GOP Debate Tonight: McCain Playing Prevent, Romney's Catch-22, & Rudy on the Ropes

There's an important Republican Debate tonight being held in Florida, the site of the next GOP Primary on Tuesday (January 29th). The three men for whom this debate most matters are John McCain, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani. Fred Thompson, as I mentioned last time, has dropped out of the race, and Mike Huckabee has essentially conceded Florida in order to focus his limited resources on Super Tuesday states that he and his campaign believe he can win. So let's take a look at where things stand for McCain, Romney and Giuliani, and why tonight's debate could be a good one...

McCain: The Arizona Senator has a narrow lead in Florida according to the latest RealClearPolitics Polling Average at 24.5% to Romney's 23.5%, and Giuliani's 18.8%. With important wins in the New Hampshire and South Carolina Primaries, McCain would likely cement his status as "The Frontrunner" with a win in Florida, and he would have the GOP Nomination all but locked up. In the debate tonight, McCain's challenges are two-fold. First, and put bluntly, he can't screw up. By that I mean he has to avoid any major verbal gaffes, erroneous statements or unseemly flashes of temper. Because he has the lead (albeit slight), if he can essentially play a Prevent Defense (pardon the football metaphor) tonight, he should be fine. His second challenge is more complicated, however. Florida is a closed primary, meaning that only registered Republican voters can vote in the state's Republican Primary. That means no independents -- typically a big source of support for McCain -- and no "crossover" Democratic voters. McCain needs to strengthen his support among the "base" of the Republican Party -- a group that is largely suspicious of his conservative bona fides (and rightfully so). There are several positions on which McCain finds himself at odds with much of the base. On immigration, McCain's policy isn't viewed as tough enough for most of those voters, and on the question of tax cuts, McCain's votes against the Bush Tax Cuts in 2001 and 2003 are unpleasant memories for many conservatives. In the previous debates, he really hasn't faced tough questioning on either issue, and so it will be interesting to see if tonight's moderator (Brian Williams of NBC News) chooses to bring them up.

Romney: Mitt Romney faces probably the toughest challenge tonight. The former Massachusetts Governor, coming off of wins in the Michigan Primary and Nevada Caucus, now trails McCain in Florida by a very thin margin. A Romney win in Florida would force the media (who are not apparently fond of Romney) to consider whether he, in fact, might be the new frontrunner, and the momentum from such a victory would be a great tailwind heading into Super Tuesday. Because of his considerable personal wealth, Romney can afford to buy advertising and pay staff in many (if not all) of the Super Tuesday states. The other GOP candidates, by contrast, are relying strictly on outside contributions, and at this point, are all in somewhat tenuous financial situations of varying degrees. With Fred Thompson out of the race and Mike Huckabee essentially not competing in Florida, Romney has an enormous opportunity to try to capture the conservative Republican vote that might otherwise have gone to Thompson or Huckabee. McCain and Giuliani will likely divide the majority of the moderate Republican vote, and so from a strategic standpoint, events are unfolding rather nicely for Romney. As evidenced by the fact that he is still trailing McCain in the polls, however, it's clear that Romney has yet to convince some voters that he is the best candidate for the GOP Nomination. Tonight's debate presents a big chance for Romney to try to sway some of those voters. To do so, he needs to make clear the differences he and John McCain have -- something that is far easier said (or written) than done. In past debates when Romney has attempted to make a contrast between his views and those of McCain, the Arizona Senator has cried foul, claiming that Romney is "attacking" him or "going negative". The media, fans of McCain's, have perpetuated that message, and so in the last debate, Romney seemed very hesitant to do or say anything that might be perceived as attack/negative politics. Others in the media and some Republican voters, however, have criticized Romney's past debate performances as being "too scripted", suggested he wasn't "tough enough", and opined that he didn't do enough to separate himself from McCain. So in a sense, Romney is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. It will be very interesting tonight to watch how Mitt Romney attempts to handle this Catch-22. If he can effectively contrast himself with McCain without being accused of attacking McCain, it could be a very big night for Romney, and an important step in setting up what would be an immensely important victory for him in Florida next week.

