he beat mccain almost 2-3 here in jacksonville. and that also, you know, we know ron paul is sort of out of it at this point but he only got 2,000 votes here in jacksonville in 2008. if those numbers from four years ago are any indication, it looks like romney may be able to pull away with the votes here in jacksonville. >> as we've heard, the spending on negative ads has been astronomical in the state of florida because there are ten media markets. are you noticing the tenure of the campaign getting pretty nasty in jacksonville? >> reporter: it really is. both romney and gingrich were here in jacksonville yesterday. i was at the gingrich event. he said that his big push at this point, he's really reaching out to those grass roots organizations. he had grass roots rallies all over the state yesterday, including here in jacksonville. and his big message was even though romney has the money and even though romney has been outspending him and outat least in his opinion negative campaigning him, he has the grass roots campaign is reall

here in jacksonville, there are other parts of the state worse than jacksonville, but in jacksonville, almost half of people are underwater on their loan. just about every neighborhood has an abandoned house or a foreclosed house or a house that's now falling into disrepair. you know, look, we went this week with a guy named scott nicholas who's a realtor. we went door to door with him as he was checking to see if people lived in some of these houses because the banks were looking at them and trying to figure out which houses they could sell, which houses people were still living in that they had to be negotiating with those people to figure out where they stand on their mortgage. some of these neighborhoods -- in fact, scott says he goes to some houses and the people who live there don't own the house, they're renting from someone. they have no idea that house is in foreclosure. he says it gets interesting the conversations he has. we also talked to an attorney named chip parker who represents lots of people who are fighting foreclosure from their banks. listen to how -- listen to th

>> suzanne pass, i'm an attorney in jacksonville. welcome to the great city of jacksonville. my question, how would your religious beliefs, if you're elected, impact the decisions that you make in the office of the presidency? >> congressman paul? >> well, my religious beliefs wouldn't affect it. my religious bleaches affects my character in the way i treat people and the way i live. the only thing it would affect -- the only thing that would affect me in the way i operate as a president or congressman is my oath of office and my promises that i've made to the people. >> governor? >> ron paul makes a very good point. i concur with that. i would also seek the guidance of providence in making critical decisions. and of course, ours is a nation which is based upon values and ethics, our law is based upon those values and ethics. and our law doesn't 'em compass all of issues that we face around the world. the conviction that the founder, when they wrote the declaration of independence were writing a document that was not just temporary and not just for one small locale, but somet

. >> tonight, the candidates together in jacksonville, florida. newt gingrich, the south carolina winner, hoping to capitalize on his recent victory, and his strong record in debates. >> it's not that i am a good debater. it is that i articulate the deepest felt values of the american people. >> mitt romney, the new hampshire winner, trying to run his appeal and reclaim the title of front-runner. >> we're not choosing a talk show host. we're choosing the person who should be the leader of the free world. >> rick santorum. the iowa winner. looking for a new burst of momentum after his upset in the heartland. >> there was one race that was in nobody's backyard and we won that race. >> ron paul, still in search of a win. a fierce competitor with a diehard following. >> we have the determination and we will win this battle for peace and prosperity. >> now, the 2012 republicans in florida. it's the biggest battleground so far, and this could be the most important debate yet. >>> from the university of north florida in jacksonville, this is the florida

cnn's political editor paul steinhauser live in jacksonville. let's talk about why this debate is so important. it could truly be a game changer, paul. >> reporter: kyra, all cycle along we've seen these debates have an outsized influence on the cycle, on the polls, the results. no doubt tonight could be the same. this is a last showdown. the last time they'll be on the same stage before tuesday's crucial primary. 50 delegates at stake. winner take all. let's break down our cnn time orc poll. it was conducted sunday through tuesday. so sunday alone, look at the left side there. that was the day after gingrich's double digit victory in south carolina primary. gingrich leading among people likely to vote in florida. on the right side, look at that, monday and tuesday. a different story. maybe newt gingrich's big moment coming out of south carolina is starting to fizzle a little bit. one more number, kyra, from our poll. go to the next screen and you can see here, 25% of the people we questioned say, you know what, i'm backing this candidate or tha

