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Giffords Steps Down; Santorum Looks Ahead; Economy Dominates Campaign; President to Deliver State of the Union Tuesday; Florida next on Campaign Trail; Former Governor Jeb Bush Not Endorsing Anyone Yet

Aired January 22, 2012 - 16:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello. Thanks for joining us. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We'll look at the 2012 presidential contenders in this political hour. But first, we're going to begin with some breaking news.

The Arizona congresswoman who was shot in the head one year ago is announcing that she will resign this week. Gabby Giffords released this video statement online today saying she has to focus on her recovery.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. GABBY GIFFORDS (D), ARIZONA: I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice. Thank you for your prayers and for giving me time to recover. I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what is best for Arizona, I will step down this week. I'm getting better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Let's bring in CNN's Athena Jones, joining us from Washington. So Athena, what kind of reaction are we receiving?

ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the reaction has been swift here on Capitol Hill from both sides of the aisle. Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said "I join all my colleagues in Congress in thanking Gabby for the honor of calling her colleague and wishing Gabby and Mark great success and happiness." And House Speaker John Boehner said in his statement, "I salute Congresswoman Giffords for her service and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed."

We also saw a statement from Representative Steny Hoyer saying that it was courageous of Gabby Giffords to put - to make this decision to put her constituents - to do the best she could for her constituents. And so she'll be stepping down as she mentioned in the video to focus on her health. I should add as well that her office and the statement attached to this video they put out said that one of the last acts of Congress for Congresswoman Giffords will be attending the president's State of the Union address here at the capital on Tuesday evening.

Also, she's going to be completing that Congress on your corner event that was interrupted by the gunman last year, last January 8th. She had gone to this Tucson supermarket to meet and greet constituents and so then there was the mass shooting that left six people dead and 12 others injured. She's going to be going back and having a private event in Tucson, meeting with some of the people that were at that supermarket event. Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right. Athena Jones, thanks so much for bringing us those breaking developments.

JONES: Thanks.

WHITFIELD: All right. Now to the 2012 presidential contenders and the game changing outcome of the South Carolina primary. Today Newt Gingrich is celebrating a stunning come from behind victory in South Carolina. Just a week ago he was trailing Mitt Romney in the state by double digits. Gingrich captured 40 percent of the vote. Romney came in second with 28 percent. Rick Santorum won 17 percent. And Ron Paul finished fourth with 13 percent of the vote. Gingrich took notice of his competitors in his victory speech last night

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: But the genius of America is that you can come from any background. I watched tonight the fine speeches of the other three candidates on our side. And I was struck with how much they reflected the openness of the American system. You know, Rick Santorum showed enormous courage in Iowa when he had no money, nobody covered him, and he just kept campaigning.

And then as a further example of how wide open our system is, you have Dr. Ron Paul, who on the issue of money and the Federal Reserve has been right for 25 years. And while I disagree with him on many other things, there is no doubt that a lot of his critique of inflation of fiat money and the Federal Reserve is absolutely the right direction and something I can support strongly. And finally, Governor Romney, with whom I disagree on many issues, is nonetheless a good example of America. He's hard working. He's been very successful. He's organized large systems. He did a terrific job at the winter Olympics. And the fact is, if you look at the four of us, we are proof that you can come from a wide range of backgrounds and in America you have a chance to try to make your case no matter what the elites think in New York and Washington.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So we now have three different Republican candidates winning the first three nominating contests. That's never happened in the history of the modern Republican primary system. Let's bring in CNN political director Mark Preston.

So Mark, we're talking about Gingrich winning South Carolina. Romney, New Hampshire. And then Santorum we just learned within the last 24 hours that after all he ends up winning Iowa. So it is interesting. Because there were so many analysts who said come January 31st, right after that Florida primary, the nominee will have been crowned. Not the case. Now it means many more states are going to matter, doesn't it? MARK PRESTON, CNN POLITICAL DIRECTOR: And I was one of those analysts because - I think we were all looking at that. The fact of the matter was Mitt Romney had the most money, the best organization. He had the momentum. He won Iowa. Until he didn't win Iowa. We knew he was going to win New Hampshire handily. He was up double digits on Newt Gingrich coming into this week. It was inevitable. He had the momentum. And then all of a sudden, the wheels came off the cart. Mitt Romney's campaign has imploded at least at this moment. Newt Gingrich is on the rise.

