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Michele Bachmann Suspends Presidential Campaign; Rick Perry Remains in Presidential Race; A Look at the Close Results in the Iowa Caucus; Where GOP Candidates Stand on Social Security; GOP Candidates Gear up For New Hampshire Primary; 2012 Could be Good Year for Those Seeking Work; Republican Presidential Candidates Off to New Hampshire; Looking Ahead to South Carolina; Interview With Christine O'Donnell; O'Donnell Endorses Romney; McCain Set To Endorse Romney
Aired January 04, 2012 - 11:32 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN ANCHOR: Michele Bachmann there ending -- suspending her campaign, saying she has no regrets, that she's looking forward to the next chapter in her life.
Our Dana Bash is there on the ground right where that announcement was just made.
It was interesting, Dana, from the very beginning, she has a fundamentally different idea, different view of what the government should be doing. She calls it Obama-care, this health care legislation. It's the signature issue and accomplishment of the Obama administration, saying that this was nothing but bad for the country, that it should be destroyed, and that this is socialism at work. How did that factor into the debate here? Clearly, she feels the goal of the government is something that's fundamentally different than this administration.
DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Oh, that's right. That is really the mantra, the credo of virtually every Republican running for this nomination.
The issue for Michele Bachmann is obviously that the voters, as she said, very clearly did not see her in this role. That is why she said she will, quote, "stand aside now."
Clearly, an emotional moment for her. This was very, very difficult, particularly to do this in her home state of Iowa.
The other thing that I felt was quite interesting -- you picked up on this obviously too, Suzanne -- the fact that she focused on what she calls Obama-care, which has been the core of her campaign and the core of what she had talked about in Congress before she officially ran for president. It begs the question whether or not she would and could support Mitt Romney if he were the nominee. She did very clearly say that she will back whomever the Republican nominee will be, but for someone like Mitt Romney who, of course, supported and really was -- would have -- one of the manufacturers of health care in Massachusetts, there is an individual mandate there. That is anathema to what Michele Bachmann believes and to what many Republicans, especially in the quote, unquote, "Tea Party movement" believes. That will be hard for her to square that circle, when and if, it's a big if, Mitt Romney would ever become the Republican nominee.
MALVEAUX: Dana, thank you very much.
I understand we're getting new information about Rick Perry.
I want to go to John.
Tell us a little bit about what you're learning from their campaign. I know he's reassessing at this moment.
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It was a quick reassessment apparently. Remember, Governor Perry said last night -- he came in fifth place at 10 percent. Michele Bachmann just said she's standing aside. She was in sixth. Governor Perry is going to reassess. We're just told now -- I have one source, Suzanne, our Peter Hamby has another source, our Mark Preston has a third, saying apparently the reassessment was quick and he will campaign in South Carolina. He was supposed to be there today. It looks like he will wait through the weekend and then campaign in South Carolina.
Why is this a big deal? Governor Perry obviously profoundly disappointed by this showing in Iowa. His campaign spent the most, bought the most TV ads in Iowa. When he first got in the race, he went to the top. Then the debate gaffes, down he went. His views on immigration and other issues.
However, the defining question in this race now is, who will emerge as the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney? Is Rick Santorum strong enough to be that candidate? In the Perry campaign, they have made the calculation. and they were getting a lot of push from their friends in the Tea Party movement, from other conservative leaders in the party, do not get out yet, you may be more viable in the long run than Rick Santorum if you can re-establish yourself in South Carolina.
So more drama in this race. Michele Bachmann steps aside. The big question is, who emerges as the conservative alternative. We'll watch the fight in New Hampshire. Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, Huntsman, the main players in that state right now. But don't count the Texas governor, Rick Perry, out yet. After saying he'd reassess last night, we're being told -- pretty quick reassessment -- he pledges, as of now -- and he just tweeted this out moments ago -- "See you in South Carolina."
MALVEAUX: So he's staying in the race. Do we know how much money he has or if he has a lot of money to go forward for the long haul here, perhaps through many of these caucuses and primaries into the summer?
KING: I talked to the governor just yesterday about this very fact. We don't know what he has on hand because the campaigns don't have to file yet. We do know he's the governor of Texas -- I'll pull out to the national map. It's just kind of filled in with colors. Look, for 10 years, more than 10 years, he's been the governor of Texas. That's a big state. A lot of money in that state. He's a proven fundraiser in that state. He's disappointed his donors. Let's be very clear about that. He's spent a lot of money in Iowa trying to get on the map. He thought he might win Iowa. Instead, the disappointing debate performances, without a doubt, have disappointed his supporters.
But consider where we are in this race. Romney wins Iowa with 25 percent. His primary challenger coming out of Iowa is Rick Santorum, who lost his last campaign in Pennsylvania back in 2006. The questions on the conservative side of the Republican Party is, do we have a viable challenger? Is this somebody who can contest Mitt Romney in South Carolina, which is the next big conservative context? New Hampshire is the next contest six days from now. Then you have South Carolina, then Florida, then we move on to Nevada, Arizona, on and on, if you have a long race. The question in this race, will it be decided by Romney's momentum quickly or will we have a marathon. The Perry calculation all along has been, if after their early stumbles, if we can compete here, in state number three, then we can regain our footing. After the disappointing numbers last night, Suzanne, they seemed to say it's not in the cards for us.
But when you see Bachmann step aside, when you see the disappointing Gingrich performance in Iowa last night, and you question, can Rick Santorum handle the pressure he is about to get, now that he has joined into the top tier, the Rick Perry calculation this morning is, it's not time to get out yet. There may be one last opening.
MALVEAUX: All right. It's not his first rodeo.
(LAUGHTER)
Thank you very much, John. Appreciate it.
The Presidential campaign is now moving to New Hampshire. But first, we'll take a look at the winners and the losers out of Iowa. What does Mitt Romney's narrow victory over Rick Santorum mean for the campaign, up ahead?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Two candidates finish neck and neck in Iowa. One candidate bows out of her campaign. Now the focus shifts to New Hampshire. First, a look at the close results in the Iowa caucuses.
Mitt Romney beat Rick Santorum by just eight votes. Each got about 25 percent of the vote. Ron Paul was a close third, followed by Newt Gingrich. Rick Perry is reassessing just this hour. Michele Bachmann announced that she is suspending her campaign.
