states. he says he s staying in. now the questions are can santorum find a path to challenge romney? it would be easier if gingrich gets out. the math, the rules, the history. everything tells you it s still romney over the long hall into may and june. but you know what? our politics have been outside the rules. we elected our first african-american president. the tea party movement came out of nowhere. so let s watch. santorum s going to puerto rico. then we have a big primary in illinois. back to the midwest where if you look at the demographics, should be a romney state. puerto rico is this coming sunday. huge. and then illinois is a week from now on tuesday. i think i need to go to cover it. in fairness to mitt romney, he s still away head in the delegate count. he s got more than all of the other candidates combined so far. and this isn t the way they wanted it to be right now. if they do go across the finish line, they re going to crawl across the finish lin
alabama and hopefully the folks in mississippi did we did? i guess. how happy is he? how happy is his family? back with us right now, our expert cnn team. john, this is a very significant night for rick santorum. just when so many of the so-called experts were saying romney had it all but done, not is fast. could romney lock it up or another revival for newt gingrich. he loses in the two south states. he says he s staying in. now the questions are can santorum find a path to challenge romney? it would be easier if gingrich gets out. the math, the rules, the history. everything tells you it s still romney over the long hall into may and june. but you know what? our politics have been outside the rules. we elected our first african-american president. the tea party movement came out of nowhere. so let s watch. santorum s going to puerto rico. then we have a big primary in illinois. back to the midwest where if you look at the demographics, should be a romney state. puer
of attacks on newt gingrich and that appears to be paying off. with me now, mel martinez, a romney supporter and now the regional chairman with jpmorgan chase. nice to see you. good morning, chuck. good to be with you. as you might expect the gingrich campaign is not happy with how members of the romney establishment if you will have gone after speaker gingrich. here is fred thompson yesterday on meet the press on what he calls the romney attack machine. let s just say that romney is the nominee. he basically is plays mr. nice guy until someone gets close to him and then he unleashes his attack machine. that s what happened in iowa. it s what s happening in florida spending millions of dollars. i think they spent $16 million on television ads alone in florida. do you agree with senator thompson that mitt romney s lead and now decisive lead is