Giuliani: Quite simply, Rudy is on the ropes. The good folks at RealClearPolitics have a graphical representation of the Florida polls -- starting in May of last year and ending with the most recent results. Take a look at it here (scroll down a bit and note that Rudy's numbers are represented by the purple line), and it's quite evident that the former NYC Mayor is in trouble. Independent of any other external factors, this graph would be bad news for a candidate. When, however, the external factors of Giuliani's decline are considered, the already poor outlook becomes downright dismal. Several weeks ago, Rudy and his campaign made the tactical choice to essentially remove all resources and staff from all of the earlier primary states in which his fellow GOP Candidates have been competing. Giuliani has since spent all of his time and money in Florida, and for awhile, this was reflected in polls that showed him with a considerable lead. The thinking behind the strategy arguably made sense: if different candidates were winning the different primaries, they would all come to Florida and there would be no clear frontrunner. Rudy, having devoted everything to Florida, would have what he and his strategists expected to be a solid lead. He would then win in Florida, and take that momentum into the Super Tuesday states where he could vault to the front of the Republican pack. It was a gamble, but as the primaries indeed did produce three different winners, many began to think that Rudy's risky strategy might just work. What actually occurred, however, is that as the other primaries began to unfold and as Huckabee, McCain and Romney each had victories, the resulting media attention and momentum clearly helped their Florida polling numbers. Even though Rudy was campaigning all over the state, the national media were now focused on the other primaries and their winners, and since Giuliani was essentially not competing in any of these contests, he was not a part of that media discussion. As McCain and Romney have joined Rudy in Florida over the last week, their presence has further helped their numbers and continued to erode Giuliani's. Rudy himself has essentially admitted that he must win Florida in order for his campaign to continue, and so if his recent slide in the polls accurately reflects how he will finish next week, Giuliani's quest for the White House will come to an end. Rudy will probably be forced to go on the attack in tonight's debate, and it will be fascinating to see whether he chooses to train his sights on McCain, Romney or both.

One last thing to watch for tonight is whether or not Mike Huckabee continues to serve as a veritable stalking horse for John McCain. As mentioned last time, I believe "Huck" is angling for the #2 spot on a ticket with McCain. Since he has nothing to lose in Florida, I suspect Huckabee will aggressively go after both Romney and Rudy Giuliani. In that sense, he does McCain's "dirty work" for him, and as an added bonus, McCain owes him. I could be wrong, but it's something to keep an eye on this evening.

I would encourage anyone who can to tune in tonight. The debate will air on MSNBC at 9:00pm Eastern Time. The stakes are huge, the sub-plots fascinating, and I suspect a lively debate will ensue. Enjoy!

The Gloves Are Off

First a quick recap of the weekend's events...

In Nevada, Mitt Romney won the Republican Caucus in decisive fashion, taking 51% of the vote to Ron Paul's 14%, John McCain's 13%, Mike Huckabee's 8%, Fred Thompson's 8%, and Rudy Giuliani's 4%. Romney benefited from being the only GOP candidate to devote significant time (and resources) to the state, and also was helped by a relatively large number of Mormon voters who overwhelmingly supported him. (Romney is also a member of the LDS Church).

Also on Saturday, John McCain won the South Carolina Republican Primary. McCain received 33% of the vote to Mike Huckabee's 30%, Fred Thompson's 16%, and Mitt Romney's 15%. This was an important win for McCain as he was able to overcome both Mike Huckabee, who had hoped that his evangelical background and southern roots would give him a win, and also to a lesser extent Fred Thompson, who bet it all on a strong finish in South Carolina. (Thompson dropped out of the race today, as I had predicted he would if he finished a distant third to McCain and Huckabee). Romney finished fourth, but had essentially abandoned his efforts there last week to focus on Nevada, thereby shrewdly lowering expectations for his South Carolina showing.