Joining us to talk about all of this, Larry Sabato. He's director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.
Let's start with the breaking news here. Michele Bachmann finished next to last in Iowa after she had a pretty strong showing over the summer. What do you think actually happened to make her campaign implode the way it did? LARRY SABATO, DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR POLITICS, UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: You know, people complain about long campaigns in America, Suzanne. There's a good reason for them. Michele Bachmann is a perfect example. She had a brief moment of glory. I think Republicans correctly concluded she wasn't electable. I say this seriously. She was no James A. Garfield. James A. Garfield, of course, the only president elected directly from the House to the presidency. He had been a major leader in Congress for many years. Any House member will tell you that doesn't describe Michele Bachmann. I think this was a good decision by Michele Bachmann. And the Republican voters also made a very good decision.
MALVEAUX: A good decision by Rick Perry now to skip New Hampshire, go directly to South Carolina?
SABATO: This was a close call. I think it could have gone either way. If I were in Perry's position, I would have done exactly what he's done. He's got the money to compete in South Carolina. He was the major southern candidate back when he was leading the race. He can make a last stand there and possibly, depending on what happens in New Hampshire, do reasonably well. So he might carry the fight forward from South Carolina. He can restore a bit of his pride if he does well. We'll see what happens. But I think that was a reasonable decision on his part.
MALVEAUX: Larry, who do you think really needs Bachmann's endorsement? Is there somebody who would really benefit from her endorsement in the next couple of days or weeks?
SABATO: I don't think it would have a great impact because she has such a small percentage of the vote. Her voters are going to go to several different people. Some will go to Santorum; some will go to Perry; a few might even go to Gingrich. I doubt many go to Mitt Romney. So it is a shrinking of the anti-Romney field. That helps anybody who emerges as the anti-Romney. Of course, one aspect of Perry's decision is it fractures the anti-Romney vote further. You've got Huntsman, Santorum and Perry and Gingrich all still very much in it. I'm sure the Romney people are very pleased with Perry's decision.
MALVEAUX: Let's talk a little bit about Romney because obviously he has a challenge ahead of him. He did come out on top here, but he beat Santorum by eight votes. We are talking about millions and millions of dollars that he spent, some believe as much as $10 million just to squeak out that small win, eight votes. It seems like people are not supporting Romney here. They're not behind him yet. What does he need to do to get the majority of the Republicans behind him, moving forward?
SABATO: Well, probably, by becoming the nominee. I don't think people are going to be rushing to his standard until they have to. And then he'll have to point to President Obama to generate enthusiasm among the troops. There's just something about Romney that many Republicans don't take to. For some, privately, it is about Mormonism, no matter what they say. For others, it is that he has flip flopped a lot on issues, and they suspect him being a closet moderate, much like John McCain. There are a lot of reasons why they're not for Mitt Romney and they won't be for him until they have to.
MALVEAUX: All right. We'll see how that unfolds.
Thank you very much, Larry. Appreciate it.
Move over Iowa.
SABATO: Thanks, Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Political battle ground shifting today. We're talking about New Hampshire, is gearing up for the nation's first primary. I'll talk to a political science professor and pollster at the University of New Hampshire.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're going to put aside the polls for a minute. Where do the candidates really stand on the issues that matter to you most? All this week we are honing in on the critical campaign issues. Today, it is Social Security. Such a controversial hot-button issue, normally, nobody wants to touch it. But several Republican candidates see making cuts to Social Security as necessary to getting the economy back on track. So, many of them also support Representative Paul Ryan's plan to encourage retirees to buy private insurance as a way of taking pressure off the Social Security system.
For the most part, Rick Santorum and Jon Huntsman both back the Ryan plan, which would reduce Social Security benefits for everyone except current retirees. That is part of an effort to reduce the overall federal deficit.
Mitt Romney says he is on the same page as the Ryan plan. He would consider raising the retirement age and limiting the amount of money high-income retirees get.
Newt Gingrich originally called the Ryan plan too radical but more recently he walked back his criticism. He said he'd back the bulk of those changes.
Ron Paul believes that Social Security is unconstitutional but should be maintained for the time being to benefit seniors who count on it. He also thinks that young Americans should be able to withdraw from Social Security and make their own investments.
Rick Perry has called Social Security a ponzi scheme and a failure. He believes states ought to be able to opt out of Social Security and design their own programs. And he backs gradually raising the retirement age.
Tomorrow, we're going to be taking a hard look at where the candidates stand on another hot-button issue. We're going to talk about immigration. That is at 11:00 eastern in the CNN NEWSROOM."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: Gearing up now for the nation's first primary in the presidential race, and it happens on Tuesday, January 10th, in New Hampshire. 11 days before South Carolina holds its primary.
Andy Smith is a pollster and associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire. He is joining us live from Manchester.
Andy, great to see you here.
Obviously, a lot of the folks are looking forward to what is going to come out of New Hampshire and the primary there. Tell us, first of all, how does it differ from the Iowa caucuses?
ANDY SMITH, POLLSTER & ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE: Well, the biggest difference between the caucuses in Iowa and the New Hampshire primaries is turnout. New Hampshire has the highest turnout of any of the early nomination states. In 2008, we had 60 percent of our voters turn out for the primary. That is more than some states have for the general elections. That means it is the regular voters, not the activists who determine who wins in New Hampshire. That is the biggest difference of the two states.
The second biggest difference is that on the Republican side, they are moderate northeastern Republicans here compared to the more socially conservative Republicans you see in Iowa.
MALVEAUX: And the news we got today that Rick Perry is skipping New Hampshire altogether, how does that actually shape the race?
SMITH: Well, probably not too much. He had been polling 1 percent in our polls, so there is not a lot of his vote to go to other candidates. But one thing it does is it allows the socially conservative candidates, socially conservative voters in New Hampshire -- there are not that many of them -- but it allows them to focus on a single candidate. And it looks like they will be coalescing behind Rick Santorum here. I expect that Santorum's poll numbers will go up as we get into the later week as voters digest what happened in Iowa.
MALVEAUX: And what are you looking for, the voters in New Hampshire, among the candidates? What are the important issues for folks there?
