are coming out to support him. those polls look like it's going to break very well for mitt romney in new hampshire. but, now, the other candidates are jumping in. the gloves are coming off as they stump across the granite state. last night, mitt romney was back in new hampshire greeting voters after a quick trip to south s carolina. and he brought a supporter with him. south carolina governor nikki haley. >> so why would a conservative governor from a southern state want mitt romney to be president? because i need a partner in the white house. mitt romney is not part of the chaos. he'll be a part of the solution. >> reporter: romney hopes to cement his front-runner status here and polls show he has a commanding lead. the former senator rick santorum is pushing hard to build support as the anti-romney candidate. it worked in iowa. bu

chief political correspondent jan crawford has been with him today. jan? >> reporter: well, scott, the other candidates-- up until now-- haven't really gone after romney. but gingrich's attacks may mark a shift in this race and romney said he's ready. >> well, i understand newt must be very angry and i don't exactly understand why. but, look, i wish him well, it's a long road ahead, he's a good guy. i like he and callis a and we've got many months ahead of us so i'll leave it at that. >> reporter: on the campaign trail, romney has defended the negative ads he and other candidates-- especially ron paul-- have run against gingrich. >> it's pretty warm in the political kitchen. if you can't handle the heat that's on right now, wait until we have a billion dollars of barack obama's hell's kitchen ads. there are attack ads coming my way. i don't worry ant those things. i'm happy to take whatever comes as long as it's the truth. >> reporter: romney told me this week he's taking the long view. >> i'd love to have the support of the people here in iowa but i also

don't actually talk about -- correspondent jan crawford with us from miami. ndent norah o'donnell in ann arbor, michigan. good morning. >> good morning. >> jan, let me go first to you. what happened to mitt romney after having a couple of bad weeks at least? he now seems to be more aggressive and pointed and precise and on the move as these polls indicate. >> sorry. i didn't mean to interrupt you. i have to say, we have seen such a different mitt romney this week in the debates and on the stops on the campaign trail. i think there are two reasons for that. number one, he got whooped in south carolina and he know he has to perform. this state is critical. if newt gingrich wins here, it's a whole new ball game. he's really got to get down to business and win this thing. number two, charlie, he has a new debate coach. this guy came in over the weekend. he's considered one of the best in the business. brett o'donnell. he's been working with governor romney and you see a crisper, sharper more authoritative romney answering those questions. not backing down when gin

jan crawford is with the former massachusetts governor in columbia tonight. jan. >> reporter: well, scott, the question for romney is what happened? and in talking with voters here this week, it appears they finally found someone else, that conservative alternative to mitt romney that they've been looking for. making a final push for support, romney today seemed to acknowledge the race had changed. >> we'd like to win here, of course, but we've got a long way to go. >> reporter: romney this week tried several different lines of attack against gingrich and today gave a preview of what's ahead-- questions about gingrich's honesty and integrity and charges that his work at mortgage giant freddie mac make him the ultimate washington crony. >> he also said that he was, you know, one of the authors of the reagan revolution economically, and create the these jobs. now that we've looked at the reagan diaries and seen he's mentioned only once and in a way where reagan said he was wrong, i'd like to see what he actually told freddie mac. >> reporter: now, romney really

first, chief political correspondent jan crawford with the romney campaign. ja jan? >> reporter: well, scott, in republican presidential politics, it's generally understood that if you want to get the nomination, you've got to win either iowa or new hampshire. tonight, mitt romney is poised to do something no other re republican candidate who's not an incumbent has ever done-- win bo both. >> very exciting. wow, what a night. >> reporter: romney dropped by a polling place to greet supporters and lower expectations of the big win, poking fun at his eight-vote victory last week in the iowa caucuses. >> i think we can probably double the margin we got in iowa. i hope so. >> reporter: the latest polls show romney holding steady despite a flurry of attacks in recent days from his rivals. house speaker newt gingrich, who led the attacks, has dropped to last place. a top romney advisor said the polls show the recent attacks ba backfired. today, romney said he was taking the long view. >> this is a big statement here in new hampshire, as you see, exciting people behind me ta