is he on the ballot in much of the places but not everywhere. >> the buckeye state is the battle of the evening. ohio is the sort of quintessential swing state and a bellwether for american politics. and there mr. santorum is in ineligible for 18 of the state's 66 delegates that puts him at substantial disadvantage. in the last few days in ohio mitt romney appeared to have surged in the polls. he had been down by double digits but the romney campaign points out romney has now won five states in a row and has the benefit of momentum. a victory in ohio in the popular vote and delegate count for romney would be significant. it's not his native state like it was in michigan and it is an important rust belt state adjacent to pennsylvania where rick santorum runs strong. it has a lot of meaning for both of these candidates. >> shepard: speaking of a lot of meaning the state of tennessee tonight may tell a story as well, carl. >> well, it's a southern battleground and tennessee is going to be one of the closer ones. this is another state where rick santorum has been running strong. he had a lead for quite s

santorum in such a strong position tonight in ohio because of his ability to connect with the blue-collar workers and, quote, average americans narcotic stateas an 11 percentage point lead on this measure. they said that they believe he's the one who understands their problems the best. romney was down by a significant measure at 22%. his ability to connect with the voters, mitt romney, perhaps impaired a bit by the nascar comment and the two cadillac comment that got so much attention in the time period running up to this vote. this is a look at that picture in ohio -- ooh, coming in and out. this seems to be my thing tonight. we will keep poring over the numbers. >> megyn: it's the spooky poll. >> "phantom of the opera." >> megyn: not everyone has that. >> bret: let's go back that. >> megyn: we gallon to the all-star panel here. britt hume and juan williams and steve hayes. >> and one other thing in the exit polling in ohio tonight. 5% of the vote in the exit poling came from democrats, rick santorum carried them by 22 points. mitt romney, it appears won the republican vote in ohio by six percentage point, which means that if this comes d

of ohio to make up a big difference. again, senator santorum had filing issues, organizational issues, so rom gnaw is going to get more delegates out of the statef ohio no matter what happens. >> but the bragging rights. >> the moral power of that state being purple on the map tomorrow for santorum would be remarkable, to make the argument that shurp, mitt romney will have more delegates at the end of tonight, we know that. for rick santorum to wake up and say look at the middle of america, look at this huge, no republican has won the white house in modern history without winning the state of ohio. psychologically, if he won ohio, it's a different race. >> and they didn't spend much money in ohio. the romney folks spend a lot of money. it's going to be a significant embarrassment if they can't capture the vote. >> a quick break. much, much more after this. this at&t 4g network is fast. hey, heard any updates on the game? i think it's final seconds, ohh, down by two, shoots a three, game over. so two seconds ago... hey mr. and mrs. harris, where's kevin? say hi kevin. hi. mom, put me down. put...the phone...down. hey guys. did you hear... the ch

of a virtual convention. let's go to john with some new exit poll information. >> ten states on the map tonight. a lot of data coming into us. let's start with ohio. we know that is the biggest contested battle ground state tonight, critical in the republican nomination battle. it will be critical come november. let's look at what's happening in the state of ohio. voting by ideology, we asked people as they showed up to vote how do you describe yourself 64% described themselves as conservative. the polls aren't closed yet. among those who say they're conservatives a close race in ohio. 39% for santorum, 39% for governor romney, 12% for speaker gingrich and 9% for ron paul. tie among conservatives. that tells you you've got a contested race in the state of ohio tonight. closer look more about the ohio electorate. will you vote for the gop nominee in november, asking people no matter who wins will you vote for the gop nominee? 62% say yes i'm a loyal republican i'd vote for the nom knee. look at this. 23% say probably, 10% say only in my candidate wins. you've got some sense of reservation. that happens sometimes that hotly contested nominating proce

the 10 super tuesday states, virginia, vermont, massachusetts, idaho and now, ohio. >> right. there is newt gingrich won one state, state of georgia only remaining state is alaska. so again, fox news is now prepared to say that barring some unforeseen vote correction by ohio officials, that is the situation now. we can now project mitt romney will win the state of ohio. very good news for the romney campaign. we'll wait to see if there is reaction well. talked about how mitt rom niece political director said this is a night fight in a phone both in ohio. they thought rick santorum had to win ohio. and santorum votes will say they were outspent. and there is when you heard from newt gingrich's campaign. santorum almost winning ohio. back with our panel brit what does this mean in the big picture? headlines now change a bit, perhaps tomorrow, that is a big thing. >> i think headlines are important. >> overrated?. >> well, headlines normally mean momentum. it's more for anyone. and if the race hasn't eight days after it starts you end up losing so there is delegates. and that is a substantial lead. i'm surprised i think it's

