Just look at the chart above. Romney was able to get more than 40% of the vote in only three states on Super Tuesday, and none of them are anything to brag about. Idaho is a state with a very small population and Massachusetts is Romney's home state. But it is Virginia where his weakness really is highlighted. He got 59% of the vote in Virginia, but he was only one of two candidates on the ballot -- with Ron Paul being the other. And in that state, 41% voted for Paul (a much higher percentage than voted for him in any other state so far) rather than vote for Romney. That tells me they would prefer anyone over Romney.
In six other states, Romney was not able to reach the 40% mark -- and in four of them could not even reach the 30% mark. With all the talk of Romney's inevitability, he should be doing much better than that by now. It is clear that he has yet to win over the teabaggers (the ultra-conservatives) or the evangelicals (the religious right). Both groups voted against him on Super Tuesday.
And there is another group that voted against him (and has been voting against him since the primaries and caucuses started in January) -- rural voters. Romney does OK in the urban areas, but he consistently loses in rural counties. This should trouble the Republican leaders, because the urban areas will probably vote Democratic in November (as they usually do). The Republicans need for the rural voters to turn out in large numbers -- and they are in the process of nominating a candidate that turns off rural voters.
The Romney campaign has been trying to make a lot out of the fact that it would be extremely difficult for any of his opponents to get a majority of delegates -- maybe impossible. That could well be true. But what they can do (if all three of them say in the race) is keep Romney from getting a majority of the delegates either. That would lead to a brokered convention -- and it's anybody's guess as to what would happen then.
Maybe I'm just that lone voice crying out in the wilderness, but I still can't accept Romney's "inevitability". He must do better. And right now, I'm not at all sure that he can.
Romney has the money and the organization to go the distance. I think that the only real threat to his inevitability would be Gingrich dropping out now. Most of his supporters would go to Santorum, and the race would be much tighter. I still think Romney would win, but it would take quite a bit more money.
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