GOP Presidential Race: Mitt Romney Must Go All In, and All Out, to Win in Florida

Fred Thompson bowed out of the race for the GOP Presidential nomination today, as many speculated would happen after his poor third-place showing in South Carolina. However, of at least as much significance is the news reported here: Mike Huckabee announced today that his campaign is facing financial difficulties, with his top advisors foregoing their salaries and some aides quitting.

As Hugh Hewitt noted yesterday, Mike Huckabee is running short of cash; Rudy Giuliani is running short of cash; and, for all of his virtual coronation by MSM as the GOP front-runner, John McCain has always been short of cash. (I guess that all of those independent voters for McCain do not back up their votes with campaign donations. That is why you need the support of the party core.)

Only one of the leading candidates has the both the organization and the cash to mount a full-court press in Florida and still have the fuel to surge into Super Tuesday on February 5th, and that is Mitt Romney. (And that's not just his own cash; he's raised tons of money as well.) A poor showing in Florida won't ruin him; he is around until the convention, come what may. But a victory might well give him the momentum going into Super Tuesday to clinch the nomination.

However, February 5th won't break decisively for Mitt unless he either wins or finishes very close in Florida. The polls show that he is could win with a burst of effort. Florida is a Republican members-only primary. John McCain will be bereft of his independents. This is no time for Mitt to hold back. He need to go all in, and all out, to earn a convincing win in Florida.