>> reporter: well, scott, after spending most of the past week battling it out in that key state of ohio, romney arrived here this afternoon in his home state of massachusetts and he sounded optimistic when he talked to reporters about his expectations for tonight. >> i'm hoping for a good win here in massachusetts and what happens elsewhere i don't know. but i think we'll pick up a lot of delegates and this is a process of gathering enough delegates to become the nominee and i think we're on the track to have that happen. >> reporter: romney voted in his home state of massachusetts late today and is striking a confident tone. he's expected to win at least three states and he's closed the gap in ohio with a strategy that focuses on the personal and the president. >> good luck. >> reporter: on the campaign trail he told voters in ohio he dreamed as a boy of becoming a police officer, in idaho he talked about his father's humble beginnings here. >> my dad was here as a boy as well, he said he had potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. >> reporter: instead of engaging his republican riv

the state of ohio has one quarter of the 16 teams remaining in the dance. >>> and that is your espn newsate. i'm zubin mehenti. have a wonderful week. >> ohio's loving it. ohio state, ou. cincinnati, and xavier. >> good times for the state of ohio. >>> up next, "the pulse" including the video burning up the internet this morning. >>> the things we learn from oprah's latest high-profile interview with lady gaga. i've worked hard to build my family. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain stomach or glaucoma problems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. vesicare may cause allergic reactions that may be serious. if you experience swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, stop taking vesicare and get emergency help. tell your doctor right awa

thank you. >> the percentages lower now when you count dichbs between santorum and romney in the state of ohioalmost 90% of the vote in from the buck eye state and the race is still too close to kau. we'll drill down on number was the panel, next. >> tonight we're counting up delegates for the convention it and looks good. counting down days until november, that is even better. we're going to take your votes and take that victory all the way to the white house. ♪ [ male announcer ] how could a luminous protein in jellyfish, impact life expectancy in the u.s., real estate in hong kong, and the optics industry in germany? at t. rowe price, we understand the connections of a complex, global economy. it's just one rean over 75% of our mutual funds beat their 10-year lipper average. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. fight both fast with new tums freshers! concentrated relief that goes to work in seconds and freshens breath. new tums freshers. ♪ tum..

that's your 5@5:00. >>> back in super tuesday in the state of ohio. fox news exit polls showing romney's biggest group of supporters women. bau western kind -- but a certa kind of woman. >> in the race to the white house all women are important. that was made evident in 2008. women have 10 million more votes than men. in a key state of ohio it seemed women flocked to mitt romney the massachusetts governor about 39 percent of the overall women's vote. 42 percent of the working women vote. that's according to the fox news exit polls. also appesantorum appeared to married women. while women are concerned about political and economic issues the social issue took on increasing importance against the backdrop of controversial comments by radio talk show host rush limbaugh. those comments hurt santorum a devout catholic a stern conservative. he's looking to praichange that praising the strong women in his life. it comes down to obama verses romney. polls show obama winning 55 percent of the women's vote verses romney 37. >>> 12 minutes after the hour now. it

ohio is seen as the most important of the ten states holding contests today. it's partly symbolic. but for rick santorum, it's critical. a loss here could finish his campaign. he had been surging in ohio. only to watch his lead in the polls slip away, placing him in the last-minute dead heat are mitt romney. >> 12 to 1 is the ratio that ve we have been outspent. the five pols, dead even here in the state of ohio. >> reporter: while santorum argued he's scrappy enough, romney tried to cast himself as a inevitable republican nominee. >> we have been all over the state, from a to z, akron to zanesville, we're happy to be here. >> reporter: he turned to his wife ann to help. an effect to humanize her husband. >> i don't consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. it can be here today and gone tomorrow. >> reporter: as the gop field heads into super tuesday with ten states and more than 400 delegates up for grabs, voters have developed largely unfavorable reviews of all remaining candidates. shared openly by barbara bush. >> since i think, the worst campaign i have ever seen