myers and jacksonville. what are the romney campaign most concerned about? >> i think they're actually feeling very confident about south florida especially. the numbers among hispanic voters looking very strong for him in miami-dade, and they spent a lot of time here, chuck, in tampa and along the i-4 corridor in recent days. they were in the county yesterday not far from here, so i think they're feeling good. interesting, chuck, four years ago, romney did really well in jacksonville, in northeast florida, because he ran as the more conservative candidate to mccain. i'll be curious how he does there this time. the polling we've seen so far has his weakest spot in the state north florida, so i think that will be interesting to watch. >> jeff, you wrote this morning that the romney campaign really wants a double-digit win, in fact, wants a bigger win in florida than gingrich got in south carolina. that's a tall order. >> it is a tall order, and it's a bit of expectations setting sort of internally, but that's their benchmark, that they view sort of the disapp

welcome to a special edition of "your bottom line" from jacksonville, already. the sunshine state is home to a collapsed housing market and the site of the hotly contested republican primary. >> just just three days from now. who is best positioned on the country? >>> plus, are you better off than your parents from your job, your savings and your debt? we're going to talk to a few younger voters about what they think the future holds for their generation. but first, a florida primary just three days away. gop candidates have been raining money in florida and the super pac supporting them make it a deluge. that's a met for, really, since almost half of floridans are under water on their home loans, that is. mark preston, john avalon i want to start first with this field. mitt romney, you say he defined himself, mark, in florida at the cnn debate. and he's turned the page. i want to listen real quickly to what he said that you think is a turning point. >> is he still the most ant anti-immigrant candidate? >> i think of the four of us, yes. >> go ahead, governor. >

north florida in jacksonville. you're in "the situation room." >>> just four hours from now, the four remaining republican candidates will square off right here in jacksonville. it's the final debate before next tuesday's crucial florida primary. it's become a grudge match between the front-runners, mitt romney and newt gingrich. our chief analyst gloria borger is here and jim acosta has been covering this campaign. jim. let me start with you. it looks like romney may try to go to the jugular. >> somebody may go to the moon tonight, but it won't be to establish a lune flare colony, wolf. just listening to the rhetoric today, the only thing missing tonight will be the steel cage. >> we're getting ready for another debate tonight. i can't wait. >> reporter: he seems to be channeling his own newt gingrich. >> if you all can get there, we would love to see you there and cheering -- no tickets? well, just storm in. >> nancy pelosi -- >> in his campaign running the kind of negative ads one left to a pro-romney super pac.

tonight, we are live from jacqu jacksonville, florida. site of the cnn republican debate, which is just an hour away. the race between mitt romney and newt gingrich is really tied here. it's a big night. and issue number one for voters here, the housing crisis. no doubt florida residents felt the sting of this headline today. sales down 2.2% in december. may surprise you. no, and florida is one of the worst hit states in the country when it comes to housing. one in every 360 homes in this state received a foreclosure notice last month and almost half of mortgages are under water. you look at orlando, down 60%. they have fallen by more than half and miami and in tampa. in most cases, where there's a housing problem, there is an unemployment problem. and no place more so than here in florida. construction drives everything here and the jobless rate is at 9.9%, well above the national average of 8.5%. all of this playing out in the campaign here. romney and gingrich attacking each other for profit frg the crisis. >> while florida families lo

