iowa vs. new hampshire. he owned new hampshire. secondly, being conservative in iowa is something very different than being conservative in the live free or die state. so what you see is that the folks in new hampshire where conservativism really lends itself to individual freedom, live free or die, economic issues especially and that's what people voted on here. they voted for romney. in iowa, conservatives voted for santorum because he's a religious conservative and a social conservative. >> douglas? >> yeah, i agree with margaret. the new hampshire conservative is a much more moderate variety than iowa. moreover, 44% of the overall vote in new hampshire were independents. so this electorate is a different electorate than the one we saw in iowa. more moderate overall. even if they had a different self-characterization and a much healthier percentage of independents who could vote in either primary and there was only one primary to vote in yesterday. >> and ron paul got a sizable amount of the vote yesterday because a lot of people

new hampshire. week after the iowa caucuses, mitt romney wins again. now making history by making it 2-2. >> thank you, new hampshire. tonight we made history! >> never before has a republican non-incumbent won in iowa and new hampshire. has the former governor established himself as the man to beat for the gop presidential nomination? is he the prohibitive favorite? >> it's about saving the soul of america. >> nbc news projecting texas congressman ron paul as the second place finisher tonight. texas congressman declaring himself happy with second place. >> i called governor romney a short while ago before he gave his talk and congratulated him because he had a clear cut victory, but we are nibbling at his heels. >> the look on his face as important as the words he said. the man who bet everything on new hampshire, jon huntsman the apparent third place finisher. the former utah governor vowing to fight on to the next contest of the 2012 nomination. >> i would say third place is a ticket to ride, ladies and gentlemen! hello, south carolina! >> on this ni

new york times. >> the contests in iowa has already happened. the primary in new hampshire will has happened. do you believe the race, once it arrives there, will ratify decision from -- the decision from iowa and new hampshire? >> we are looking forward to having you down to south carolina and we are looking over to seeing you at the motor beach debate. i have been surprised at how people have been slow to tune in. i was with my family and my wife's family and was amazed at how many people are still up in the air. part of it is human nature. they start turning in a later. now, people are focusing. iowa has sometimes chosen the eventual nominee. sometimes it has been new hampshire. ultimately, south carolina voters will pick the nominee. they will do it by what they see on the ground in the next 11 days or so. >> what has changed in terms of how voters view mitt romney as opposed to four years ago. ? >> some of it has softened. i think a little bit about what we are seeing is that he is seen as a successful businessman. beenbama's policies have so detrimental to the success of america's busine

he won iowa, and now he won new hampshire convincingly. he's the first incumbent candidate to win both iowa and new hampshire. so it's a big win for mitt romney, a view for america, rather than president obama's declinist view of america. >> i notice he focused on president obama and on improving america. is that going to be the consistent strategy going forward? >> he's been consistent in focusing on barack obama when other republicans have criticized him, he certainly has responded. but for the most part, mitt romney has focused on barack obama. he's the real problem here. he's the person that needs to be removed from office. when you look at barack obama's vision of america, it's about class war fare, getting to fight over shrinking pieces of pie rather than mitt romney's vision of growing the pie. those are two different positions. i think america is going to like romney's view better. >> tell me about ron paul. he had another very good night, finished with 24% of the vote. are you taking him seriously now as a possible threat to win th

new hampshire instead. to the new arrivals with their iowa results, he offered this greeting. >> it was the welcome to new hampshire nobody cares. >> reporter: two of the major contenders won't be going to new hampshire. michele bachmann who finished seventh in iowa is headed straight to campaign in south carolina. texas governor rick perry, who came in sixth -- >> i have decided to return to texas, assess the results of tonight's caucus, determine whether there is a path forward for myself and this race. >> reporter: now, today mitt romney gets another boost. arizona senator john mccain, the gop presidential candidate in 2008 comes here to new hampshire to give his endorsement to mitt romney. >> and that's big because mccain said he might not endorse anybody this time around. >> it was a very close night. >> thank you so much. >>> joining us now from des moines, iowa, governor mitt romney. governor, i'm thinking with the margin of victory that if just a few of your supporters decided to watch college basketball and eat chicken wings last night we would be talking about a second place finish for you. a little bit t

