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Super Tuesday: Six things to watch for as results come in

Ten states vote on Super Tuesday, with 419 delegates at stake. It looks as if it may be a good night for Mitt Romney, but there are many unknowns. Aside from the biggest question – who wins Ohio – here are six things to watch for as the results come in.

5. Watch Ron Paul's delegate count

AP Photo/Sam Harrel
Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul speaks to supporters in Fairbanks, Alaska, on March 4.

  • By Amanda Paulson Staff writer

Ron Paul has never seemed to be in the race for the nomination, despite what his supporters say. He has, however, been focused on amassing as many delegates as possible, in part to give himself a stronger voice in the Republican Party and at the party's national convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer.

He’s also focused on caucus states, where the loyalty and enthusiasm of his supporters are most rewarded. In the past month, however, that strategy doesn’t seem to have paid off as well as Paul might have hoped. While he did well in Maine, he underperformed in Colorado and Nevada.

Paul’s best shots for a win on Super Tuesday are in North Dakota and Alaska, but he could also get a number of delegates in other states if he does well enough to meet the states’ thresholds for awarding delegates proportionally.

On a good night, Paul could earn close to 60 delegates – not enough for him to be in the running for the nomination, but still a decent-sized number to add to his current total.

If he fails to meet the threshold in most or all of those states, on the other hand, Paul could emerge from Tuesday’s vote with just a handful of delegates, most likely from Alaska and North Dakota.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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