he was for gingrich but changed his mind during this week's debate in jacksonville. >> he's not aware of the investments being made in his name. >> i can't. it's a blind trust. >> i'm sick and tired of the arguing between romney and gingrich. for me, i just don't like the constant bringing up the baggage on both of them. you know, they've got to cut that stuff out. >> reporter: he's backing rick santorum. >> i don't look at it as throwing away my vote. i look at it that i'm backing the person they think would make an excellent president. >> reporter: ron paul had been first choice for real estate financier tarek bateh, but now he's voting for romney to stop gingrich. >> i see him as very unstable, very much a hot head, can fly off the handle and rush to rash decisions. further, i don't see any track record of his in the business world, at least they would be proud of, taking feddie mac as t something i would be proud of. >> both ron paul and rick santorum have effectively conceded florida and did not campaign in the state today. and that was the cbs evening news. later on cbs, "48 hou

john king is joining us in jacksonville. john, all eyes on florida where you are what do you think the voters are expecting tonight? >> reporter: the biggest prize so far, san tar rum wins iowa, gingrich south kacarolina. what are they looking for? somebody who has the best economic plan. near 10% of unemployment. a devastating housing crisis. florida has not recovered from the meltdown in 207 and 2008. the economy and jobs is no doubt the biggest issue. number two, this is the first state where we will have a significant voice by latino voters. very important in this state and the republican primary. here's the biggest question as we look for this debate. the last debate before the primary, we know it's had an oversized opinion on the influence and the gingrich surge in south carolina because conservatives said we want somebody with feisty fashion. much more assertive, they know that tonight is their last chance to speak to an audience. i would look for both gingrich and romney to be quite assertive if you look at the polli

e jacksonville airport does pretty much everything right. the terminals are filled with open spaces and clean bright stores. sunny food court with live music from the man you see there. the fabulous moods of roger glover. an art gallery. an art gallery, in an airport. and everywhere you turn, real live people offering help and smiling and actually inviting you to talk to them. proof that talk of america's infrastructure demise is not all right. while we were there, we stayed at a place called tapestry park. a make believe little village where shopkeepers now live over their stores and they've got church bells that make it sound like mid evil europe. puts you in a good mood. we broadcast last night's show from the university of north florida, which was a beautiful campus and has an increasingly popular global logistics training program. which brings us tonight's number. 44,000. that is the number people employed by the distribution industry in northeast florida. logistics is one of the region's fastest growing industry sectors. mercedes benz,

this is sneaking up toward jacksonville or into jacksonville and daytona and getting up into the low country of the carolinas. up to the north we do have a little wintry precip, some ice mixing in at times in upstate new york and 4 to 6 inches of snow affecting parts of the northeast. but the i-95 corridor is okay. it's a mild system heading up there. again, 1 to 4 inches across lower new england and 4208 across other parts. boston, new york, those are going to be your problem spots, philadelphia as well. tampa will see afternoon thunderstorms. another little clipper going to be coming across into chicago. that will finally bring some colder air. just like every other cold punch of air we've had, enjoy it when it comes. speaking of winter, winter x games, aspen, happening, you bet. shaun white, flying tomato. multiple winter x gold winner. there's not him. there's shaun. guys, he was practicing yesterday and sprained his ankle. i don't know if it's a little game man "showbiz flashpoint" going into the competition to get his competitors on their heels. >> this is shaun, isn't it? >> y

jacksonville. he's a brother from florida. he spoke spanish and french. he was an envoy to haiti and nake rag wa. -- nicaragua. you didn't know that, did you? he also wa the first black man to pass the bar in the state of florida in 1913. can you imagine a brother passing the bar in 1913? and his brother was as bad as he was. that's who james wheldon johnson was. you ever heard of jenny slew? 1719, her smom white. her zad black. you know, even back then a good man was hard to find, you follow me? so we understand this. this thing has been going on for a very, very long time, ok? jenny slew, 46 years later she sues for her freedom and back pay.

