10 States Vote On Super Tuesday [VIDEO]

Voting across 10 states marks the busiest day of the Republican race for president and is expected to determine whether former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney solidifies his status as party front-runner or faces further threats from his challengers.

Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum are locked in a tight battle for Ohio. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich hopes a big win in Georgia will give new life to his struggling campaign.

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With 419 delegates at stake, Super Tuesday states offer a sizable slice of the 1,144 delegates required to clinch the GOP nomination.

Still, the apportionment of delegates based on vote percentage and the different regions the candidates are emphasizing are expected to push the race further into March.

Super Tuesday challenge for Santorum in Ohio

Rick Santorum is facing a crucial test in Ohio, where he’s drawing upon his working-class background and underdog image to help stop Mitt Romney from scoring a pivotal victory in Super Tuesday’s premier contest.

An unapologetic social conservative, Santorum has cast the race in Biblical terms: He’s David vs. Romney’s Goliath.

The former senator from neighboring Pennsylvania has a shell of a campaign in Ohio, with no state headquarters and a barebones staff. In Romney he faces a challenger who enjoys a massive cash advantage and a political machine that’s produced high-stakes victories in other states when his front-runner status was in
doubt.

Santorum expects to be competitive in several states Tuesday — Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgia among them. Ohio remains the state that could reshape the GOP race.

Gingrich pins hopes Tuesday on big Georgia win

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is banking on a big win in Georgia Tuesday to keep his fading hopes of winning the nomination alive.

The former House speaker is hoping momentum from an expected win in the state he represented in Congress for 20 years would propel his campaign, which has struggled since his lone victory in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary.

Gingrich leads by wide margins in Georgia polls. He trails Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney in Tennessee, although the race there is tight and Gingrich was closing the gap in some surveys.

He told 200 supporters near Knoxville on Monday that he has “the chance to win a stunning victory” in Tennessee.

Ann Romney: ‘I don’t even consider myself wealthy’

Mitt Romney’s wife says she doesn’t consider herself to be wealthy.

In an interview Monday on Fox News, the Republican presidential front-runner’s wife, Ann Romney, was asked about criticism that her husband is out of touch with average Americans. He is worth upwards of $250 million.

Mrs. Romney says her struggle with multiple sclerosis has given her compassion for people who are suffering from M.S., cancer or other diseases.

She says people can be poor of spirit and adds, in her words: “I don’t even consider myself wealthy, which is an interesting thing. It can be here today and gone tomorrow.”

Mrs. Romney says she measures the riches in her life by her friends and her loved ones.

A Romney spokeswoman says the full interview shows what Mrs. Romney meant.

An unapologetic social conservative, Santorum has cast the race in Biblical terms: He’s David vs. Romney’s Goliath.

The former senator from neighboring Pennsylvania has a shell of a campaign in Ohio, with no state headquarters and a barebones staff. In Romney he faces a challenger who enjoys a massive cash advantage and a political machine that’s produced high-stakes victories in other states when his front-runner status was in doubt.

Santorum expects to be competitive in several states Tuesday — Tennessee, Oklahoma and Georgia among them. Ohio remains the state that could reshape the GOP race.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)