By CONNIE CASS, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's the busiest day of the Republican race for president, but this Super Tuesday probably won't settle much.
One-third of the delegates needed to win will be doled out in voting across 10 states — slimmed down to half its 2008 size. But because delegates are handed out by share, it's not likely to end the GOP race.
Sure, Super Tuesday could nudge Newt Gingrich out of the race, or lend Ron Paul more credibility. But it won't be easy for either Mitt Romney or Rick Santorum to score a decisive advantage. A close second in a state can pay off almost as well as first place.
Win some big states, especially Ohio, and the symbolism is powerful, of course.
Romney might cement the front-runner status that keeps slipping through his fingers. Santorum could prove he's the real thing.
What's at stake, what's it mean and what might happen when states stretching from Alaska to Virginia vote on the same day? A Super Tuesday tip sheet:
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Delegates for grabs Tuesday: 419.
Delegates already won: 353. Romney, 203; Santorum, 92; Gingrich, 33; Paul, 25.
Delegates needed for the nomination: 1,144.
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Super Tuesday is super expensive:
This one day of voting can eat up millions of dollars in TV advertising. When it comes to commercials, Romney and his campaign's supporters have outgunned the rest of the field.
Restore Our Future, a political action committee that backs Romney, had spent about $5.5 million in Super Tuesday states by the end of last week, according to data The Associated Press obtained from media buyers.
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It's all about Ohio:
It's the race to watch. Political junkies get all misty-eyed over this Rust Belt swing state, and not just because of its 63 delegates.
No Republican nominee has ever become president without winning Ohio in the general election. That makes it a powerful proving ground for the men trying to show they can take on President Barack Obama.
It's home to Joe the Plumber and tens of thousands of auto workers, but Ohio's not all blue-collar. It's also home of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, high-tech science, medical and energy workers, suburbanites, soybean farmers and a quarter-million dairy cows (OK, the cows can't vote). The big issue is the economy, including Obama's bailout of the auto industry.
Santorum and Romney are duking it out in the state. Look for the outcome to generate more buzz than any other Super Tuesday contest.
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Newt's last stand or Gingrich rises again?
Get out the hook for Newt Gingrich if he loses in Georgia, the state he represented in the U.S. House for two decades.
Gingrich hopes to win decisively here and pick up enough other delegates to relaunch his up-and-down campaign, which has been mostly down-and-out since he lost Florida in January. He's got endorsements from Gov. Nathan Deal and Herman Cain, a fellow Georgian. He's got a new pitch, claiming he can bring down the cost of gas to $2.50 per gallon.
Santorum is pushing hard to wrest the state's Christian conservative and tea party voters away from Gingrich. Romney remains a force, even if the state is outside his comfort zone. Georgia boasts the day's biggest cache of delegates: 76.
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Elsewhere in the South:
Two other Bible Belt states, Tennessee and Oklahoma, are central to Gingrich's hopes of revival. But Santorum insists he'll be the big story in both.
In Tennessee, a confident-sounding Santorum is trying to walk the footsteps of another outspoken Christian conservative, Mike Huckabee, who won this primary four years ago. Romney boasts the support of popular Gov. Bill Haslam, while Gingrich is getting plugs from one of the state's most colorful political figures: former senator, movie actor and "Law & Order" star Fred Thompson. At stake are 55 delegates.
Dotted with drilling rigs and cattle ranches, Oklahoma straddles the South and the Great Plains and sits squarely among the reddest of the red states. Santorum tagged it "ground zero of the conservative movement," and his anti-abortion, pro-family values message attracts enthusiastic crowds here. The other three hopefuls also have dropped in, hoping to prove their conservative bona fides to the Okies. It offers 40 delegates.
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