WHITFIELD: Why did the wheels come off? Are we talking about the - going back and forth with whether who was going to release the, you know, tax information?

PRESTON: It was because I think what people were taking away from that is that he was trying to hide something. And, you know, American people don't want that. They want some kind of openness. They want to get to know you. They want to connect with you. And you know, Mitt Romney had a difficult time connecting with people as well. He's a very nice man, a very smart man, but the fact of the matter is he doesn't have that connection.

WHITFIELD: So now he will be - he likely is to release those returns come Tuesday. Does that mean people will be able to relate to? Are they going to see these figures and his wealth and that may further distance him from people who say "He doesn't know what my life is like"?

PRESTON: You know, I don't think people will hold it against the fact that he's done so well in business. I mean, the fact is I don't think people will hold that against him. What they'll be angry about, though, is his inability to relate when he says things that would distance himself from these folks. Let's remember, we're talking about Republican voters now, Republican primary, the Democrats, the liberals, they will use these tax returns as a battering ram against him. What Mitt Romney needs to continue to do is two things, talk about President Obama and he also needs to talk about how his business experience will help turn the country around.

WHITFIELD: Let's talk about the conservative vote. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich splitting that conservative vote. At least that was the conventional wisdom for South Carolina but come Florida, whole different ball game, whole different state. Whole different electorate.

PRESTON: Whole different electorate. Our large state, a diverse electorate. It's the first state where the voters in South Florida are going to be different than the voters up in northwest Florida, in northeast Florida. We have a lot of northern transplants down there. That could help Governor Romney. The conservative vote is going to get split up, though, by Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

We just heard from Mr. Gingrich in his speech last night, he was very conciliatory towards Mr. Santorum and Mr. Paul trying to get some of those voters to come to his side. Rick Santorum could be Mitt Romney's ace in the hole to break up that conservative vote in Florida.

WHITFIELD: Really. OK. We're going to talk to three reporters who covered the state of Florida. We're going to talk exactly about that, how that state is really split up into three very different thirds that we're going to be expanding on. Thanks so much, Mark Preston. Always good to see you. And of course, we'll see you next in Florida.

PRESTON: Thursday night.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

PRESTON: Presidential debate.

WHITFIELD: I know. You're racking up those frequent flier miles. All right, thanks so much, Mark.

All right. Tough talk from Mitt Romney. He says his rivals are trying to demonize a core conservative principal. Romney in his own words next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Welcome back to this special hour of the "CNN Newsroom." We're taking this time out every Sunday to let you hear from the 2012 presidential contenders in their own words, out on the campaign trail. Today, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney announced he will release his 2010 tax returns on Tuesday.

He'll also release an estimate of his 2011 tax liability information. The candidate admits it was a mistake to hold off on releasing his returns calling the controversy over the issue a distraction in the race. After finishing a second place in South Carolina's primary this weekend, Romney took aim at rivals who have focused on his personal wealth.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The Republican Party doesn't demonize prosperity. We celebrate success in our party. That's one of the big differences between our party and our president. He leaves the party of big government, he believes in ever expanding entitlement. He's wrong, we're right, and this is a battle we cannot lose. Those who pick up the weapons of the left today will find them turned against us tomorrow. That's the choice our party gives America. Or else we don't offer them any choice at all.

And Americans in my view will demand a real choice in this campaign between those people who believe in prosperity and success and opportunity and those who believe in government. And I think they'll choose us.

By the way, by the way if President Obama thinks you can compare his record of job losses with my record of job creation, that's a battle we're going to win. And if he thinks he can compare his record of crony capitalism, with my record of free market success, that's a battle we can win. And let me be clear. If Republican leaders want to join this president in demonizing success, and disparaging conservative values, then they're not going to be fit to be our nominee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And so now the battle shifts to Florida. Joining us now, live from Washington, Danielle Belton with the blog "The Black Snob", Ann Marie Hauser, a former communications director for two-term Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Good to see both of you ladies.