SMITH: The biggest issue is the economy. The economy dwarfs all of the other issues in the campaign. But secondly, it is electability. When it comes down to it, what Republicans are looking for is a candidate that they can go out and beat President Obama with. Right now, in New Hampshire, Mitt Romney is seen as the most electable candidate, the candidate best able to beat Barack Obama. So that is what it comes down to.
But with the specific issues, despite New Hampshire's economy being better than most places in the country -- our unemployment rate is 5.2 percent -- we are looking at the economy as the most important issue, and I think that's because the voters here are not really voting for governor. They're looking to vote for the president of the United States, and they are concerned about the economy for the entire country and not just what is happening here.
MALVEAUX: All right. Andy Smith. Professor Andy Smith, thank you so much.
And we will keep our eyes on what happens out of New Hampshire.
This is going to be Tuesday, as the political year is heating up. Make the best choice for politics, CNN, "America's Choice 2012." Join my friends Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley and John King for live coverage of the New Hampshire primary. That is CNN, Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. eastern.
If you are looking for work or a better gig or a raise, this could be your year. That is right, some good news. Alison Kosik is going to join me to explain.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: As you are looking for a job, 2012, actually, it could be your year.
Alison Kosik in New York with top tips.
And maybe some good news here, Alison. I'm surprised here, right? I mean, this is good, yes?
(LAUGHTER)
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There is some good news. It is. So we are finding out that one in four hiring managers, Suzanne, plan to hire full-time permanent employees in the New Year, and small businesses are also reporting that they are more confident they're going to hire this year. That's according to Career Builder's latest hiring outlook. Still though, don't forget, we still have 13 million out of work. A new jobs report comes out Friday. We will have a better idea of where the unemployment stands then -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: Well, Alison, not us, because we love our jobs here and we want to keep our jobs. But if you are looking to jump ship at your job and you're not happy, could you actually do it? Is there a right way of going about doing it?
KOSIK: There is a right way. You don't need me to tell you this though. There are a lot of people who are fed up with their jobs, and they want more money and they are feeling overworked. In fact, 34 percent of H.R. managers reported voluntary turnovers at their organizations rose last year. And another 30 percent said they lost their top performers last year. So, yes, if you are thinking of leaving your job, Brad Karsh, of Job Bound Training Solutions, says don't burn any bridges, be professional and stay positive. Don't slam your old job. It does not look nice -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: All right.
(LAUGHTER)
If you are unhappy in the job, and afraid to leave, you won't make any moves there, is there anything that you can do to improve the situation now while you are waiting?
KOSIK: Oh, there are definitely ways. So instead of feeling this overwhelmed by your long-term goals, make these sub-goals each month to contribute to the overall bigger goals. Also Brad Karsh says to network every week. If you have a job, meet for coffee or lunch with someone in a different department than your own. And don't be afraid to step out of the comfort zone. Volunteer for a new assignment and add social networking to the job. And that may actually reignite your interest in your job. It may not want to push you to find a new one -- Suzanne?
MALVEAUX: All right. You can always make it better.
Thank you, Alison. It is good news for the New Year.
KOSIK: Exactly.
MALVEAUX: Top of the hour. I'm Suzanne Malveaux.
Iowa is in the rear-view mirror. That is right. Next stop, New Hampshire.
Republican presidential candidates aren't wasting any time getting ready for the New Hampshire primary. That is happening next Tuesday. We've got Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, all campaigning in that state today.
On CNN this morning, Paul and Romney talked about the road ahead for their campaigns.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: What's the strategy now as you move forward? Is it focusing on President Obama or is it focusing on Rick Santorum, who seems to be the guy with all the momentum at this moment?
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I continue to believe the right place to focus is on President Obama. Of course, people are going to ask us about the differences on our positions on issues and backgrounds and so forth, but really, if we talk about what the American people want to hear, it's how we are going to be different than President Obama when it comes to getting the economy going.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: What's your strategy now as you head to New Hampshire, where you are polling significantly lower than Mitt Romney's polling?
REP. RON PAUL (R-TX), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think we're in second place, and that's a good place to start. So I think we're going to have some momentum, and we're going to continue to do what we are doing. It's a live free or die state. They are freedom-oriented, so that message will spread there, and I'm confident we're going to do quite well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: The campaign in New Hampshire follows a photo finish in the Iowa caucuses. Mitt Romney beat Rick Santorum by just eight votes. Each had a little more than 30,000 votes. Ron Paul finished third, and Santorum was revved up by his second-place showing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: By standing up and not compromising, by standing up and being bold and leading, leading with that burden and responsibility you have be first, you have taken the first step of taking back this country.
(APPLAUSE)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Michele Bachmann ended her run for the White House. In an announcement you saw live, it was just this past hour Bachmann finished next to last in the Iowa caucuses.
Now, she says she's going to continue fighting against President Obama's agenda, just not as a candidate for the White House.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. MICHELE BACHMANN (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: And so, last night, the people of Iowa spoke with a very clear voice, and so I have decided to stand aside. And I believe that if we going to repeal Obamacare, turn our country around, and take back the country, we must do so united.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, this hour, we are pushing forward, focusing on what is next for the Republican candidates that are still in the hunt for the White House. Their first two primaries are in New Hampshire and South Carolina. Now, we're going to have live coverage from both states.
Dan Lothian, he is in New Hampshire. David Mattingly is in South Carolina. We're going to check in with both of those in just a minute.
Later on the show -- you'll remember Christine O'Donnell, right? She is a former Republican Senate candidate and Tea Party advocate. We want to get her take on the candidates. That's happening at 12:15 Eastern.
12:35, pop icon, political commentator Ben Stein. That is right. He is going to tell us why he predicted Newt Gingrich is going to be the next president of the United States.
And 12:45, Iowa caucus winner Mitt Romney scheduled to speak at an event in Manchester, New Hampshire. We're going to bring that to you live.
Well, right now we want to zero in on the next political battleground state. It is New Hampshire. It holds the first nation's primary next Tuesday. That is January 10th.
That brings our Dan Lothian in Manchester.
And Dan, they wasted no time. They got on those planes, they went over to New Hampshire really quick. Who are you following?
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: That is right, because, you know, this is the big fight here, and the person who has the big advantage here is Mitt Romney. Why? Because he has a lot of resources, he has the money, he has the organization.
