What wears a blue tie, a red tie, and is white all over? Photo: Getty Images
Floridians awake today knowing that they (sort of) hold the fate of the world in their hands. With the state’s electoral track record, that’s kind of scary. It’s neck and neck between McCain and Romney up front; much further behind, Giuliani and Huckabee are also … necking. The former pair are desperately grappling; the latter, probably praying. (Okay, not Giuliani.) Which way is the wind blowing this morning, and whom does it favor?
• In the desperate final hours, Romney and McCain are both trying to make the other look as liberal as possible, when neither is really true a conservative, writes Michael Scherer. [Swampland/Time]
• Josh Marshall expects Giuliani and Huckabee to lose supporters as voters migrate to the candidates they think can actually win, and says this could upset the balance between the two front-runners. [Talking Points Memo]
• Huckabee, campaigning in Tennessee, is downplaying Florida for obvious reasons. [First Read/MSNBC]
• Duncan Currie speculates that Cuban-Americans, who account for 7 percent of Florida’s Republican primary voters, could push McCain over the top. [Weekly Standard]
• Reid Wilson writes that the candidate who appeals to veterans, social conservatives, and retirees as well as Cuban-Americans will come away victorious. [Real Clear Politics]
• Byron York discusses McCain’s focus on national security over the economy in the final push. [National Review]
• Marc Ambinder notes that Romney has aired eight times as many ads as McCain in Florida. [Atlantic]
• Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton is playing up the importance of the Democratic primary in Florida, even though the state has lost its delegates and neither Obama nor Edwards has campaigned there. [CBS News]
• Jonathan Martin says the weather around Florida is nice. [Politico]
—Dan Amira