DANIELLE BELTON, "THE BLACK SNOB": Great to be here.

ANN MARIE HAUSER, FMR. COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR GOV. TIM PAWLENTY: Great to be here.

WHITFIELD: OK. So at one point, Mitt Romney seemed to be the inevitable GOP nominee, all that changed just really within a 24 hour period. He lost Iowa after a recount to Santorum and then lost handily in South Carolina. So as Romney heads now into Florida, and even after that, Nevada, are we about to see a candidate staying on message or making big changes in his campaign strategy? Ann Marie, you fist.

HAUSER: Sure. Yes, I think what we'll see is Governor Romney going into Florida. It is a new day for him. He has an opportunity to take his record on creating jobs, a successful governor, successful executive and I think he'll have an opportunity to connect with voters in Florida. It is very promising for him in Florida. They have the money and the structure to do very well there. So I think it is a new day. I think South Carolina was significant. Newt Gingrich had huge momentum. He did very well in the debates. And he really connected with the voters there, but, look, that's his backyard. He also had Perry's endorsement that week. So that was last week. We'll see what Florida holds in the next 10 days.

WHITFIELD: So, Danielle, how do you see it? More of the same from Mitt Romney as he heads into Florida or does he have to change strategy, maybe even staffing?

BELTON: I think it would be a dangerous thing for Romney to drastically change his strategy. He picked the way he's going to hedge, he's picked where he's going to go with focusing on the Republican emphasis in a free market and kind of, you know, celebrating his business person stance. I don't see how he could radically deviate that without once again being labeled with the whole flip-flopped Mitt Romney is inconsistent and kind of slammed that he gets hit with already quite a bit of frequency I think it is almost a dangerous thing for him to change tracks. He really has to hold hard to what he's doing right now, keep hitting back hard with what he has right now and essentially just double down on his strategy.

WHITFIELD: OK. Can the same be said about Newt Gingrich? He didn't use a whole lot of money in South Carolina of his own campaign money, but super pac money made a big difference possibly for him in South Carolina. So, Danielle, what about Gingrich? Might you see any changes as he approaches Florida?

BELTON: It is going to be interesting for Gingrich. Because I feel like he went a very aggressive and in some ways lean kind of track with South Carolina, which worked great for South Carolina. I could see why he would go that way with it. He really tapped into people's frustration with the media, he really hit the race angle really hard in a way that worked great in this particular race but kind of resonated differently depending which audience you're dealing with nationally.

So in Florida, with the way Gingrich is, I see him in some cases continuing to hit really hard because he wants that applause line with the audience. He wants to get that kind of reaction from the live crowd and the more passionate parts of the Republican voter base but will that be at the expense of independents?

WHITFIELD: So, Ann Marie, do you look at this week where, you know, Newt Gingrich really has the upper hand or the advantage because not only is he coming off a South Carolina win, but there are two debates and he really rebels and relishes in the debates and he has a chance to appeal to Floridians or Nevadans or any one else after that in a very big way on that stage.

HAUSER: Well, that's right. I mean he clearly excels in the debates. As you saw, he just soared this past week in South Carolina after his debate performances because he tapped into two things. One, the anti- Obama frustration in this country and the anti-media frustration in, you know, in our primary.

And so, yes, I think these two debates no doubt he will be again very strong. But debates matter. But it is about more than just debates. I mean there is going to be significant campaigning. There is a lot of time in between debates and talking about your record and honestly, if voters really take a look, you know, what Newt says, as saying he's anti-Washington, he is the Washington lobbyist and Mitt Romney is the executive, the job creator, the outsider who is running here. So voters are going to have to decide which one they prefer.

WHITFIELD: All right. Ann Marie Hauser, Danielle Belton, thanks so much, ladies. We'll see you again a little bit later on in the hour.

We're also going to talk about two of the other four contenders, how will Rick Santorum and Ron Paul gain momentum after a poor showing in South Carolina, the candidates reveal their future strategies coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue to delve into the issues on the presidential campaign every Sunday. We're spending this hour of the "CNN Newsroom" to allow you to hear from the contenders as they spell out their ideas for the future for the United States.

