by their nature party conventions tend to attract the hard liners and hard core, right? you have to show up and sit through speeches and sometimes it goes on for days and it s always really boring. back in 2010 hard liners in utah were able to oust the relatively moderate republican senator bob bennett at the state convention. this year hard liners forced the other republican senator orrin hatch into a primary? consider also the otherwise staid and seersucker world of connecticut republican politics where twice now wrestling executive linda mcmahon has emerged from conventions with the party s endorsement for nature despite pleas from the party to choose someone more moderate. again, i ask whether the many state republican parties matter? does it matter what those parties do, and what does it mean that the republican party establishment in important states is losing control of what those parties do now? joining us now is someone thanz,
it goes on for days and it s always really boring. back in 2010 hard liners in utah were able to oust the relatively moderate republican senator bob bennett at the state convention. this year hard liners forced the other republican senator orrin hatch into a primary? consider also the otherwise staid and seersucker world of connecticut republican politics where twice now wrestling executive linda mcmahon has emerged from conventions with the party s endorsement for nature despite pleas from the party to choose someone more moderate. again, i ask whether the many state republican parties matter? does it matter what those parties do, and what does it mean that the republican party establishment in important states is losing control of what those parties do now? joining us now is someone thanz, nicole wallace, former xhuk says directions from the bush administration and importantly the author of it s classified, a novel that came out in
with jon huntsman. i m wolf blitzer, you re in the situation room. the first primary beghaj at midnight in new hampshire. most polls close three hours from now. we ll have complete coverage. here is what we re watching for. first, mitt romney s margin of victory. final polls show him with a nearly 20-point lead. if romney wins big he may see almost invincible heading into south carolina. if he doesn t win big, he may seem beatable, at least some experts predict. second, who comes in second, jon huntsman gambled on a good showing in new hampshire. he has the chance to show he s a viable candidate. they play very well among many in new hampshire, and could help him emerge as the anti-romney candidate. finally, independenting can stroh in this open primary, so how will they vote? they may decide the winner, who will that signal for next november? we re watching all of this unfold. new hampshire state officials are expecting a record turnout of a quarter million prima