Now it's on to Florida for the Republican candidates, where the state will hold its primary on January 29th. McCain enters the Sunshine State in the strongest position after his wins in New Hampshire and South Carolina, and his growing status as the "establishment" candidate and/or the "inevitable" nominee. Romney's Nevada victory (and to some extent, his Michigan victory too) were largely ignored by the media in favor of the more contested South Carolina vote. As a result, it will be difficult for Romney to leverage his two victories for momentum in Florida. Huckabee's candidacy is weakened considerably. Should he have another weak showing in Florida next week, his campaign will be in dire straits. He seems to be aware of this, announcing today that he will have to take steps to save money and would even consider abandoning Florida before next week's primary if the outlook is bleak. In my opinion, the outlook is already bleak for "Huck", and I suspect he will fade out of view in the near future. (I do not, however, think he will drop out before Super Tuesday, where he undoubtedly thinks he can do well in states such as Alabama, Georgia, and his home state of Arkansas. It's my belief that he views those states as a chance to show some electoral strength for what appers to me to be his obvious desire to be vice president. After all, the longer he remains in the race, the more he hurts Mitt Romney, and therefore helps John McCain, and I think the former Arkansas Governor already has visions of McCain-Huckabee 2008 bumper stickers. I wouldn't be so sure, Governor, but that's a matter for another post). A weakened or absent Huckabee in Florida should help Romney there. Last but not least, we can't forget Rudy. Yes, Rudy Giuliani is also in Florida, and in fact has been in Florida for the last few weeks. He absolutely needs to win next week in order for his campaign to continue. (It is possible that a very close second-place would allow him to continue on to Super Tuesday, but in all likelihood, Florida is "must win" for Rudy). As of now, McCain holds a slight lead in Florida, but the race is close, and it's also crucial in determining who the GOP Nominee will be. I'll have more on Florida as it approaches next week.

In the Nevada Democratic Caucus, Hillary Clinton emerged with an important win, capturing 51% of the vote. Barack Obama finished second with 45%, and John Edwards a very distant third with 4%. This was a key victory for Hillary, as an Obama win would have again given him a great deal of momentum, and also renewed concerns about the strength of Clinton's candidacy. (In full disclosure, I predicted an Obama upset in my last post, and that is why I am not paid to prognosticate)!

The South Carolina Democratic Primary is this Saturday, and with polls showing Obama with a large lead, Hillary is largely spending her time elsewhere this week, and while she does have her husband campaigning there on her behalf, she still is effectively conceding the Palmetto State to Obama. The Illinois Senator will almost certainly go on to win South Carolina Saturday, essentially preventing either Clinton or Obama from staking a solid claim to the "front-runner" label, and setting up a Super Tuesday showdown between the two.

With the weekend recap out of the way, let's move on to "the main event"...

If you caught last week's Nevada Democratic Debate, you'll recall that both Clinton and Obama seemed to try very hard to avoid conflict and negativity. With Clinton's win in Nevada, perhaps Obama thinks the nomination is slipping away. Or maybe with the realization that Obama will win South Carolina, Hillary is frustrated that she can't seem to clinch what she and her campaign have long viewed as her "inevitable" Democratic Nomination. Either way, in a debate last night in South Carolina, both candidates seemed irritable, and to the delight of Republicans and political junkies alike, the gloves came off. For your enjoyment, here is a "highlight reel" of some of the more contentious exchanges from last night -- capped off with John Edwards asking one of the more ironic and unintentionally self-parodying questions of Campaign 2008 thus far:

Wow! Just imagine if Hillary had lost Nevada. Last night could have gotten really ugly!

Short Update Before the Long Weekend

Well, it's been an interesting week, and this weekend promises to make things in the presidential campaign even more interesting.

On Tuesday, Mitt Romney won the Michigan Primary in convincing fashion, taking 39% of the vote to John McCain's 30% and Mike Huckabee's 16%. As you might recall from Tuesday's blog, this was widely viewed as a "must win" contest for Romney. He had trailed in the polls in his home state following McCain's win in New Hampshire, but managed to close the gap and then some.

This gave a much needed boost to Romney, and while he spent time on the ground and on the airwaves in South Carolina this week, he turned the majority of his attention to the Nevada Caucus which, like the South Carolina Republican Primary, will be held tomorrow. In South Carolina, McCain has a solid lead in the latest RealClearPolitics Polling Average with 27.9% to Huckabee's 23.7%, Romney's 16.1% and Fred Thompson's 13.7%. McCain looks almost certain to win here, as Huckabee and Thompson seem to be splitting the evangelical and "very conservative" Republican voters in this Southern state. Romney really only needs to finish in (a respectable) fourth place (provided he has a strong showing in Nevada) to not lose ground in the overall momentum game. Huckabee needs a win, or at least a very strong second-place finish to maintain the mojo he has enjoyed since his Iowa win. Should Thompson finish a distant third-place to McCain and Huckabee, or even worse, in fourth-place behind Romney too, his campaign will likely be over.