Rick Santorum says it is, "Game on," despite his third place finish in South Carolina. He says his focus now is Florida. Earlier Santorum told our Candy Crowley why he will appeal to voters in the sunshine state.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK SANTORUM (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Florida is a tough state for everybody. It is very, very expensive. It is a very short time frame. You know, we'll wait and see how the debates turn out. We'll wait and see how the - this event here in South Carolina is going to affect the polls. But you know, leading into Florida yesterday, we were sitting in second place in Florida.

So we feel like we can go and compete there. But this race isn't going to be over in Florida, not going to be over in - I don't think in super Tuesday. This will be a long race. You got with the exception of a couple of states, proportional delegates, not winner take all states. You have an opportunity for someone like Rick Santorum, who is a solid conservative, up against a - as I agree with Newt, a Massachusetts moderate, but I disagree with Newt that he's the conservative standard there.

I mean Newt is the guy that, you know, that in my opinion is a very high risk candidate. Not only does he - he is wrong on the individual mandate in other words, government mandated health insurance, which he supported for 20 years, he's wrong on the Wall Street bailout, he was wrong on global warming, he's wrong on the immigration issue. These are probably the four biggest issues the Tea Party has which is really the conservative base of the Republican Party now, and Newt is just not in the right place on those. I think the more focus as we now have gotten down to three serious candidates, the less attractive, I think Newt is going to be and the better alternative we are.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Ron Paul definitely would not agree with Santorum's declaration that this is a three-man GOP race, even though the congressman finished fourth place in South Carolina and hasn't yet won a primary, Paul isn't giving up. He says his plan is to win as many delegates as possible for the Republican national convention.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. RON PAUL (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: The issues you all know very well, the country is coming our way. This campaign has a long way to go. The momentum is growing. The one thing we can say about our campaign, have you ever noticed the other candidates going up and then down, up and then down? So far I am very proud to say that our efforts is steady growth, it's steady growth like this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: President Obama lays out a new jobs plan while a Disney World we'll tell you all about it next.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAY LENO, HOST "THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO": You know why President Obama chose Disney World? It was the only place with longer lines than the unemployment office.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back to this special hour of the "CNN Newsroom." We're focusing on politics, allowing you to hear from the 2012 presidential contenders.

All right. So I think we have a clip of President Obama, you may have seen it earlier, at a fund-raiser in New York. Singing. Do we have that clip?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Then to know that Reverend Al Green was here. I am so in love with you. Those guys didn't think I would do it. I told you I was going to do it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Even Al Green who was in the audience was impressed. So in addition to being in New York, the president also was in Florida. He stopped by Disney World to talk about the tourism industry there and how it can help grow jobs.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: Every year tens of millions of tourists all over the world come to visit America. Makes sense. Got the greatest country on earth. People want to come. As folks in Orlando know, that's good for our economy. It means people are renting cars and they're staying in hotels and they're eating at restaurants and they're checking out the sites. It means people are doing business here in the United States.

In 2010, nearly 60 million international visitors helped the tourism industry generate over $134 billion. Tourism is the number one service that we export. Number one. And that means jobs. More money spent by more tourists means more businesses can hire more workers. A pretty simple formula.

And that's why we're all here today. To tell the world that America is open for business. We want to welcome you. And to take concrete steps to boost America's tourism industry so we can keep growing our economy and creating more jobs here in Florida, and all across the country.

Here's the good news. We have got the best product to sell. Look at where we are. We have got the most entertaining destinations in the world. This is the land of extraordinary natural wonders, from the Rocky Mountains to the Grand Canyons, from Yellowstone to Yosemite. This is the land where we do big things. And so have incredible landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge and the Empire State Building, the Hoover Dam, the Gateway Arch. This is the land of iconic cities and all their sites from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, to Faneuil Hall in Boston, from the Space Needle in Seattle to the skyline of my hometown in Chicago. It's a nice skyline for those of you who have never been there.

All right, a couple of Chicagoans back there. But I'm here today because I want more tourists here tomorrow. I want America to be the top tourist destination in the world. The top tourist destination in the world. And this is something we have been focused on for some time.