front-runner mitt romney....challenger rick pennsylvania...and right in between the two is the u-s state of ohio state they have to win."it really is a test of both the seriousness and the staying power of any presidential campaign, in either party. and when it there's a lot of diverse constiiuencies there."ohho offers a microcosm of the u-s eleccorate...a mix of urbann and rural voters...evangelical christians and catholics...and a combination of moderate repubbicans and those who vote conseevative."ohio could make the differencc. they allays do. you aaways seem to be right in the center. no matter what the election, no matter when it is, ooio is the key." plus, ohio is bellwether state for the u-s general &pelection...no republican presidential candidate has gone on to win the white house without the state of ohio. "voters here are very concerned about electability. they are aware of the central role thh state will play in november. and voters that are concerned about lectability here, are breaking heavily toward mitt romney as they &phave in other states."and wha does that mean for rick santo

states, including virginia. while the outcome of states like ohio and georgia are unknown. >> but virginia pretty much certain.l the only two candidates on the ballot. mitt romney is expected to easily take the commonwealth. we have the latest on what's at stake on super tuesday. >> reporter: mitt romney campaigned hard across ohio hours before the polls opened. >> get out and vote. thank you so much. >> reporter: romney is locked in a dead heat there with rick santorum. the former pennsylvania senator had a lead there but it started to fade after romney's three- state sweep last week. santorum admits a win in ohio is crucial. >> i would make the argument that it may not be make or break, it's going to be a huge, huge deal. >> reporter: ohio is considered the biggest prize today because it's a battleground state in the general election. romney says he's the republican candidate who can win come november. >> what we need to talk about to defeat barack obama is getting good jobs and stealing back the size of government and that's what i do. >> reporter: mitt romney and ron paul have a decided advantage here in v

are being cast in 10 states, the -- votes are being cast in 10 states, but the big prize is the state of ohio. exit polls suggest the front- runner in the race, mitt romney, has won three states. rick santorum has also won three. the contest is to be extremely close in ohio. no republican candidate has ever become president without winning there. mitt romney has won the primaries in massachusetts and virginia. newt gingrich has won in his home state in georgia. rick santorum has one in tennessee, oklahoma, as north dakota. we are in columbus, ohio. it is looking incredibly close. >> it is incredibly close to the point where the word out of the mitt romney camp is they think there could be less than 1000 votes and there is the potential that there may be no official call at all this evening. back is the situation at the moment. earlier in them evening, it looked as though rick santorum was ahead. the more rural counties seem to be reporting earlier. the counties for the three main urban centers were taking longer. there is nothing between them at the moment. we are waiting for this final count

ohio takes on the big banks. the state says it no longer requires the services of bank of new york mellon and state street following a lawsuit. we'll talk to the machine who issued the banks their walking papers right after the break. >>> ohio has cut >>> ohio has cut ties with bank of new york mellon and state street. last week ohio filed a lawsuit against them accusing the bank of overcharging the funds in currency transactions. this follows legal action by several other state and the justice department, as well. joining us to talk more about will is josh mendell, ohio state treasurer. let's start with the lawsuit that's been filed. obviously you are trying to protect the people of ohio who have invested all this money in pensions and we've seen a lot of fraud really destroying the system here in the united states. tell me how you first sort of learned of this and what let you to file the lawsuit. >> it actually started when i was running for state treasurer. this was a couple years ago. we saw some unethical activities in the treasurer's office in respect to state street bank. and we asked a lot of questions of

take a look at the state of ohio, this has been a comeback kid state. look at unemployment, that's the best. there are only two parts worse than the national average. columbus at 7%, significantly better. you look at ohio, some of the best to worse for the ohio economy. the unemployment rate at 10.6% at the peak. it is now only 7.9%, one of the best improved and a big part of the story. >> john king, as we count down to the next poll closings, also keeping close watch on the battle for ohio. john. >> let's look at what we're waiting for the next hour. two very important states. the state of tennessee. one thing we're looking for, senator santorum needs to win the state of tennessee tonight. yes, 71% are you a white evangelical born again christian and hthat has been a source of strength. with 10 states voting across the country, different states have different electorates, evangelicals in times square, 72% in oklahoma say they're born again evangelical, 72% in tennessee and oklahoma and watch if they go for senator santorum. battleground ohio. interestin

