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How Important Are Endorsements for 2012 Candidates?

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    Can they make or break a GOP hopeful?

  • Duration 6:55
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GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has picked up another big endorsement.

This time from South Carolina governor Nikki Haley she made the announcement this morning on FOX & Friends.

When -- look at the focus of what every -- -- cares about it's jobs the economy and spending and what I want is someone who is not part of the chaos that is Washington what I wanted was someone who knew what it was like to turn broken companies around.

Someone who had proven results but.

Improving a failed Olympics have ended up being in a great success story and someone that knows what it's like to make a decision.

And lead not just make a boat and Mitt Romney is that per -- Governor Haley is highly coveted endorsement is especially important for Mitt Romney.

Not only because he's still trailing behind Newt Gingrich in most polls in upstate but also because no Republican candidate has ever won the party's nomination.

Without first winning -- South Carolina primary.

Here now with analysis of today's big announcement plus -- reactions to last night's debate.

Fox News contributor Ed Rollins.

And the author of American individualism Fox News contributor Margaret Hoover great to see you both what did not say anything half hearted and let's start with you your reaction to last -- -- was there a clear winner.

You know I think Romney came back and had a good night you know took two weeks ago the new started to move and he had a great debate that one before this one.

Last night wasn't quite as good.

I think the reality is everybody did well.

They sort of froze their voting place I don't think of and that's incident you Michelle Bachmann had a good night Santorum committed to make the kinds of points.

Nobody lost votes -- but in the end of the day Romney -- had a solid performance because he wasn't.

And tangle with -- -- wasn't tangle with Perry.

Margaret do you agree there's not a lot of fluidity at this point is basically two person race I -- free and it is really sell them but what we've seen until I was just struck last night my house.

Romney really ran as the general election candidate.

And new Gingrich is running as do Republican in Iowa prizes in the first in the nation primary pop guess it's coming up in -- -- if he -- really positioning himself fairway and Iowa.

Well his primary competitor Romney was positioning itself as dean guy who can win the general election and they had very different sound -- very different strategy is very different arguments that they are making.

Not just the folks and I -- that everyone watch.

With a hypothetical match -- of Obama vs Mitt Romney where they're both essentially -- -- in some cases Romney's actually beating him.

And Obama verses Newt Gingrich renewed is really trailing behind -- a lot of people saying look I didn't get serious about this race.

I need to get serious about backing somebody who can actually defeat Barack Obama.

I think that's very very truthful I think I think what happened is the last couple weeks -- moved right up in the polls since -- dropped out and people say give this guy can't be the nominee.

And then people said wow.

You know not only knew that a great many fans with someone of -- -- for a long long time he also a lot of enemies and a lot of people stepped forth very significant people -- trashed him more important.

There's about ten million dollars in advertising was spent against of this last week.

In Iowa we're now to a traditional campaign and along with thirteen debates we've seen the last of the base for a while it's now about television is -- -- organization.

The things that he doesn't have.

Romney has -- space.

What do you make Margaret of Nikki Haley governor -- -- endorsement today and -- mention that nobody has gone on to win the Republican nomination without first winning South Carolina but I think it's more important than that than even that I think what's significant about this is that she's a Tea Party favorite.

And Mitt Romney desperately need some Tea Party cred she might be able to get that to -- Nonsense it's it's sort of that he got a too -- he got Tea Party credibility and he also got the state that he needs when we're by the way he's trailing by real clear politics average.

Nineteen point three percentage points right now says he desperately needs.

The the leader of the Republican Party in South Carolina to go out and hit the Taliban which they're doing all day today and tomorrow.

That's south John.

A complicated state has lots lots of different factions down there she is a tremendous resource and what she does is she gives them a big surrogate can not only just in the state.

He -- -- Christie now as former governor John Sununu in New Hampshire he now has -- and -- before this is all over if he continues to do well I think you make -- Terry.

-- this spirit is there a possibility that voters especially Tea Party voters conservatives.

Look at the GOP establishment and I know Nikki -- not really considered that although she might be now that she's a governor.

But hey look get.

They look at Chris Christie -- they look at some of these other endorsements and they say you know what forget it.

The Republican establishment was part of what got us into this problem to Begin with the Tea Party is rebelling against it.

And if the establishment says I should like this guy who I think I'm gonna go for the other guy I think that's particularly the case especially hang on talk radio which is why Nikki -- endorsement and Chris Christie's endorsements are so important because they aren't considered establishment nobody thinks that -- Washington insider.

Ed let me ask you this given now some big endorsements you see Mitt Romney's poll numbers starting to come back.

It looks like he's starting to regroup his inevitability -- since McCain's running high again.

Does -- help women -- this gets to the same point does that help them or does that hurt him with conservative primary voters who might say you know what this is not a coronation this is competent.

Let's get the game's not over it's a long ways from over and and the reality is someone is gonna be the conservative challenger.

We've had three or four people step into that role once the spotlights gone on this sort of -- if Gingrich can't carry that ball and I'm not saying he can't.

Rick Perry is coming back Rick Perry has money -- so.

I think so -- a good debate -- -- also he's also has some good activity and in Iowa and you have very good activity.

The South Carolina because very strong operatives there he's got the money at the end of the day -- money money and organization do matter campaign.

They -- timeframe though is really narrowing and it's time for conservatives.

And Republican primary voters to Begin to narrow their focus and what conservatives want more than anything else is to beat Barack Obama so I think.

At at the end of the day.

That will trump all of the other bickering conservatives at the end of the day -- more than liberals more than Democrats rally around their nominee they rally around their candidate.

And they will they will they'll take them across the finish -- well -- needles.

Big difference this time.

February 3 four years ago was Super Tuesday.

We had 21 we started the same time we had 21 primaries 900 delegates were picked most of them are winner take all -- now down.

So whoever comes out whether it's Gingrich -- Perry what have you as the challenger to Romney has an opportunity kind of regroup I think the Republican.

Grace who want to mid march maybe April before someone really.

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