first iowa, now new hampshire. is it his turn?will tell us either yes or not so fast in just ten days. in truth that vote will tell us a lot more. will evangelicals unite around romney or spread their votes as we've seen so far? will the tea party stop the establishment's rally around romney movement or the big movement of 2010 have less sway already? will gop voters especially downscale rural whites critical in several big battle grounds agree with the criticism of romney's business record or will they embrace romney's suggestion it's a sign of desperation? >> president obama is going to try and put free enterprise on trial. but rick perry and newt gingrich are going to be the witnesses for the prosecution. i'm not worried about that. >> should he be worried? well, truth is, that is just one of south carolina's rather consequential places. let's get more perspective from cnn contributor, editor of conservative blog red state eric erickson -- amy, i want to start with you. coming out of 2010 and into 2012 everybody said wow, the t

in order for iowa and for new hampshire to keep this first-in- the-nation title, they had to move the calendar up dramatically. we're look at to then being decided by the republican voters. >> and in iowa, it's six candidates, more crowded in new hampshire. what is john huntsman seeing in the new hampshire that he doesn't see in iowa? >> reporter: what he didn't see in iowa was support. huntsman made a calculated decision here if he's going to be successful and able to sustain the campaign of his into the spring, he's going to have to at least count on some support long the way. he circled new hampshire. geez doing all of his campaign bis in new hampshire and all of his appearances for the most part in new hampshire. if he's going continue past next week,wise going to at least have to finish -- he's going to have to finish at least second or third and later on down through the rest of the month, possibly in south carolina. if he can emerge as some sort of romney alternative at this point. that appears very shake, brian, and this is a very risky strategy for john huntsman. >> and as yo

he won iowa and be many people's accounts and now won new hampshire convincingly, he's the first nonincumbent candidate to win iowa and new hampshire in history so it was a spectacular night for mitt romney and his vision for america, restoring america, rather than barack obama's declinist view of america. >> i notice in his victory speech again he resisted the temptation to whack his opponents and focused on president obama and on improving america. is that going to be the consistent strategy going forward? >> well, he's been consistent in focusing on barack obama when other republicans have criticized him he certainly has responded. but for the most part, mitt romney has focused on barack obama. he's the real problem here. he's the person that needs to be removed from office. and when you look at barack obama's vision of america it's trying to incite class warfare and get people to fight about shrinking pieces of the paid rather than mitt romney's vision of growing the pie. those are two very different visions and i think america's will like mitt romney's view better. >> tell me about ron p

he won iowa and be many people's accounts and now won new hampshire convincingly, he's the first nonincumbent candidate to win iowa and new hampshire in history so it was a spectacular night for mitt romney and his vision for america, restoring america, rather than barack obama's declinist view of america. >> i notice in his victory speech again he resisted the temptation to whack his opponents and focused on president obama and on improving america. is that going to be the consistent strategy going forward? >> well, he's been consistent in focusing on barack obama when other republicans have criticized him he certainly has responded. but for the most part, mitt romney has focused on barack obama. he's the real problem here. he's the person that needs to be removed from office. and when you look at barack obama's vision of america it's trying to incite class warfare and get people to fight about shrinking pieces of the paid rather than mitt romney's vision of growing the pie. those are two very different visions and i think america's will like mitt romney's view better. >> tell me about ron p

the great irony is that he will win iowa and probably win new hampshire. if we had said three weeks oorks ago, mitt romney would win iowa and new hampshire. he would lock up the race. but nobody thinks he will have the race locked up, even if he wins iowa and new hampshire. it's another great reversal of conventional wisdom. if he wins iowa and new hampshire, and ends up in a real race, a real race. >> one of the untold stories out of iowa will be how much the romney campaign was trying to win, despite saying they weren't and how much was going on the ground with money and super pacs. and now coming out, possibly, it looks like a victory, but that will pay off in the long run? >> yeah, remember, this is his second time running. he had supporters already. he had his infrastructure in place. but he didn't really break much new ground and that tells you something about his candidacy, that people aren't that enthused about him. that the turnout didn't -- as far as we can tell, wasn't the projected 140,000 people were saying. you know? he is not -- he is not add

he came through limping through iowa, new hampshire, he lives next door in georgia. he gave them the kind of red meat they look for here. el he's had a good week. >> welcome to the south, said newt gingrich. thank you, gentlemen. i pressured it. >>> the big question last night, newt gingrich being asked about his ex-wife's marianne's explosive interview, his republican rivals refused to take the bait on this one. >> this country is a very forgiving country. this country understands that we are all fallen. >> john, let's get on to the real issues. >> it is people have to sort this out, but i think steading standards are very important and i'm very proud my wife of 54 years is with me tonight. >> despite the controversy as a man who paints himself guided by a strong sense of family values, he seems to be given a pass. op-ed columnist with "new york times" charles blowe joins me. it's fact, it's the allegations that marianne says he wanted an open marriage that seems to be ruffling a lot of feathers. how in the evangelical buckle, which is south carolina of the bible be