The other candidates realize that they have some making up to do. Jon Huntsman, late last week, made an appeal via Facebook to his supporters trying to raise $100,000 on Monday. He said that he would match whatever money came in. Last night, one of his top aides telling me so far they have pulled in more than $60,000.
And Senator Rick Santorum, after the strong showing in Iowa, sent an e-mail to his supporters saying that he had an urgent need for their support, calling on the supporters to donate $35, $50, $75 to his campaign. They will need that in order to continue to build their ground operation here. And also, the important thing is to hit the airwaves with ads in order to compete with Mitt Romney -- Suzanne.
MALVEAUX: Dan, I just talked to Professor Andy Smith of New Hampshire, and he said they're not really going to miss Rick Perry all that much. He said he doesn't have a lot of support there. He is skipping off to South Carolina.
Who is really popping there? Who has got that great ground game? And what are New Hampshire folks saying?
LOTHIAN: Well, you know, I think that, again, the ground game here I think belongs to Mitt Romney for a couple of reasons.
First of all, he ran here in 2008, so he is a professional campaigner here, people know who he is. They know him as well because he is the former governor of neighboring state Massachusetts. He also has a second home here.
So he has spent a lot of time in the state. He has a very robust ground operation.
But nonetheless, you know, you can't discount momentum. And Rick Santorum comes to this state with a great deal of momentum. His supporters are energized, and they believe that he can make up some ground and that he can get additional support, both financial and also volunteers, because of what he has been able to do in Iowa. As for the people of New Hampshire, we have been pointing out how they are independent thinkers. They don't necessarily embrace what others have voted on, specifically in Iowa.
So, you know, anything can really happen. That is one thing that we have so far concluded from the Republican race, is that anything can happen. When someone is up, it doesn't necessarily mean that they will win. And one political observer pointing out that it is dangerous to reach any conclusions before all the votes are cast.
MALVEAUX: All right. Anything can happen. Dan, thank you.
We want to look a little further down the campaign trail.
After the New Hampshire primary next Tuesday, the campaign is heading south to the South Carolina primary. That is January 21st.
David Mattingly joins us with a preview from Aiken, South Carolina.
So, David, the election there a little more than two weeks away, but very much on the candidates' minds, even so much so that Rick Perry is skipping New Hampshire altogether, headed to where you are.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. We're just getting word that Rick Perry back in. He will be back here in South Carolina after canceling some events today.
That means he is going to be looking at the conservative voters in this key southern primary as his second chance to reestablish his candidacy for the long run. He is going to be looking at the social conservatives here. He is also going to be watching what Mitt Romney is able to do, because I spoke to the chairman of the Republican Party here in South Carolina, and he tells me that the voters here are energized, they are eager to see President Obama defeated in November.
And Mitt Romney trying to position himself here as the candidate with the best chance to do that. So, it's going to be very interesting to see how things sort out in the weeks that come as we go through New Hampshire. But right now, the chairman tells me that the onslaught has begun here in South Carolina.
They were concerned in the weeks coming up to this. They haven't seen candidates, their ads or them making appearances here, like they did four years ago, but he believes that is now about to change, and they are about to be front and center, which is where they wanted to be at this time in this presidential race.
MALVEAUX: And David, we're taking a look at all these different pictures, these different candidates. Still a pretty crowded field there.
Do we expect that there will be some folks who will emerge, rise to the top here, and is it going to be close like we saw in Iowa?
MATTINGLY: Well, South Carolina has always touted itself as the king maker, and they have history to back them up here. Ever since this primary began in the '80s, every single candidate who has won here in South Carolina has gone on to win the party's nomination.
They are not shy about reminding everyone about this. They even moved their primary up ahead of Florida just so they could remain the first voice in the South with this southern primary. They did that at an expense. They lost half their delegates.
So this fight isn't so much for the remaining delegates in South Carolina as it is for that label and that image that comes with it.
MALVEAUX: All right. David, thank you very much.
Of course, all eyes are going to be on New Hampshire this coming Tuesday as the new political year is heating up. Make the best choice for politics, CNN's "America's Choice 2012." Join Wolf Blitzer, Erin Burnett, Anderson Cooper, Candy Crowley, John King for live coverage of the New Hampshire primary. That is CNN, Tuesday night, at 7:00 Eastern.
(NEWSBREAK)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: The race for the Republican nomination now moves to the next battleground, New Hampshire. But this dramatic photo finish in Iowa, what does it all mean? Mitt Romney beating Rick Santorum by just eight votes. Ron Paul was a close third, followed by Newt Gingrich.
Santorum capped off his near-win with a passionate speech. Romney took shots at President Obama.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If we want to get jobs again in this country, it's going to be helpful to have a person who has had a job in the private sector to create jobs in the private sector.
(APPLAUSE)
You know, he said three years ago after being inaugurated -- he was on "The Today Show," and he said, "Look, if I can't get this economy turned around in three years, I will be looking at a one-term proposition," and we are here to collect, let me tell you.
(APPLAUSE)
And I will also do the work of finally getting ourselves to cut our federal spending and capping how much we spend and balancing our budget. I think it's immoral for us to continue to spend our kids' future year after year, trillions of dollars passed on to the next generation, knowing we can't possibly pay it back. It's wrong, and under my administration, it will end.
(APPLAUSE)
And you have heard me say this before, I have been asked, "How are you going to cut programs?" And I'm going to look at all the programs that we have in the federal government, and I'm going to ask with regards to each one of them, is that program so critical that it's worth borrowing money from China to pay for it? And on that basis, we're going to have a lot of programs we get rid of, and number one on the list is Obamacare. That will be gone.
(APPLAUSE)
But this election is bigger than jobs and a strong economy. It's bigger than a budget that is balanced and deficits and debt that begins to be reduced. It is really an election about the soul of America.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Game on.
(APPLAUSE)
The people have asked me, well, why do you think you can win? Because we have been told by so many people that there is another candidate in this race who is running a rather close race with me tonight that is a better person to choose because he can win. Let me tell you --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Romneycare.
SANTORUM: -- what wins -- what did you say?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Romneycare.
SANTORUM: Oh, Romneycare. OK. I just didn't hear you.
What wins -- what wins in America are bold ideas, sharp contrasts, and a plan that includes everyone, and a plan that includes people from all across the economic spectrum, a plan that says we will work together to get America to work.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Tea Party advocate Christine O'Donnell has made it clear who she supports, Mitt Romney. What is not clear is if her endorsement will translate to Tea Party votes for him.