those two comments and without having the structure to be on the ballot throughout the state of ohio was the difference of 50,000 votes that he lost by. if you can not be on the ballot throughout the state and still make the front-runner sweat, that's not good for mitt romney. yes, it's a win, but it's not a convincing win, and it doesn't reassure mitt romney that he's a strong candidate going into november. >> it says that romney is losing in the areas that republicans are likely to win in the fall, which is the rural areas, and winning in the areas that democrats are likely to win, which is urban areas. how problematic is that, lenny, as we look into the long term? >> well, this is going to be the narrative from president obama. and other candidates on the republican side have already said this. you can have obama and obama light. if you're going to go with obama and obama light, why not keep the incumbent that's been there for four years and has four years of presidential experience. the economy is getting better. he's doing very well with foreign affairs. he's taken out osama bin

of the country as the big contest as rex santorum and mitt romney. >> this is the battleground state of ohiost watched. our political reporter is joining us now with a preview. speaking about ohio, mitt romney has invested a lot of time in that state. he and rick santorum are pretty much tighter? >> remember how this race started a few weeks ago with a wreck santorum in the lead. mitt romney was behind in florida and michigan. money matters and that is why mitt romney is back in this race and he talked to most people on the ground and ohio and they think they can put him over the top. it will be close but a win is a win and if he can beat santorum in ohio, it is tough for rick santorum to go on. >> the focus is on the gop would super tuesday but let's talk about the democrats for a minute. dennis kucinich is fighting for his political life on this super tuesday in ohio. >> yes because of re- districting, dennis kucinich, a liberal hero, if he loses the primary today his congressional career could be over. that is something to watch and talk about around a water cooler today. >> we always app

ohio today. it's a key swing state offering a microcosm. overall voters because it has a mix of rural and urban voters moderates and conservatives. santorum had a lead here earlier. but could he hold off the surge? ohio is a bellwether state for the general election. no republican won the white house without first winning ohio. that's why the state is so important and that's why people are watching it so closely. only mitt romney is in massachusetts. newt gingrich is spending his super tuesday in georgia where we just said he has won. as for ron paul, he is concentrating on the caucus states, idaho, alaska and north dakota. north dakota is where he is hoping to pick up his first win. a lot is at stake. a strong performance in states like ohio and tennessee and georgia could help mitt romney to move from front-runner to presumptive nominee. santorum hoping to keep pace with him. he hopes to remain in the top tier. if he comes up short in tennessee he will have a slot of explaining to do about why his conservative message didn't resonate with voterss there. it's been a crazy race.

let's turn to democratic congressman tim ryan of ohio and maureen reedy, the teacher of the year in 2002 in the state of ohio and is now running for a seat in the ohio house of representatives. i love the story. congressman, you first. great to have you with us tonight. is this going to connect with ohio voters, how much of an impact do you think vice president biden had today? >> well, it's huge. it just reminds everybody of how huge the auto rescue package was, it reminds everybody where we were and where we are now when one of every eight jobs in the state of ohio is related to the auto industry, the supply chain, the local tax base, huge cuts all across the state. can you imagine what communities would be like if they didn't have the auto workers and their supply chains paying taxes in ohio, and biden reminds everybody of that. >> and tim, what do you think of the guy across the aisle, rick crawford, are the republicans changing their policies a little bit? >> well, i think he's a dead man walking in a republican primary is what i think. they just can't get away with that over there. i have repub

of what's been a very unpredictable republican primary season, super tuesday. ten states are holding either primaries or caucuses with 419 delegates at stake. in the critical state of ohio, 63 delegates are up for grabs. a just leased cnn/orc poll of likely republicans there find the race between mitt romney and rick santorum a virtual tie. good news for romney who erased a double-digit deficit. in virginia romney stands a good chance of capturing all 46 delegates. tyler suiters is in arlington. he joins us now. good morning, tyler. >> reporter: betty, good morning to you as well. mitt romney also has an excellent chance of taking all the delegates in massachusetts, a state where he serves as governor, and in nearby vermont. it's different stakes for different candidates, and it's clear today's voting could reshape the rest of the republican presidential race. mitt romney campaigned hard across ohio hours before the polls opened, asking voters in youngstown to carry him to victory on super tuesday. >> get out and vote. thank you so much. >> reporter: romney is locked in a dead heat there with rick santorum. the former pennsylvania senator had a lead there, but it starte