as you mentioned, the turnout in iowa and new hampshire was essentially the same as 2008, a year when there was not a lot of republican enthusiasm and when there was a contested primary in iowa and new hampshire where, at this time around, there wasn't. you would have expected all the energy to be on the republican side. it is not a good sign for the general election. >> one thing and a penchant -- one thing new hampshire voters ought to be noted for, 62% of the catholics who voted last tuesday voted for a mormon, which is rather remarkable. in the two catholic candidates, between them, rick santorum and newt gingrich, 19% of the vote. i thought it was a blow for tolerance and testimony to something good. >> the exit polls indicated that romney and paul stood to the board of those who earn less than $30,000 a year. south carolina is different. 17% below the poverty line, unemployment almost 10%. different playing field at there. >> i don't know how that turns out with party registration. i suspect republicans are a higher income levels than at the general population. romney will play

the great irony is that he will win iowa and probably win new hampshire. if we had said three weeks oorks ago, mitt romney would win iowa and new hampshire. he would lock up the race. but nobody thinks he will have the race locked up, even if he wins iowa and new hampshire. it's another great reversal of conventional wisdom. if he wins iowa and new hampshire, and ends up in a real race, a real race. >> one of the untold stories out of iowa will be how much the romney campaign was trying to win, despite saying they weren't and how much was going on the ground with money and super pacs. and now coming out, possibly, it looks like a victory, but that will pay off in the long run? >> yeah, remember, this is his second time running. he had supporters already. he had his infrastructure in place. but he didn't really break much new ground and that tells you something about his candidacy, that people aren't that enthused about him. that the turnout didn't -- as far as we can tell, wasn't the projected 140,000 people were saying. you know? he is not -- he is not add

new hampshire. he's the first nonincumbent to win the iowa caucuses and the new hampshire primary. romney was the heavy favorite in new hampshire. unlike the razor thin victory in iowa, he easily won. ron paul finished second followed by john hunts man and newt gingrich. susan mcginnis is in new hampshire with more. susan, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, terrell. after winning only the first two contests, mitt romney is already talking as if he is the nominee. meanwhile, the other candidates are struggling to emerge as the conservative alternative to romney. mitt romney hopes to continue his winning streak down south. >> we made history. >> he'll head to south carolina today after scoring another victory last night in the new hampshire primary. the former massachusetts governor briefly soaked up the win before launching a blistering attack on president obama. >> this president has enacted job killing regulations. i'll eliminate them. he lost our aaa credit rating. i'll restore it. he passed obama care. i'll repeal it. >> romney leads the polls in south carolina. but faces a

new hampshire. no republican in an open race has ever won iowa or new hampshire.have a while to go before this thing gets-- >> let me bring in joe nor a final thing. if you look ahead in new hampshire, south carolina or down the road. which other candidates do you see having the best chance to make a real race of the nomination fight with mitt romney? >> i think that's anybody's game right now. i'm a little stunned frankly that santorum wasn't able to turn his win in iowa into more and i think he-- he somehow, he just didn't seem like he had the fire to, both from not going down that night, but also not then really counting in new hampshire, he was going to go there and again, not really shoeing any real fire until the day. it's unclear to me which is going to step up. it may be the surprise in new hampshire, if huntsman takes second or santorum. what fire does it give somebody to go into south carolina, where does newt gingrich end up in there, it's unclear and it's a fractured field. >> one point we make with everybody with those who haven't made up their minds.

