Super Tuesday: 10 US States Go To The Polls

Candidates Get Dirty For Super Tuesday

Voters in 10 US states are set to select their Republican presidential candidate in what is likely to be a decisive moment in the contest.
Super Tuesday gives Mitt Romney his best chance to seize command of the race and deal a knockout punch to his chief rival Rick Santorum.
On a pivotal day in the competition to find a challenger to stand against President Barack Obama, 419 of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination are at stake.
Primaries are being held in Ohio, Georgia, Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia, Oklahoma and Tennessee, and caucuses in Idaho, North Dakota and Alaska.
Ohio, a swing state and the largest battleground, is due to be the crucial result and is too close to call after Mr Romney erased Mr Santorum's lead.
Mr Romney, who has the momentum after winning four consecutive contests, has talked up its importance, characterising the race as a "battle for the soul of America".
A victory in Ohio and a good showing in the other states would make him the favourite to win the nomination and go head-to-head with Mr Obama in November.
Talking to supporters in Cuyahoga Falls on Monday night, Mr Santorum admitted: "It's gut check time, Who wants it the most? ... I'm a fighter and a scrapper."
He is ahead in Oklahoma but Mr Romney is favourite in Virginia, Vermont and his home state of Massachusetts. He also hopes to score an upset in Tennessee.
Meanwhile, former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich is leading his home state of Georgia and Ron Paul is hoping for his first win in Alaska.
Mr Romney has sought to keep the focus on Mr Obama's handling of the US economy and foreign policy in the run-up to the votes and played up his real-life experience.
"Other people in this race have debated about the economy, they've read about the economy, they've talked about it in subcommittee meetings. But I've actually been in it," he said.
His wife Ann, who joined him on the campaign trail, added: "There's only one answer, and it's right here. If Mitt wins, America wins. If Mitt loses, America loses."
But Mr Santorum declared that, no matter how much Mr Romney spends "conservatives will not trust him" and "will not rally around him this primary season".
He has insisted: "We will be the nominee."
Mr Obama is hoping to grab some of the Super Tuesday spotlight for himself by scheduling a rare White House news conference.
He has seen his poll numbers rise alongside signs the struggling US economy may finally be moving towards a sustained recovery.
A new NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released on Monday suggested he would defeat all of the Republican candidates in hypothetical head-to-heads.