in jacksonville. the biggest republican presidential contest to date is just five days away and still a two-man race. a new cnn "time" orc poll shows romney and gingrich neck-and-neck and ron paul way behind. our numbers from sunday give a 6-point lead to gingrich. on monday and tuesday, there's a nine-point lead for romney. one thing's for sure, the final florida debate takes place tonight at 8:00 p.m. in jacksonville. it's sponsored by cnn, the florida gop, and hispanic network. >>> directing a comment from last week's cnn debate in south carolina, i'm sure you remember the response to john king's question about interviews gingrich's second wife gave to abc. she said that newt wanted an open marriage so he could keep seeing the mistress who is now wife number three. here's the response. >> this story is false. every personal friend who knew us during that time knows that it's false. we've offered seral to abc to prove it was false. they are not interested because they would like to attack any republ

she's in jacksonville, florida, tonight. thank you both for being here. >> good evening. >> thank you. >> jackie, you are in jacksonville. what are people saying about newt's explosive comments today? >> you know, i think people who like newt love it. they love seeing gingrich with the fire in the belly. they want to see him -- i was talking to voters today who want to see him take romney out. they really want him to keep hammering on romney. so for the people that love him best, they couldn't be happier that newt is back to being aggressive newt again. >> now let me ask you this, bob. you've covered newt a long time. but just today, just at events today, newt has called willard grotesquely hypocritical, a liar, shameful, dishonest, fundamentally abusive. you think that pledge of being all positive is over? >> well, as somebody who has covered newt for quite awhile, i am a little bit worried about him. he may be a little tired. obviously, he was having a down day with his adjectives. but i would say that this is probably may

and joining us now from jacksonville is our own judy woodruff. hi, judy. >> woodruff: hi, margaret, from jacksonville lville, yes. >> warner: so you have been there a couple days now. what's the dynamic? is it as nasty as it sounds? >> woodruff: i was just thinking margaret, this is a state of over 11 million people and it's a state that's used to being in the national political spotlight so i'm confident there's a huge swath of floridians who are not paying much attention to this campaign. but the folks who are-- the republicans, the independents, no doubt, and even the democrats in this state, because they know what happens in florida will have bearing on what happens on the general election-- they are paying attention. to this date, margaret, there have been over 400,000 early ballots mailed in. that's close to the number total of republicans who voted in the south carolina primary. so voters are paying attention and, as you just heard from the candidates, it's getting hot. newt gingrich rolled into florida with a head of steam having won in s

that is pretty darn amazing and jacksonville, a pretty neat city to discover. what's your favorite airport? again, not always an oxy moron. they even have a spa there. let us know your vote. >>> president obama was campaigning at the university of michigan today. miles away, his opponents are fighting for florida's 50 dell bats and are american children putting their lives on the line in the name of sports sm dr. sanjay gupta with a look at concussions. okay, team! after age 40, we can start losing muscle -- 8% every 10 years. wow. wow. but you can help fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite, hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve, and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! >>> we start the second half of our show with stories we care about, what we focus in our own r reporting, do the work and find t

today in jacksonville, mitt romney walked up on to that stage and we counted. just 33 seconds before romney took aim. >> speaker gingrich wasn't very happy with the debates though. he said after the first debate that he didn't do well because the crowd was so quiet. >> reporter: and then late today outside tampa, 44 seconds in. >> speaker gingrich, he's not feeling very excited these days. i know, it's sad. he's been flailing around a bit. >> reporter: to give you an idea of what it's like for anyone watching tv in florida, in jacksonville, just today, during the news, five ads in just 15 minutes, all for romney. including that controversial ad using a 1997 report from then anchor tom brokaw on speaker gingrich's ethics investigation, airing not once, not twice, three times in 15 minutes. it is an aggressive shift from the romney team after that stunning loss to gingrich in south carolina. in florida, clearly outspent, gingrich today vowed to stay in the race through the convention. and as we flew with governor romney to tampa, this is how he reacted to that. >

he is one of the history makers in the making, jacksonville mayor alvin brown. and "rock center" kate snow t e takes us town the i-4 corridor. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego. spark card from capital one. spark cash gives me the most rewards of any small business credit card. it's hard for my crew to keep up with 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. 2% cash back. that's setting the bar pretty high. thanks to spark, owning my own business has never been more rewarding. [ male announcer ] introducing spark the small business credit cards from capital one. get more by choosing unlimited double miles or 2% cash back on every purchase, every day. what's in your wallet? this guy's amazing. topping the headlines right now on "andrea mitchell reports," a new weapon in the fight against skin cancer, a big development, today the fda approved a pill for the most common type of the skin cancer, it can be used on adult patients who are not candidates for