Christine O'Donnell, she is author of "Trouble Maker," and she is joining us from Philadelphia.
Christine, good to see you, first off all.
What did you make of this drama, this last-minute drama, and the fact that Mitt Romney came so close with Santorum, almost to losing, eight votes?
CHRISTINE O'DONNELL (R), FMR. SENATORIAL CANDIDATE: Right. Well, I'll tell you, for political junkies like me, last night was very exciting. And I think every voter should feel very empowered, because it really drives home the point that every vote counts, and you should not sit this one out whether it's in the primary or the general election.
You know, a handful of votes determined the winner. But I think the salient thing for Republican primary voters to take home with them as we go forward is that the biggest threat facing America right now is economic collapse. And while Santorum is a strong candidate, it took a pro-life Democrat to tap into his base and unseat him in 2006, Governor Romney has the executive experience and proven track record to get our country out of the danger zone that Obama has put us in. And I think that --
MALVEAUX: Well, Christine, let me ask you about that, because, I'm wondering if that actually trumps what a lot of people are talking about, this debate within your own party about conservatism here, because you've praised Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum. They are both very strong Tea Party allies, but in the end you went for the pragmatic choice of Romney here. But he has only started to court these Tea Party supporters.
Why would you urge them to go with Romney?
O'DONNELL: Well, because I think that a lot of people's dislike for Romney is based on misinformation, and some of the feedback we've gotten since my endorsement has been exactly what we wanted. People took a second look at his record and they realized that they had a wrong impression about him.
He balanced the budget in Massachusetts without raising taxes. He tackled the deficit by hacking spending.
These are the kind of gutsy, you know, principled economic moves that are not Republican or Democratic principles, they are American economic principles that we need to get back to in order to get our country back on track. And when they take a second look at Governor Romney, they realize that, you know, he is not this castle Republican. He is not a rhino.
He is actually a Reagan Republican who I believe has the strength and executive experience and the class and character to get our country back on track. And I'm thrilled that people are taking a second look at him based on my endorsement.
MALVEAUX: All right. And obviously, they are taking a pretty good look at him.
Every candidate has regrets. We saw that this go-around with some of the brain freezes with Rick Perry and Herman Cain. You admitted previously, if you had to do it all over again, you probably wouldn't have put that ad out saying you are not a witch.
O'DONNELL: Oh, definitely would not have.
(LAUGHTER)
MALVEAUX: What should Mitt Romney be looking out for now? What kind of pitfalls do you think he needs to avoid?
O'DONNELL: Well, I think the temptation to perhaps react to all the hostile that's going to be pointed at him, as he is certainly the king of the hill, and many people will try to take him down. But again, I think we have seen a lot of class and character, how he has responded to -- whether it's, you know, Newt Gingrich calling him a liar, or even just the misinformation that's been circulating about him on the Internet about his record.
He has just risen above it, and he's chosen not to respond in a negative way. And he has just instead gone forward on the truth.
And I think that the sooner we can unite around a front-runner, the sooner we can get to the business of exposing the fact that Debbie Wassermann Schultz is out there putting out misinformation, saying the economy is good and Obamacare is working. And so we really need to coalesce around a front-runner very soon.
MALVEAUX: And real quickly here, because I know we're running out of time, but it was breaking news earlier, Michele Bachmann dropping out after five percent, getting the vote in the Iowa caucuses. You had tried for a Senate run in Delaware.
What do you think this says about the state of Republican women getting ahead in the party?
O'DONNELL: Well, it's very hard. And it's not just for Republican women. It's for women in politics in general.
There is certainly a double standard as to what they will be scrutinized for and how they will be attacked. And for Michele Bachmann to back out now, I think it took a lot of courage. And her speech was very moving, very touching, and reminded me and hopefully everybody of what the real battle is.
We are fighting against Barack Obama's very, you know, strong attempt to redefine what it means to be an American. And another thing that we have to keep in mind is that there's a game-changer this time around.
You know, the states, when you win a primary, it's not always winner takes all. The delegates are going to be split up, and we don't know how that is going to impact the final outcome. We don't know if that is going to delay the process. And that concerns me.
MALVEAUX: OK. All right. Christine O'Donnell, thank you very much for your time. Good to see you.
The Iowa caucuses, they are shedding some new light on what some voters think about the Republican presidential field, right? Well, we're going to look at how the Tea Party supporters voted up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: We're watching all the candidates today. And Newt Gingrich in Concord, New Hampshire, at an event, just spoke and leashed out some criticism on Mitt Romney. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I find it amazing that the news media continues to say he's the most electable Republican when he can't even break out in his own party, and I don't think he's going to -- he will do fairly well here. This is one of his three best states.
But the fact is that Governor Romney, in the end, has a very limited appeal in a conservative party. And by the way, if you look at the dollars spent by Romney and the dollars spent by Santorum, you would praise Santorum, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Just last hour, Michele Bachmann suspended her presidential campaign after finishing sixth in the Iowa caucuses.
Christine Romans is combing through all the information, the entrance, the exit polls from last night.
You are an Iowan yourself, right, an Iowa native? Right?
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Absolutely.
And these are entrance polls of what the Iowans were thinking when they were going in, and we asked them all kinds of questions, some 20 questions. And you can see the turnout here for those questions.
But if I flip it over here, you can see who won these categories. And you look along here, you don't see Michele Bachmann's picture anywhere, you don't see Rick Perry's either. Rick Perry is staying in, but Bachmann is out.
You also don't see Newt Gingrich's picture, most interestingly enough. So it's mostly Romney, Santorum, and Ron Paul here.
I want to look specifically to the opinion of the Tea Party movement, what people come in -- Iowa Republicans were saying about the Tea Party. And you can see here that for those who oppose the Tea Party or were neutral on the Tea Party, Romney was their guy. But it was Santorum who got the support here.
Let's flip it over here to the other page, and I want to show you exactly how this broke down, because even in the Tea Party, Michele Bachmann couldn't get out of single digits. Perry did though. Rick Perry did with 11 percent of the vote.
But this was a Santorum story here, and Ron Paul at 19 percent. Romney also coming in there at 19 percent. But Tea Party supporters, they mostly put their weight behind Santorum, or he got the biggest chunk of that pie.