Two years ago, I signed a bill into law called the Travel Promotion Act. It had broad support of both Democrats and Republicans and as you know that doesn't always happen. And it set up a new non-profit organization called Brand USA. It's job is to pitch America as a travel destination for the rest of the world to come to visit. You got to see advertising for other countries, other destinations here in the United States, right? Well, we have got do the same thing. So that when people are thinking about where they want to travel, where they want to spend their vacation, we want them to come here.

And so that's already in place but we got to do more. So today I directed my administration to send me a new national tourism strategy focused on creating jobs. And some of America's most successful business leaders, some who are here today, have signed up to help. We're going to see how we can make it easier for foreign tourists to find basic information about visiting America.

And we're going to se how we can attract more tourists to our national parks. We want people visiting not just Epcot Center, but the Everglades too. The more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work. It is that simple. So one step we're taking is the expansion of something called the Global Entry Program. It is a program that protects our borders and makes our -- and makes life easier for frequent travelers to and from the United States.

Getting into the program requires an extensive background check. But once you're in, once you've proven yourself to be a solid individual who is coming here for business or recreation purposes, instead of going through long lines at immigration, we can scan your passport, your fingerprints and you're on your way. So it is a great example of how we're using new technology to maintain national security and boost tourism at the same time.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And this week it will be a pretty busy one for President Obama. Tuesday night he delivers the State of the Union Address. Then just look at the map, he'll be traveling to five states in three days, Wednesday he's in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Next, he heads to the Phoenix area and that same night he leaves for Las Vegas. Thursday, the president travels to Denver, Colorado, and then it is on to Detroit, Michigan. And then Friday, the president delivers a speech in the Detroit area before heading back to the nation's capital.

Joining us again, both from Washington, Danielle Belton with the Blog, The Black Snob. And Ann Marie Hauser, a former communications director for two-term Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. All right. Ladies, so the president hitting all those spots that the Republicans eventually will be hitting too over the next month for the primaries and caucuses. So is the president, Ann Marie, is he campaigning?

ANN MARIE HAUSER, FMR. COMMUNICATIONS DIR. GOV. TIM PAWLENTY: Look, I mean, just look at that map. It is very evident that he has given up on governing and he's in full campaign mode. He had four campaign events I believe in New York last week. And, you know, it is go time for the president in terms of the campaign which is unfortunate because the economy is the biggest issue right now for our campaign. And it is unfortunate to see that he's shirking his duties and that is respect. Tourism is very important. That's great but there is so much more to that in terms of getting our economy back on track.

WHITFIELD: So Danielle, the president has to strike a real delicate balance, right? So he doesn't appear as though he's focusing on campaigning. Yet at the same time, he remains the commander in chief. State of the Union, Tuesday night, the message is that he will be delivering more specific to how he sees this next year of his presidency, or perhaps the next four years if re-elected?

DANIELLE BELTON, EDITOR, THEBLACK SNOB.COM: I think he has to hit those overarching things. The whole benefit of running for president while you're president is the fact you get to address the nation directly, is the fact that you get a huge platform like the State of the Union to address both your goals for not just this year, but your vision for the second term of your presidency.

This is a huge moment for President Obama. Not just to get the attention back on him and what his efforts are in Washington, to get the economy back on track, but just about what are his long-term goals for the president, what are his long-term goals for the United States and for us getting our economy back together. This is a big moment.

WHITFIELD: At the same time, it seems that there would be a lot of self-imposed pressure to underscore the accomplishments of this administration thus far as well, right, Ann Marie?

HAUSER: Sure. He's got a record he has to run on to try and get re- elected. But, you know, four years ago, he came in with very pretty words and people's trust and we're three years in, he made the economy worse. Yes, he inherited a bad economy but he made it worse, unfortunately. I think he's lost a lot of trust. You even see that in the numbers. I think his favorability are right now below 50, so 44 percent.

So yes he does have the power, the bully pulpit. But even that, I mean look, he's got an uphill battle to climb and it is going to be real interesting. If you look at the Republican Party, yes, we're disagreeing right now on who is going to be our nominee. But one thing we do agree on is that we want Barack Obama to be a one-term president, so they can't underestimate that passion.