>> suzanne bass, i'm an attorney in jacksonville. welcome to the great city of jacksonville. my question, how would your religious beliefs, if you're elected, impact the decisions that you make in the office of the presidency? >> congressman paul? >> well, my religious beliefs wouldn't affect it. my religious beliefs effect my character in the way i treat people and the way i live. the only thing it would affect -- [ applause ] the only thing that would affect me in the way i operate as a president or congressman is my oath of office and my promises that i've made to the people. prauz [ applause ] >> governor? >> ron paul makes a very good point. i concur with that. i would also seek the guidance of providence in making critical decisions. and of course, ours is a nation which is based upon judeo christian values and ethics. our law is based upon judeo christian values and ethics. and our law doesn't encompass all of issues that we face around the world. the conviction that the founder, when they wrote the declaration of independence were writing a document that was not just

he's on the road in jacksonville, day before the big debate. top of the hour, new poll numbers, right, wolf? >> new poll numbers. just to be precise the university of north florida in jacksonville. lovely campus. we've got brand-new cnn/"time" magazine/orcp poll. the latest numbers, i think you'll by interested how this race goes up, goes down, who's ahead and not necessarily ahead. this is shaping up to be a really exciting contest next tuesday. guess what? >> what? >> tomorrow night on the campus of the university of north florida in jacksonville, the fine arts center, i'm going to be moderating cnn's debate, the presidential debate with the final four, the final four republican candidates left standing on that stage. so busy getting ready with good questions, we hope. >> i wouldening ma so. that was quite the debate last week. david gergen calling it historic. i cannot wait to watch until tomorrow night, mr. blitzer. thank you very much. see you in a couple minutes for your show. >>> coming up next, a mayor makes an offensive comment during

paul steinhauser is live in jacksonville with a preview. i hope you are as excited as you are earlier because we have a lot of folks that say they can still change their minds. >> 25% of the people could change their minds. one other number, take a look at this zoaraida. we broke down the poll number you just gave. look at this, sunday's numbers. sunday was the day after gingrich's big win in the south carolina primaries double-digit victory. he is ahead of romney among people likely to vote in the primary. look at the monday and tuesday numbers and maybe gingrich's momentum has started to slow down. so, so much on the line tonight. remember, 50 del gs here in florida and winner take all. three things i'm looking for tonight. mitt romney was very much playing offense. will he continue to do that tonight but still look president snl a second thing, newt gingrich seemed to be asleep on monday night's debate. more forceful in defending himself and going on the attack against mitt romney. remember, this is still a four-person race. the people o

she was here in jacksonville, now back in washington. romney seemed to do rather well last night, gingrich seemed a little bit off. was that your sense? >> it was my sense, wolf. it was almost oddly as if he didn't come into the debate with any kind of a strategic game plan. i mean when you asked him the question that was predictable from his point of view about mitt romney's tax return. something he'd been talking about every single day in south carolina, he tried not to answer the question, but rather to turn the question right back on you. so take a listen. >> just want to reiterate and ask you, are you satisfied right now with the level of transparency as far as his personal finances? >> wolf, you and i have a great relationship, goes back a long way, i'm with him. this is a nonsense question. look -- how about the four of us debate the rest of the evening and -- >> mr. speaker, you made an issue of this this week when you said that he lives in a world of swiss bank and cayman island bank accounts. i didn't say that, you did. >> i di