Rove, Hannity, Political Observers Predict New Hampshire (ContributorNetwork)

With polling numbers in the mid- to high 30s, according to Real Clear Politics, Mitt Romney seems set to blow the competition away in New Hampshire. Can he be beaten?

Leading Republicans and political pundits have their say on New Hampshire and what its results will mean to the race.

* Karl Rove on "Hannity:" "New Hampshire has this habit of not paying attention to Iowa. Except this year. There is some evidence in the two polls that have been conducted since the Tuesday primary ? that there is some movement for Santorum in the state of New Hampshire." He predicts Romney first, Paul second, Santorum third and Gingrich fourth.

* Gary Rayno of the Union Leader: "Mitt Romney ? should have a comfortable victory Tuesday with about 40 percent of the vote. My heart says Jon Huntsman should be rewarded for the time he has spent in New Hampshire running the old-fashioned way, meeting one voter at a time, shaking hands and talking with everyone he can. However, these are different times, and he may not be conservative enough for most Republican primary voters."

* Sean Hannity: "My predictions are New Hampshire. Romney, Santorum, Gingrich, in that order. South Carolina then becomes critical."

* Ewen MacAskill: "Mitt Romney wins. He is so far ahead in the polls it would be one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history if he was to lose. Jon Huntsman could drop out after New Hampshire. He may be back in 2016. He seems to be treating this as a test-run for next time, hoping, as he puts it, that the Republican Party will have returned to sanity by then."

* "Gov. Romney will do quite well in New Hampshire," said Senate Republican Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester. "They've been able to see his impacts on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in terms of controlling state spending, preventing tax increases, providing good fiscal management."

* Referencing Romney's opponents on "Hardball," public policy expert Jennifer Donahue said: "It's a tall order to beat Romney, but I will say that they will whittle him down. And that's the intent of every one of them, I think you're going to see Romney's numbers fall to Earth."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/gop/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120110/pl_ac/10808655_rove_hannity_political_observers_predict_new_hampshire

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