In Nevada, a state where the GOP contest was receiving little attention, Romney holds the lead in the latest RCP Polling Average. Nevada has a relatively large number of Mormon residents, and this should be a natural source of support for Romney who is also a Mormon. If Romney wins Nevada, he will be well-positioned as the alternative to John McCain as the candidates head toward the January 29th Florida Primary, where Rudy Giuliani is waiting and must win. Should Romney somehow slip up and lose in Nevada, his candidacy will again be wounded.

The most likely outcome, however, is a McCain win in South Carolina, and a Romney win in Nevada. If this is indeed what happens, Thompson will likely drop out of the race, and Huckabee will be fading fast with his Iowa win now a distant memory. This will set up what will essentially be a three-man showdown in Florida between McCain, Romney and Giuliani, and most likely, the ultimate showdown between the three on February 5th -- "Super Tuesday". Obviously much can (and likely will) change between now and the January 29th Florida contest, so do stay tuned!

The Democrats are squarely focused on Nevada tomorrow. (The South Carolina Democratic Primary will be next Saturday, January 26th). Hillary Clinton "won" the Democratic Primary in Michigan on Tuesday, but as you may recall, because of a mess between the DNC and the Michigan Democratic Party, it was essentially meaningless and no other Democratic candidates were even on the ballot. In fact, the only alternative to Hillary on the ballot in Michigan was "Uncommitted", a selection a voter would make to indicate that he or she was not yet committing to any of the Democratic Candidates, but what effectively served as a vote against Hillary. For the Clinton Campaign, the results were less than encouraging. Senator Clinton took 55% of the vote, however "Uncommitted" garnered 40% of the vote, meaning that 40% of those voting in a largely meaningless Democratic Primary went through the time and effort to do so solely to express their dissatisfaction with Hillary and her candidacy. (Even more worrisome for the Clinton Campaign, perhaps, is that a substantial percentage of the "Uncommitted" vote were black voters, a potential sign that the racially-charged previous week had done damage to the African-American Community's view of Hillary Clinton. This could portend real trouble for her chances ahead -- particularly in South Carolina next weekend where it's likely that at least half of the Democratic voters will be black).

Back in Nevada, Tuesday night's Democratic Debate was a veritable love-in as Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went to great (and noticeable) effort to avoid conflict. (John Edwards, quite frankly, is largely irrelevant at this point). Both Clinton and Obama seemed aware that the tone of the campaign in the days preceding the debate had been negative and often racial in nature, and that it was doing no good for either candidate. The lawsuit I told you about in the last blog that sought to close the at-large caucus locations for shift-workers was thrown out yesterday. As a result, many of those working on the Las Vegas Strip will now be able to vote without leaving work, a group that is comprised largely of Culinary Workers Union members -- mostly Obama supporters. In the latest RCP Polling Average, Hillary maintains a lead in Nevada, and a win for her there is probably less significant than a loss would be. Should she lose, watch for the media to flow back toward Obama as they did following Iowa, and look for further Democratic Party "bigwigs" to jump aboard the Obama Train -- much like Vermont Senator Pat Leahy did yesterday. This will particularly be true if Obama's current lead in the South Carolina polls holds up, and he is able to win there next weekend. A win in both Nevada and South Carolina would be huge for Obama.

I will predict that Obama upsets Clinton in Nevada tomorrow. If he wins in Nevada, look for the kinder tone between the candidates to quickly revert to negative and, unfortunately, look for the Clintons to covertly play "the race card" again. Should this happen, I suspect the racial questions would mostly be raised through implications and innuendo, and likely not by either Hillary or Bill Clinton themselves, but by various campaign spokespeople and surrogates. If Obama wins in South Carolina on top of a win in Nevada, the Clintons will only be more desperate to recover, and more likely to resort to whatever it takes to win. Just like the GOP contest though, this is all very fluid and unpredictable, so be sure to keep an eye on the news (and hopefully, on "Bragging Writes" every now and then, too)!