WHITFIELD: So Danielle, just hearing, you know, Ann Marie talk about, the president has made it worse, does the president feel compelled during this State of the Union Address to try to combat that sentiment or somehow try to underscore the litany of accomplishments he believes this White House has made?

BELTON: I feel like the president really needs to speak more to his strengths, more about the accomplishments he has made since he's been in the White House and to address the fact that, you know, he prevented the economy from getting drastically worse, the reality is he obviously inherited a terrible economy. He has fought Congress -- especially Republicans in Congress the whole way for any type of improvement, just the fight over the payroll tax, something that should have been relatively simple and unemployment extension, when people were hurting, those were knock down, drag out fights that led to things like our credit rating being in danger, just so many other issues that hurt our economy that the president really didn't have that much to do with.

He is trying to fix it and had problems all along the way. So the point is that he needs to reiterate is that he is the president, he is working on these things, he has accomplished things and he can accomplish even more if he gets the time to do it.

WHITFIELD: All right. Danielle Belton, Ann Marie Hauser, thanks so much ladies for joining us from Washington. Always great to see you.

HAUSER: Thank you, Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: The big GOP battleground now Florida. Will that key contest be as volatile as the state of South Carolina and its primary? A live report from Tampa straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, CNN brings you politics each Sunday during this hour. We're bringing you the 2012 presidential contenders in their words. Just a day after the roller coaster South Carolina primary. The GOP candidates are now squarely focused on the next battleground, Florida. That state's primary is just nine days away. Joining us live now from Tampa, CNN political reporter Shannon Travis. So, Shannon, so far, I know it is early, nine days away. Still, how is that race shaping up?

SHANNON TRAVIS, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Excellent question, Fred. Let me just start off by telling you that this is the first time in about three months that I haven't had to wear a coat coming from Iowa and New Hampshire. That being said, to answer your question, the way that the race stands right now is how it kind of stood in South Carolina going in. We had a recent CNN/ORC Poll that shows Mitt Romney ahead of Newt Gingrich by about 24 points.

Let's take a look at those numbers. Mitt Romney, 43, Rick Santorum, 19, Gingrich, 18, Ron Paul, 9. I meant Mitt Romney is ahead of Rick Santorum about 24 points. Also the name of the game here, we had three contests, Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, the name of the game as you know, Fred, is racking up delegates. In terms of the delegate counts, because you need the delegates to actually win the nomination, we show by these numbers, this is still a long race. Romney 31 delegates, Newt Gingrich, 26 delegates, Ron Paul, 10 delegates and Rick Santorum, 8 delegates. So this race is far from over. Even though a lot of people said you know what, Mitt Romney was on a march to the nomination, he was going to lock it up, because we have three different runners, three different contests and by those delegate counts this thing is far from over, Fred.

WHITFIELD: Oh, yes far from over indeed. You need 1,044 delegates in order to clinch that nomination.

TRAVIS: That is right.

WHITFIELD: So let's talk about the many blocs that these candidates are trying to appeal to in Florida. What kind of messages will really resonate there?

TRAVIS: I mean Florida is a lot different from South Carolina. You know, South Carolina being a reliably red state, Florida not so much. It is more of a swing state, right. So some of the voting blocs that you're going to hear these candidates appeal to, Evangelicals are definitely here, but Tea Partiers play a big role here in Florida.

You know that I've been covering that movement since 2009 when it cropped up. I've been here a number of times. This morning, I got an e-mail from one of the largest Tea Party groups here in South Florida. And they were saying know we should all rally around Newt Gingrich. He's the real conservative. And also moderates, moderates will be a big play. But in some of those areas, some of those counties with conservatives those will be important as well.

WHITFIELD: All right. All of those factors are going to matter indeed. Thanks so much, Shannon Travis, appreciate that. Of course we also know that this week there are two debates that to will play a factor in the decision-making there.