states tonight. he has got three already won. one of the things romney aides say is quite possible is a victory out in idaho later in the evening and of course then there is ohio. they have worked very hard there. there was about $10 million worth of advertising spending in the last 10 days in all the super tuesday states. about half of it came from mitt romney's campaign in the super pac that supports him and a big chunk of it was spent in ohio. yes, they are confident. they have taken the unusual step tonight, bret, of actually releasing some of the excerpts from mitt romney's speech from later this evening. and just listen to what they say. tonight, we have taken one more step to restoring the promise of america. we will start again tomorrow and the next day and so we'll go day by day step-by-step and heart to heart. romney knows this is going to remain a very long battle. then it goes on to say there will be good days and bad days, always long hours and never enough time but on november 6th, we will stand united not only having won the election but having saved the future. those are the excerpt and remarks released early this evening from romney's speech l

the big battleground state of ohio. it's important for delegates and anderson, it's important for the romney campaign psychology to say we're up to 13 states. count 14 if alaska goes his way as we go into the morning. >> it's a big night, certainly not as big of a night as they would have liked. not clear wins as they would have liked. let's get some reaction from the democrats and republicans. ari fleischer, mitt romney is still losing among white evangelical voters. among strong tea party supporters and among people who say religion is important to them. what does he have to say? >> mitt romney's fundamental problem is like it was at the beginning. he still has a problem with the base. that base problem may make him more attractive to independents if he makes it to the general. but he hasn't been able to address and i suspect he never will unless he grinds it out. we go into basically a march lull. there really are no big nights left. there's one night where you have two contests but there's not a more than two contes

we take a look at the mood as voting gets under way. >> the state of ohio fits the heartland pretty well. three-quarters of the residents call themselves christian, a state of agriculture and industry. when it comes to elections, as ohio goes, so goes the nation. the candidates know that. head of the republican primary complement were flowing freely. >> you guys know this is the biggest prize on super tuesday -- ohio. it's always the biggest prize. as the epicenter of everything. >> republicans in nine other states are voting this tuesday. 40 percent of the delegates needed to win a republican nomination are up for grabs. ohio does not offer the most delegates, but it's the biggest state that is still competitive. winning those delegates it takes deep pockets. that is where mitt romney far as strips his rivals. he has flooded the airwaves with television ads attacking the competition and playing up business credentials. >> what i know is the economy. i spent my life in the real economy. i understand why jobs come and go. >> meanwhile, his rival, rick santorum, is showing himself as the t

of the country on friday. as many as 30 tornados carved a path from towns in seven states, kentucky, indiana, and ohio baring the brunt. video footage taken from a home in tennessee. 165-mile-per-hour winds from one of the tornados ripping down trees and tossing debris. in all, 39 people died in friday's storms, bringing the death toll just the past week to 52. one of the deceased, 15-month-old toddler angel babcock. she was found alive in a field about 10 miles from her home by first responders. she became a symbol of hope. it was discovered her parents and two siblings had been killed in the storm. yesterday we hate to pass along angel passed away from her injuries. there is some controversy in the state of ohio where the storms claimed three lives. republican governor john kasich turning down disaster aid saying the state can handle its own relief. local democrats disagree. one county chairman said, quote, i question his judgment. it would appear at first blush he's probably playing politics. governors of the two hardest hit state, indiana and kentucky, both accepted the federal aid from the government. mass

[cheers and applause] >> we went up against enormous odds, not just here in the state of ohio where who knows how much we were outspent, but in every state. there wasn't a single state in the list that i just gave you where i spent more money than the people i was able to defeat to win that state. and every case, we overcame the odds. >> jamie: it was a disappointing night for newt gingrich and ron paul. gingrich's only win, his home state of georgia. ron paul failed to win a single state. but both candidates vow they are going to keep on fighting. >> your help, we survived the two most difficult months of a career which goes back to august of 1958. and june and july were really hard and it was presicily because the national elite, especially in the republican party, had decided that a gingrich presidency was so frightening that they had to kill it early. but you -- you wouldn't let them do it. >> the american people are way ahead of washington. washington is sound asleep. we are on the right track. so make sure they hear our message all the way to d.c.! >> jamie: those are the candidat

