More than 24 hours after the Nevada caucuses began, results from the state’s most populous county were still being tallied. The outcome could affect the second- and third-place finishers.
With votes from 83 percent of Nevada’s caucus precincts tallied, Romney had 48 percent, Gingrich 22 percent, Ron Paul 19 percent, and Rick Santorum 11 percent.
The race now shifts to tomorrow’s caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota and a nonbinding primary in Missouri. Maine’s caucuses began over the weekend and conclude Saturday.
Gingrich said he is relying on Southern states to boost his delegate count. That includes Georgia, the state he represented in Congress, and Tennessee, which both vote March 6; Alabama, which votes March 13; and Texas, which votes April 3. “We believe by the time Texas is over, we’ll be very competitive in delegate count,’’ Gingrich said.
In the NBC interview, Gingrich also attacked Romney’s Massachusetts legacy. “His record as governor is very clear: He was pro-abortion, he was pro-gun control, he was pro-tax increase, he ended up third from the bottom in job creation,’’ Gingrich said. “The combination of Romneycare and tax increases made him a very weak governor in terms of job creation.’’
Although Romney has said he did not raise taxes as Massachusetts governor, he did raise fees and close tax loopholes. Romney was for abortion rights before he became an abortion opponent. He has stood by his health care overhaul in Massachusetts, while opposing President Obama’s overhaul nationally.
Gingrich, who has repeatedly tagged Romney as a moderate, said the last few times Republicans nominated moderates in the presidential race - Bob Dole in 1996 and John McCain in 2008 - “we lost badly.’’
The former speaker also criticized Romney’s proposal to index the minimum wage to the inflation rate, saying that would make it more difficult for young people to find jobs.