So, how is Florida expected to vote come that primary day? January 31st, we will have a breakdown next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We continue to delve into the issues on the presidential campaign every Sunday. We're spending this hour of the CNN NEWSROOM to allow you to hear from the contenders as they spell out their ideas for the future of the United States. Florida is bigger and more diverse than South Carolina. It is also more moderate. So how are the candidates expected to do there? John King breaks down the numbers.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here is something that is very troubling for the Romney campaign. Florida is a close primary. Some independents could vote in South Carolina, Florida is Republicans. Look at this here, among voters who self-identify as Republicans, Speaker Gingrich, 45 percent, Governor Romney, 28 percent, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul rounding it out. You have to have a Republican electorate in Florida. It will be more moderate than South Carolina. Gingrich is running big so you can't project these numbers flat over. When you win big, you tend to have bigger numbers. But that's a problem for Mitt Romney, something they need to worry about going forward. This is his strength in South Carolina among voters who identify themselves as moderates; Governor Romney carried this group here, 31 percent for Romney, 36 percent for Romney, 31 percent for Gingrich. There are more moderates in Florida and you need to build on that.

One more thing I want to look at here. This is interesting. Voters who are asked in this exit poll, would you support Mitt Romney as nominee, those who would not support Ron Paul, our analysts have talked that Ron Paul are not really Republican, some of them are independents, some of them are libertarians. Some are soft Republicans if you will. Thirty eight percent of Paul's supporters said they would not support.

This is interesting, this likely not last, but 30 percent of Gingrich supporters say they would not support Romney as the nominee. You are in a primary campaign that is the way it goes, hard feelings if you will. But the Paul supporters are an indication that his voters that we're seeing in the process now might not be reliable.

So here is where we go next. You look at Florida. An incredibly diverse state, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, St. Pete, Jacksonville, Tallahassee, much more conservative up here, more moderate in here, the Miami population, the Latinos you just heard the Gingrich daughters talking about, let's go back in time to take a look at what we're talking about here.

You come back to '08, John McCain, Mitt Romney is the dark red, and John McCain is the lighter red, Mike Huckabee up here. There you see the diversity. Much more conservative in the Panhandle. Mitt Romney does have a base support from last time up in here, when you come down to populations' centers, big populations here, here and here. A lot of conservative voters up here, a bigger state and more diverse state and wow a challenging state and an expensive state.

WOLF BLITZER, HOST, CNN "THE SITUATION ROOM:" As all of us know, the northern part of Florida is like the south and the southern part of Florida is like the north because of all of the people who moved to the south.

WHITFIELD: We'll get back to the presidential race this hour. Meantime, the sports world mourns the loss of legendary football coach Joe Paterno. Next hour, I'll talk to another legendary coach, Bobby Bowden, about Paterno's life and legacy.

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WHITFIELD: Welcome back to the special hour of the CNN NEWSROOM. We're taking this time out every Sunday to let you hear from the 2012 presidential contenders in their words out on the campaign trail.

The Florida voter population is very diverse. Based on where people are geographically, they vote differently. Let's bring in our guest to talk about this, some of the distinguishing factors. Sergio Bustos of the "Miami Herald" covers South Florida. Good to see you. Scott Kent of the "News Herald" covers the Panhandle, joining us from Panama City. We can see you and you've got a phone for backup to make sure we can hear each other as well. That's good safety measure. Good to see you, gentlemen.

Let's talk of the priorities of the electorate there. Scott, let me begin with you and how traditionally, you know, what kind of messages the Panhandle might want to hear.

SCOTT KENT, THE "NEWS HERALD:" Well, this is a very conservative area, more conservative than most of the rest of the state and much more southern in culture. In fact it is kind of known as L.A., which stands for lower Alabama. And we're talking mostly west of Tallahassee. Once you get to Tallahassee, that's more moderate to liberal.

But in the Panhandle, the western part of the Panhandle, much more conservative, much more southern, very much anti-big government, very much a Tea Party part of the state, Tea Party was very big here. Against Obama care, limited government, low taxes, more -- in many ways a lot more like South Carolina was.

WHITFIELD: OK, so there is some real parallels you see, South Carolina for the Panhandle. Certainly not the case in south Florida, completely different bowl of wax. Sergio, that's your concentrated effort there in south Florida. There the Latino population is very high. But we're also talking about a segment of the state that was impacted hard by the mortgage meltdown mess and foreclosures et cetera. What might these candidates say and do to appeal to a very diverse populous there?