[cheers and applause] >> we went up against enormous odds, not just here in the state of ohio where whonows how much we were outspent, but in every state. there wasn't a single state in the list that i just gave you where i spent more money than the people i was able to defeat to win that state. and every case, we overcame the odds. >> jamie: it was a disappointing night for newt gingrich and ron paul. gingrich's only win, his home state of georgia. ron paul failed to win a single state. but both candidates vow they are going to keep on fighting. >> your help, we survived the two most difficult months of a career which goes back to august of 1958. and june and july were really hard and it was presicily because the national elite, especially in the republican party, had decided that a gingrich presidency was so frightening that they had to kill it early. but you -- you wouldn't let them do it. >> the american people are way ahead of washington. washington is sound asleep. we are on the right track. so make sure they hear our message all the way to d.c.! >> jamie: those are the candidates

what he's focused on now is the battleground state of ohio. ere it is a dead heat between mitt romney and rick santorum. now, mitt romney says he believes he will win the republican nomination if, in fact, he can carry the state of ohio. but newt gingrich and rick santorum say, making mitt romney the nominee would be a big mistake. listen. >> he will be the weakest candidate we could possibly put forward on the most important issue of today. >> he can't close the deal. he can't close the deal in part because people inherently don't trust what he's saying and think that he isn't always very candid with him and sometimes frankly isn't straight. >> all right. no shocker there to see rick santorum and newt gingrich saying he would be a terrible nominee. republican congressman jason chaffetz of utah is a romney supporter. nice to see, you sir. we appreciate it, as always. >> good morning. >> mitt romney has said, i hope i get the support of the people in ohio. and i believe if i get the support of the people of ohio e., i win, i can get the norm nat

down to the wire. >> down to the wire, and right now it is a dead heat in this very important state of ohio between mitt romney and santorum. they are tied for 32%, according to our latest poll. this state is not just important in terms of the primary because it has very delegate rich, 63 delegates at stake, it is also symbolically important for the volatility of the general election. the last 12 cycles, no president has won the white house without winning this state. i talked to voters for the past day and a half here trying to get a sense of how they feel. here's an example of what two voters talked about when it came to the top two contenders. >> romney, i think, is more electable. i have no problem with the other guys. >> why do you like santorum? >> because of his family values, and i just like everything about him. but if he doesn't get the nomination, no matter who has an r behind their name, i'm going to vote for them. >> reporter: now, brooke, we also spent some time with some santorum volunteers as they tried to get out the vote. that is largely what santorum is relying on, that b

of those states, georgia, virginia, and vermont will close. the results will start pouring in. one of the most contested battles, that's in ohio. s the latest from that swing state. >> mitt romney is watching the returns from massachusetts where he voted. >> these are long campaigns. they say a day is like a lifetime in politics. we have plenty of time to talk about real issues. >> big prize of the day is

the state of ohio actually had a program. i saw in the paper last week that kentucky is doing more to provide tax investments for some. we concluded region alley that we'll be able to put together the funds of funds. you can incentivize. for us it's about creating an environment where these entrepreneurs can grow and become local institutions and build for us. small companies are also the greatest destroyers. p & g is committed to building small business growth. we believe we can get there by partnering, i thincubating. i always tell customers, i may not always be on this side. i may be a customer, and you help pay our bills. >> we believe that there is a strong role for your state governments to do the same thing, to partner with to doing that work, to is stpt growth. there's still going to be losers, okay? this is a marketplace. not all startups. they aren't responding because most of the investments in your states don't match-up. we want more. thank you, that's all of my comments at this time. >> thanks, amy and jeff. i ap

of the united states. the biggest thing for me as a proud son of ohio -- as a proud son of ohio is to welcome him and give em the support he needs. the next president of the united states, mitt romney. [applause] >> thank you. thank you. please. thank you. thank you. thank you. you know, -- thank you. thank you so much. if i was as big and strong as nick, this race would be over. quite a champion of the ohio state university. [applause] i am excited by the response by the number of people here by your enthusiasm and passion. before i offer my remarks, i want to think about those that are hurting today. with tornadoes that have touched down across this great land, we have had people lose everything they own. we have had people lose their lives and their loved ones. so in respect for those who have great sorrow today, i wonder if we might take a moment to collect our thoughts, a moment of silence, and offer a word of prayer in our own ways to ask our father in heaven to bless those that are troubled and sorrowful today. thank you so much. i am it proud to be in this place. i do not know if i can pronounced i