one of the solutions they come up with is move their events closer to iowa and new hampshire which thenintended consequence of making iowa and new hampshire that much more important. a candidate who doesn't do well in one of these states doesn't have time to recover in subsequent contest. if people want to diminish the significance of iowa, they decompress the schedule some. both parties have tried to do that, and they've had some success. i do think one thing the republican party's doing that ought to help keep this contest going longer is that in some subsequent states, there's a proportional delegates. that may keep the nomination fight going a little longer. >> david yepsen, former "des moines register" political writer, director of paul simon public policy institute. at southern illinois. david, thank you again for joining us tonight. i really do appreciate it. >> thank you, thank you. >> all right. >>> more ahead, including nate silver who's going to be here. also a bunch of news, not from iowa. stay tuned. the news? it's eye shadow with primer built-in. fadeproof, waterproof, to

new hampshire. it's going go down in history, non-incumbent republican has never won iowa and then new hampshire anduth carolina where the polls show that mitt romney might be ahead by double dinlg jimgitdig. governor romney joins us now. thanks for talking with us. last time we spoke to you in iowa you squeaked by but today you're celebrating quite a big win. in your comments to the crowd that had come to see and support you, you focused immediately on president obama. is that the strategy now, it's all about obama and you're not going to worry about the other republicans who are in the race with you? >> well, of course, i pay attention to the fact that there are plenty of other people who want the chance to go up against president obama. and i have a long way to go before i get the nomination, if i'm lucky enough to get it. but i really think we're best off focusing on the failures of this president and in my case i want to demonstrate that i have the capacity to make america once again a great place for opportunity, for rising incomes, for job growth. i think that's what people want to hear. they

new hampshire. tonight we made history! [ cheers and applause ] >> so, mitt romney didn't just win new hampshire last night, he won big and became the first nonincumbent gop since 1976 to win the iowas and the new hampshire primary. will the 2012 election year be the one to change politics as we know them? joining us now is presidential historian michael. michael, it's nice to have you with us this morning. romney made history last night. how much weight, how much does it really carry going forward given the margin of victory in new hampshire. he barely took iowa. it takes nothing away and probably given that iowa was a tie, it's not fight enough to repeal the rules of history. i think there are certain ways this race could be historic. one is we are likely to see more money spent by both sides than ever before in american history. super packs, we have begun to see how they are spending. president obama is trying to raise between half a billion and $1 billion in the times of a bad economy. it's going to change things. one other thing, you were talking earlier on the attacks of romney. it's often said senators have a hard time running for senate. that's because every vote they cast

iowa. is that translated at all in new hampshire or do they go, iowa's nothing to us? >> no republican has won both iowa and new hampshire in a contested nomination race. so he's in a position thrullly make history by doing this. you would say for almost any other kind of candidate there might be that kind of reverse backlash or reverse bounce that new hampshire's julianna said likes to go in a different direction. he's planted a lot of roots in this state and has worked have i diligently to hold on not zwroust what he had but to expand it. they're going -- not taking this for granted, going to work on the weekend on it. a senior adviser to the governor said to me in november, something that is now pertinent, he said winners close. we have to show we can close this out. it looks as though they're on a mission to try to close it as quickly as they can. >> the roots dan talked about are deep. he was after all governor the next store state with the big overlap in the media coverage. people have known him for some time. he's in an optimal position to make history of that ki

and since 1980, no republican has won south carolina without first winning iowa or new hampshire. n other words, you either have to win iowa tonight or new hampshire next week to wind up winning south carolina because if you win south carolina, that road leads to the white house. >> do you think that's the way it's gonna happen this year, though? do you think it will be -- >> if history is any indicator. >> that's my question this morning and tomorrow and moving forward. do you think this election cycle will resemble what we've seen in the past or will it be completely different? will it be completely different from what we've witnessed? >> newt gingrich has southern roots and mitt romney does not. you have a situation where mitt romney is one or two that most polls indicate he will be this time. then he goes to new hampshire and has a 22 point lead according to the average of all the polls together. you say to yourself, wait a second, if newt gingrich is up big in south carolina but 0-2 to start. will that change momentum wise who like rudy giuliani said i'll meet you in florida,

and since 1980, no republican has won south carolina without first winning iowa or new hampshire. n other words, you either have to win iowa tonight or new hampshire next week to wind up winning south carolina because if you win south carolina, that road leads to the white house. >> do you think that's the way it's gonna happen this year, though? do you think it will be -- >> if history is any indicator. >> that's my question this morning and tomorrow and moving forward. do you think this election cycle will resemble what we've seen in the past or will it be completely different? will it be completely different from what we've witnessed? >> newt gingrich has southern roots and mitt romney does not. you have a situation where mitt romney is one or two that most polls indicate he will be this time. then he goes to new hampshire and has a 22 point lead according to the average of all the polls together. you say to yourself, wait a second, if newt gingrich is up big in south carolina but 0-2 to start. will that change momentum wise who like rudy giuliani said i'll meet you in florida,