MALVEAUX: And what about born-again Evangelicals? How did they vote? ROMAN: That's a really good question, because when you look as well, this could have been a good place for Michele Bachmann to stand out. Even her speech which you just had on the program, I mean, she was talking about God's plan for her, she was speaking in very Evangelical terms. I mean, this is a woman who clearly is very used to talking about God, and she is trying to really connect with these kinds of voters.
She came in at six percent there. Even on that front, Perry did better than she did, at 14 percent.
But it was Santorum for people who identified themselves as born-again or Evangelical Christians who got this that the Santorum surge was helped by this particular demographic, much as in 2008. You saw that was Mike Huckabee that had that territory.
It will be interesting to see how this translates though going into the next leg, which is, of course, New Hampshire, where Mike Huckabee did not have a big footprint back in 2008.
MALVEAUX: And Christine, as someone from Iowa, did last night -- did that surprise you at all? Were you as surprised as the rest of us, this nail-biter of a race?
ROMANS: I was surprised by what a nail-biter it was. I really was.
But when you look at all of these entrance polls, what you see here really is the electability issue of Mitt Romney and the number of people who were just sort of waiting until the very end to decide what they wanted to do. And it just shows you how Iowans, I think, were really searching for their GOP candidate. Until the very end, they were still searching for their candidate.
MALVEAUX: All right. You must have been on the phone with your relatives.
ROMANS: Yes. I will say they were searching -- except for Ron Paul. Those Ron Paul people, they've had their yard signs up long before anybody else, and many of those entrance polls show it, too. Many of those people, before December they had been decided already on Ron Paul.
MALVEAUX: All right. Christine, good to see you.
ROMANS: Sure.
MALVEAUX: Rick Santorum clearly connected with Iowa Republicans, but his surge has people taking a closer look at some controversial statements that he has made, including comments about African- Americans on welfare and locking up doctors who perform abortions.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Lots more political coverage on the rundown this hour. Next, Rick Santorum and his controversial words. We're going to look back at some of his past remarks. Then conservative commentator Ben Stein is going to have some choice words of his own about the Republican presidential field. At 12:45 Eastern another big endorsement for Mitt Romney, it's going to be live in New Hampshire with a new backer, former presidential candidate, John McCain.
Iowa voters have spoken. They left Michele Bachmann sinking. Rick Santorum soaring. Less than an hour ago, Bachmann dropped out of the race due to her disappointing sixth place finish in the Iowa caucuses.
Santorum meanwhile building momentum from his virtual first- place tie. Amy Holmes, she is joining us from blaze.com's newsroom in New York.
Amy, first of all, always good to see you. We saw Michele Bachmann just in the last hour with 5 percent vote that she got in Iowa dropping out of the race.
Sarah Palin, and she had flirted with the presidential run, but she didn't step in this time and who do we suppose is potentially the next female Republican star?
AMY HOLMES, THEBLAZE.COM: Well, Nikki Haley, of course, is a very big rising star particularly with the Tea Party voters. She is the governor of South Carolina and she endorsed Mitt Romney and Mitt Romney was very happy to get that endorsement and tout that nationwide.
So I would be keeping my eye on her, but you know, Suzanne, the Democrats have been very successful as labelling themselves as the party of women, and a lot of that has to do with their advocacy of social welfare programs and of course, pro-choice.
However, the GOP has had a number of female Republicans who have made huge national headlines including Jan Brewer, the governor of Arizona who, of course, has been front and center in those border and immigration disputes.
MALVEAUX: So Rick Santorum we now see is the one to watch. Obviously, he is getting the kind of second-look, if you will, criticism about some of the statements that he has made in the past including statements that he made about blacks to mostly white audiences and as well as the stand on abortion. I want you to listen to some of the things that Santorum has said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The bottom line is that I don't want to make people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them opportunity to go out to earn the money and provide for themselves and their families.
I would advocate that any doctor who performs an abortion should be criminally charged for doing so. I've never support the criminalization of abortion for mothers, but I do for people who perform them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: So, Amy, there are a lot of statements that Santorum has made that fellow Republicans say is not a moderate stance for most Republicans who would be voting in a general election. Is he the kind of candidate of the GOP that is actually one who could beat President Obama with those kinds of views?
HOLMES: Well, I think both of those statements that you heard maybe they weren't as artfully expressed as some might liked, but there are some ideas there about self-reliance and up by the bootstraps that you hear on the left as well when it comes to the minority community.
And as far as his position on abortion, America is kind of center right country on that issue with majority voters saying they want to keep the law as it is. They don't want to repeal Roe V. Wade.
However, they're not as far to the left on the abortion as some of the pro-choice advocates might have you think. Can Rick Santorum beat Barack Obama? Obviously, voters will decide that.
But I think he would turn the argument around and say that President Obama has proved himself to be too extreme for the American voters and we saw that in the midterm elections in November when Republicans made a sweeping huge historic comeback in the House.
MALVEAUX: Just to be clear, I'm trying to get a sense because the Republican Party clearly is divided here over who is a true conservative, who is electable and who can beat the president. Do you think that Rick Santorum is electable? Do you think that the majority of Republicans could get behind him?
HOLMES: Well, I think that that would be -- that is yet to be seen as you go forward into primary process. Of course, Mitt Romney is ahead in New Hampshire. So, it indicates that, yes, among Republican voters, you have a divided field. But I think Republicans once they do rally behind that nominee, that there is going to be a lot of energy behind that person.
MALVEAUX: All right, Amy Holmes, we will be watching obviously every step of the way. Got a lot of primaries and caucuses to go. Thanks, Amy.
Well, he has worked everywhere from Hollywood to the White House, and now Ben Stein has a prediction about who's going to be the next president of the United States. We're going to ask him who it is going to be.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: OK. You might know him as the incredibly boring economics teacher from the movie "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In 1930, the Republican controlled House of Representatives in an effort to alleviate the effect of the -- anyone? Anyone? Great depression passed the -- anyone? Anyone? -- a tariff bill, and the holly --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: Pretty funny. But Ben Stein, he is also a lawyer. He wrote speeches for Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and his political economic commentary has been featured everywhere from the "New York Times" to the "Wall Street Journal."
He is a fierce supporter of Israel and anti-abortion movement and he thinks that Newt Gingrich is going to be the next president of the United States.