SERGIO BUSTOS, "THE MIAMI HERALD:" Well, as Scott mentioned, south Florida is really two countries in and of itself. There is the deep -- there is south New York, because of all of the influx of New Yorkers down here. And then there is northern America. Large number of Latinos dominated by Cubans, of course, but what is going to really be tough, I think, for Romney is the whole Bain capital issue. There is a certain frustration among Floridians and it is state wide. They're frustrated with the foreclosure crisis. They're frustrated with the high unemployment, the stubborn unemployment.

That is going to play very well to Newt Gingrich. Newt has somehow -- Mr. Gingrich has somehow expressed the frustration and fury of the average Floridian voter. I think that's going to play very well down here. I think he can do quite well. Rick Santorum I think will have a tougher time and of course Ron Paul skipping the state all together.

WHITFIELD: OK. You know what, we're also joined by another reporter, we're not going to be able to see him, but we'll hear him. Aaron Deslatte of the "Orlando Sentinel" joining us on the phone. Your concentration is the central part of the state. We know that this is a very tourism, you know, driven economy there in the center part of the state. Unemployment is also very big issue. Will people feel rather torn between the candidates here?

AARON DESLATTE, "ORLANDO SENTINEL, (via telephone): " I think that, you know, the Interstate 4 corridor connecting Orlando and Tampa Bay is the probably most important segment of the state. Because it contains about 45 percent of the Republican voting base. And it is also a region that is large pockets of suburban and suburban blue collar workers, an area that has been very heavily hit by the housing bubble burst as well as south Florida. So it is a region that both of the Romney and Gingrich are going to try to attack President Obama on, specifically the space shuttle program on the space coast, that's an area where they will both be able to lay some blame at the president's feet.

I think you're already seeing in the advertising has gone up today the attempt to try and tie the corporate raider slogan on to Romney and the housing Freddie and Fannie Mac housing blame on Gingrich. And that's an issue that whenever you go through a corridor of suburban and exurban communities with foreclosure rates of 24 percent or higher, that's a huge issue.

WHITFIELD: Yes. With Gingrich and his ties to Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, that may be a big problem as well. So, you know, Scott, let me bring you back into the equation here. Because we're talking about the former Governor Jeb Bush who has refrained from endorsing any of the four thus far. Is it a wait and see? Is he waiting to see what Florida seems to think and feel on this? He doesn't want to influence the overall race. Why would that be?

KENT: Well the word was, I think as a week ago he was very close to endorsing Romney and seems to have backed off from that now. Perhaps he's got his usual good political sense kicking in after what happened yesterday. It would be very interesting to see the polls. Romney was coming in here before with a pretty big lead. I would love to see how the polls change, if they change.

WHITFIELD: So Sergio --

KENT: Jeb Bush's endorsement would be huge, but now it may not be the time to do it, he might want to sit back and see how this shakes out.

WHITFIELD: OK. All right.

KENT: Gingrich did very well in the Panhandle because he is so aggressive at taking the argument.

WHITFIELD: All right. Scott Kent, very good. We're out of time. I'm sorry to cut you off there. Sergio Bustos and Aaron Deslatte also. Thank you, gentlemen, for joining us, whether you're in front of the camera there or you are on the phone or maybe even both, right, Scott? Thanks so much, gentlemen. Appreciate it. Good to see all of you and hear from you too.

Remember you can see all the candidates face off in Florida. They will all be at the CNN Debate at the University of Florida in Jacksonville. That is this Thursday night, 8:00 Eastern Time.

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WHITFIELD: Here is a look at where the 2012 contenders will be this week. They're all in Florida, campaigning ahead of that state's primary January 31st. On Tuesday and Thursday, all four candidates are participating in debates in Jacksonville. And the president is also on the road this week. He will travel to five states in three days visiting all the places where the GOP candidates are campaigning within the next month.

Thanks so much for tuning in to this special hour of politics. Join us every Sunday at 4:00 Eastern Time. Now stay tuned for more news right here in THE NEWSROOM.