So, Ben Stein, he joins us now. Ben, good to see you. Let's talk about it. Two weeks ago in the "American Spectator" you predicted that Newt Gingrich would win it all in November.
Now last night, that was a tough showing in Iowa for Gingrich who came in fourth. How does he dust himself off and get his Mojo back?
BEN STEIN, LAWYER, WRITER, ACTOR: I don't think he can. I think we can simply say I was wrong about that.
MALVEAUX: Really?
STEIN: It is yet another case where I was wrong. I think he would be a great president and I think that he would be a great candidate, and I think that he has a lot of gravitas. And he's intelligent and experienced, but I'm very disappointed in his showing.
If he does not do well in New Hampshire, he is history. And I think Romney gets the nomination sewed up before the first robins appear in Washington, D.C.
MALVEAUX: So you are changing the prediction here, and you think it is Mitt Romney instead of Newt?
STEIN: I thought Newt and Huntsman would be a dream ticket. I saw them on a debate, and I thought they were unbelievably good. I think they are both geniuses and I love them both, but Romney is the vote getter.
He is the one who organizes the campaigns best. He will be the nominee at this point. Although, you can see how valueless my predictions are, but we know Romney has a lot of money and organizational skills.
And he gets enough votes to do the job, but will he get enough votes the beat Obama that is extremely questionable.
MALVEAUX: And where do you think Newt went wrong? STEIN: I don't think Newt projects as much warmth to the ordinary citizen as he does to me. I have known him for a long time and I know him to be a warm, friendly, nice, humorous, and alert intelligent and I would say intellectual guy.
He is the first intellectual that we have had running for president since Richard Nixon, and he's -- but I don't think that he connects well the ordinary citizen. It is really a shame because he would be a great president.
MALVEAUX: Do you think that he didn't make the right decision when he had the onslaught of negative ads that were going against him and he said, I will run this positive campaign. Do you think maybe he should have turned negative and hit back a little?
STEIN: I think Romney just had so much money to dump on poor Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Gingrich never knew what hit him. I don't see that Gingrich is able to raise the kind of money that is necessary to build a big campaign like this.
Romney is. I mean, money is the mother's milk of politics. Romney knows how to get it, how to spend it, and obviously, Mr. Gingrich does not. That's going to be determined. The guy who really knows how to raise money is Barack Obama.
He is incredible, unbelievable killer money raiser and he will be fantastic. The problem is I don't think Romney can win without the support of the devout Christian fundamentalist Evangelicals and I don't think he can get that support.
I mean, he didn't get much last night. Rick Santorum has it, and will the ticket be Santorum on the bottom and Romney on the top? I don't know, but somehow Romney has to mobilize the Evangelicals, and he has not done it yet.
MALVEAUX: Who do you think should be Romney's running mate? Who would make an ideal ticket do you think now it's looks like it's going to be Mitt --
STEIN: Well, I think now it is going to have to be Santorum unless something surprising happens. If Santorum can mobilize the Christian anti-abortion conservatives and the social conservatives, there they have a chance. If you mobilize a lot of the people, it makes up for a lot of the Obama's foot soldiers.
MALVEAUX: What I'm hearing if I am hearing you correctly here. You're saying that President Obama has a lot more money than Mitt Romney although Mitt Romney knows how the raise money. Do you predict that it is really going to be an Obama win here?
STEIN: I think that it is at this point if I knew where to wager, I would wager on Obama. I mean, he's a phenomenal campaigner. He's incredibly good speaker. He's incredibly good organization and he is one of the most formidable campaigners in the country. It is very, very hard to beat him.
MALVEAUX: All right. We heard it from you here first, Ben Stein making the first predictions.
STEIN: It is probably wrong, too.
MALVEAUX: We will see what happens. Ben, thank you very much. We appreciate it.
STEIN: Thank you, thank you.
MALVEAUX: Mitt Romney about to pick up an important endorsement from the GOP's one-time standard bearer, and that is right, John McCain. We are watching live pictures there, McCain is set to signal that the Republicans should start falling in line behind Mitt Romney.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Fresh from winning the closest vote in Iowa caucus history, Mitt Romney is about to pick up an endorsement from one of the biggest names in the GOP. You're looking at live pictures here of Romney's town hall event. This is out of Manchester, New Hampshire. Arizona Senator John McCain is set to throw his support behind the man that he beat out for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. And it's expected to happen any minute now. Obviously we're going to go to it live as soon as it starts.
But, in the meantime, I want to bring in my friend and colleague, Wolf Blitzer.
And that was really kind of an extraordinary evening to watch you guys, 2:30 in the morning. It was CNN, what was it, late night decided (ph).
WOLF BLITZER, CNN LEAD POLITICAL ANCHOR: Yes, a late -- yes, late -- CNN late night.
MALVEAUX: Late night. It's -- it was pretty extraordinary.
BLITZER: Yes.
MALVEAUX: Tell me a little bit about this bad blood between McCain and Romney and what is the significance of this endorsement?
BLITZER: They were both United States senators. Senator Santorum was in the Senate for a long time. He and John McCain, they don't like each other. That was pretty obvious. And four years ago, when McCain was seeking the Republican presidential nomination, South Carolina was really, really important. And one of his main challengers was obviously Mitt Romney.
MALVEAUX: Right.
BLITZER: So Santorum, literally with only days to go, went down and endorsed Mitt Romney, not because he liked Mitt Romney so much, he didn't, but because he really didn't like John McCain. And he's made that abundantly clear over these past several days. And when I had a chance to speak with Senator Santorum last night, I asked him, you know, is this sort of payback and stuff like that. But, you know, is this McCain's payback?
MALVEAUX: Right, right.
BLITZER: You know, because he -- you don't get along. And, you know, he didn't really want to get into that.
But, you know, the McCain decision to endorse Mitt Romney now I think in part is because McCain has no great love for Santorum, who all of a sudden has emerged as the major -- the major -- one of the major challengers, obviously, to Mitt Romney.
MALVEAUX: Is this a pragmatic move on the part of the Republicans to, let's all get behind -- this is the guy who we believe will actually be able to beat Obama?
BLITZER: I think it's going to help -- it's going to help Mitt Romney, because especially in South Carolina, he already has Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina, who's a Tea Party favorite, very popular down there. And Haley -- and Nikki Haley is supporting Mitt Romney now. You know, John McCain, more of the establishment Republican. He was the Republican presidential nominee. So Mitt Romney's trying to coalesce that.
He's got some problems though, because he got 25 percent of the vote in Iowa, but that means 75 percent, you know, either voted for somebody else or didn't vote for him. And so he's going to have his work. And now if Governor Perry of Texas is not out of the race, that will presumably help, I think, Romney a little bit in South Carolina because it will divide up the anti-Romney vote, maybe giving him a chance.
You'll remember what happened in South Carolina four years ago. Huckabee was poised to win. He didn't because Mitt Romney won.
MALVEAUX: Right.
BLITZER: You know why? Because Fred Thompson divided up all those evangelicals, southern conservative votes with Mike Huckabee and that gave -- McCain, I should say. That gave McCain that opening to go on and get the Republican presidential nomination.
MALVEAUX: All right, we're going to be watching very closely to see the endorsement and how -- the impact that it has and clearly the races up ahead.
BLITZER: Thank you.
MALVEAUX: So, thanks, Wolf. Good to see you.
The Iowa causes ended with Mitt Romney winning by just eight -- eight votes. Today's "Talk Back" question, did the fact that there was no clear winner change the game? We're going to read some of your responses up next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) MALVEAUX: The Iowa caucuses ended with Mitt Romney winning by just eight votes. Today's "Talk Back" question, did the fact that there was no clear winner change the game?
Ryan says, "seeing a race this close in Iowa means the nation and state are paying attention to these candidates. They're paying attention because Barack Obama has failed them as a leader and are looking for his replacement."
Don says, "the votes for those dropping out of the race will be going somewhere and it could be enough to see the leader change again."
Joe says, "Santorum came close to Romney because he basically lived in Iowa for a month knocking down doors. He doesn't have the sustainability to run this campaign to the finish line."
Bill says, "after all you've seen from the GOP, did you really expect anything clear from any of these people?"
Keep the conversation going at facebook.com/suzannecnn.
CNN stays with an important story right until every t is crossed, every vote counted. This story about how two women helped solve the mystery of these missing votes, after dark, out of bed, on the phone.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
MALVEAUX: Following all the candidates. We're waiting for Mitt Romney. He is going to be having a town hall. This is out of Manchester, New Hampshire. As soon as that happens, we'll bring it to you live. You're looking at live picture there as a group has assembled and gathered, waiting for him to go ahead to talk about his win.
The race between the top two, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, it went down to the wire. I'm telling you, they were deadlocked right after midnight, more than five hours after those meetings began in Iowa. The final tally came in from Clinton County in the eastern part of the state. Our Wolf Blitzer, he talked to Clinton County Republican chairwoman Edith Pfeiffer (ph) and the woman who woke her up to get the votes, Carolyn Tallett.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BLITZER: We've got two women calling in from -- we've actually called them -- from Clinton County -- from the Republican Party in Clinton County.
Edith, can you hear me?
EDITH PFEIFFER, CLINTON COUNTY REPUBLICAN CHAIRWOMAN (via telephone): Yes, I can.
BLITZER: All right. Now, Carolyn is with you too?
CAROLYN TALLETT, PRES. CLINTON COUNTY REPUBLICAN WOMEN (via telephone): Yes. I received a call at about 12:20 from the state central committee asking if I knew how to get a hold of someone from 22. And that time, they gave me a name and I tried calling. Because it's late here, they were in bed. And the chair was also in bed.
BLITZER: So what you're saying -- what you were saying is --
TALLETT: And so I really needed the information. So I came to Edith's home and pounded on the door and woke her up and got her up.
JOHN KING, CNN: Ward 2, Precinct 2, who won?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mitt Romney won with 51 votes. Rick Santorum and Ron Paul tied with 33 votes each.
KING: So that's 51 to 33. If this is the missing precinct, Wolf --
BLITZER: Yes.
KING: Add it up there. Mitt Romney wins by 20-something votes.
BLITZER: What's the total for Clinton County, Romney, Santorum, Paul?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh. Are they correct?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I haven't done -- I -- God, I added them up. I added them up a couple times. I -- oh, man. My -- I show Romney coming up with a total of 437 votes from Clinton County, Santorum had 354, Perry had 73, Paul had 292, Huntsman, 12, Gingrich, 151. Michele Bachmann, 62, and there were five votes for Herman Cain.
KING: The numbers we just received from the county chairwoman right here in Clinton County. If these are the final numbers --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What do you mean that the numbers don't match?
BLITZER: Just to be precise, we didn't wake you up, the state -- the state chairs in Des Moines, they called you. They woke you up, is that right?
TALLETT: No, I woke her up. This is Carolyn.
KING: Carolyn woke her up to get the numbers because the state was --
TALLETT: I was sitting home watching CNN waiting for the results.
BLITZER: All right.
TALLETT: And I was called by the party.
BLITZER: And so that's --
TALLETT: And so I came to wake up Edith, who didn't answer her phone.
KING: You ladies don't have any fresh coffee brewed, do you?
TALLETT: Ha. No. but I think I'm ready for it.
BLITZER: Guess what, joining us now, on the phone, Edith and Carolyn. (INAUDIBLE).
Let me start with Edith.
Edith, thank you so much on behalf of all of us, on behalf of the American people, we want to thank you for clearing up this mystery. Tell us how you feel right now, Edith?
PFEIFFER: I am just overwhelmed with all of this.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: You're trending worldwide apparently on Twitter, I just learned from Ali Velshi. Are you big on the Twitter?
PFEIFFER: Not so good. I just got an iPad for Christmas, but I don't know how to work it yet.
KING: Would you ladies like to be the co-anchors of a new CNN program, "CNN After Dark"?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: No word on whether Edith and Carolyn will take us up on the "CNN After Dark," but I think that would be a great show.
Randi, what do you think?
RANDI KAYE, CNN ANCHOR: I think that is a great idea. Let's get them.
MALVEAUX: That was hilarious. That was such --
KAYE: Get them under contract, those two ladies.
MALVEAUX: Such a great night and an incredible morning there.
Randi, I'm going to hand it over to you for CNN NEWSROOM to continue.
KAYE: Alright Suzanne, thank you very much.
