Rick Santorum's campaign team is waking up this morning after landing a big hit last night. He won the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses plus the non-binding Missouri primary. You can be sure Santorum will use this latest twist to try and persuade more conservatives to rally around him as the most credible alternative to Mitt Romney. 

On Tuesday, Colorado and Minnesota will hold their Republican caucuses, either confirming or casting doubt onto Mitt Romney's lead. But why some states hold caucuses instead of primaries — or in the case of Missouri, use both — in order to determine how many delegates they'll send to a party's national convention is largely a matter of taste.

Political die-hards know how to truly gauge the mood of the country this primary season. You have to keep one eye on the television and one eye on Twitter. Sure you can read the story in the paper the next day, but the excitement develops in real time through a stream-of-conscious and subconscious that comes right into our laptops and iPhones. Takeaway co-host John Hockenberry takes a look at how the story of Florida's GOP primary unfolded on the ubiquitous social media tool.  

What happens in the Florida Primary is not just important to Florida, Romney, Gingrich and the gang. This is a campaign year for everyone in the House of Representatives and a third of the Senate. And while Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is in a safe seat in his own district he's leading the charge to get more GOP members into the House and Senate.

It's a name that doesn't come up often. But it's a name that GOP presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich has been repeatedly bringing up throughout his campaign. Alinsky was an influential community organizer in Chicago during the first half of the 20th century. And Gingrich uses the name when he wants to attack President Obama. So who was Alinsky and what is his role in American politics? Lynn Sweet is Washington bureau chief for the Chicago Sun-Times. Sandy Horwitt is author of "Let Them Call Me Rebel: The Life & Legacy of Saul Alinsky."

George W. Bush made significant gains in attracting Hispanic voters, traditionally a strongly Democratic voting bloc, during his time in office. But those gains disappeared in 2008 when Barack Obama won more than two-thirds of the Latino vote. Despite the unpopularity of his administration's deportation strategy, Latin voters support Obama more than his Republican rivals. Realizing that they are missing a portion of the electorate that continues to grow, the GOP has initiated a Hispanic Outreach Effort for the 2010 election.

CNN is reporting this morning that Texas governor and GOP presidential candidate Rick Perry will drop his bid for the nomination just days ahead of the South Carolina primary. Perry drops his bid amid tepid poll numbers as candidates will scramble to pick up what little support he had. Mitt Romney faces his biggest test as the Iowa GOP also announced today that he may not have won their caucus. Republican political consultant Ron Christie joins the program to let us know how this will impact the race.

When President Obama's political opponents describe his administration's ideological bent, harsh words are often tossed into the fray. Whether it's Socialism, Marxism or Fascism, the President’s first term has been marred with accusations of adherence to a number of controversial ideologies. Is there any truth behind these heavily loaded terms? James Morone, political scientist and author, speaks about the many "isms" used to describe the Obama administration.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has come under pressure to make public his tax returns: We know he pays tax, but how much tax? A moment of disclosure from the former Massachusetts governor who says most of his income comes from past investments. Most of us pay, lets say a little more: Mitt has told us he may release his tax returns in April, but his rivals want him to do so sooner. Grover Norquist, is the president of Americans for Tax Reform.

In Iowa it was intense sincerity, in New Hampshire it was sophisticated ambivalence, what's the pulse of South Carolina voters. Anna Sale has been our non-scientific emissary to voters and voter sentiment in each of these GOP contests. Anna tell us about two events in the state yesterday that give us a snapshot of two important voting blocs in this all important conservative, southern, primary contest.

Only four days left until the South Carolina Republican presidential primary. That means only four days for the candidates to derail front-runner Mitt Romney off the path to the GOP nomination. At last night's debate in Myrtle Beach Romney fended off attacks on his business record, his personal wealth, and his moral character.

And then there were five. Jon Huntsman is expected to announce today that he is ending his bid for the White House and will endorse Mitt Romney. Huntsman pinned his hopes on a strong showing in the New Hampshire primary where he finished a soft third last week. What does this mean for the rest of the campaign? Joining the show is Jim Rutenberg, reporter for our partner The New York Times and Ron Christie, Republican political strategist, CEO of Christie Strategies, and former special assistant to President George W. Bush.

We have been talking about the attack ads aimed at Mitt Romney in South Carolina and wanted to reach out to his supporters in the Bible Belt to find out how they are feeling about this. But it hasn't been an easy task. Different from the Libertarians rallying around Ron Paul or the Tea Party supporters Mitt Romney's base seems a bit more reserved. Joining us is Kathy Courtland from Houston, Texas.

A decisive, but not surprising, victory last night for Mitt Romney. He won the New Hampshire primary last night with almost 40 percent of the vote. But he doesn't emerge for the state as the presumptive nominee yet, and the devil is in the details. Ron Christie, Republican political strategist, political contributor for the Takeaway and It’s a Free Country, and John Zogby, president of the polling firm Zogby International, discuss Tuesday night's outcome.

As the GOP field narrows itself down we wanted to take a closer look at each candidate's economic plan for the 2012 election. Which candidate is addressing your concerns about the economy, and what initiatives will have a positive impact on the size of your wallet? American Public Media's Marketplace has a good shapshot of each candidate's economic plan. We've put a more comprehensive view of the candidates' positions below.

On Thursday's show, Takeaway Washington correspondent Todd Zwillich will try to explain the difference between each economic vision. Have a question about who will address your concerns? Tell us what issue you'd like the next president to tackle at 1-877-8-MY-TAKE. 

In one of the closet presidential contests in history, Mitt Romney was declared winner of Tuesday night's Iowa caucuses by a mere eight votes. Romney took 24.6 percent of the vote, barely edging out rival Rick Santorum, who was carried to the top of the polls with the support of evangelical Christians. Young caucus-goers helped deliver libertarian Congressman Ron Paul a close third place finish, with 21.4 percent of the vote. The night was perhaps most disappointing for one-time front-runners Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. Bachmann finished last, with only five percent of the vote. Perry announced he would suspend his campaign after placing just ahead of Bachmann.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney edged out former Senator Rick Santorum by just eight votes in Tuesday night's Iowa caucuses. After spending most of the night locked in a dead heat with Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul, Romney was declared the winner early Wednesday morning with 24.6 percent of the vote. Paul finished in third place, followed by Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry, and Michele Bachmann. Perry announced he would suspend his campaign to return to Texas.

The Republican presidential hopefuls spent their New Year's weekend trying to differentiate themselves from each other and convince Iowans to caucus for them on Tuesday. Front-runner Mitt Romney tried to fend off a new challenge from Rick Santorum, who has surged in recent days to the top of the polls. Ron Paul, who spent his New Year at home in Texas, also stands to make a strong showing in Tuesday's caucuses. The Democratic Party has stepped up efforts in Iowa as well, targeting Romney for his record of laying off workers while CEO of private equity firm Bain Capital.

With less than two weeks until the caucus, many voters are unenthusiastic about the Republican presidential hopefuls. Ron Paul, a libertarian Texas congressman, is in the lead, but many voters don't believe his unconventional politics will get him elected. Tea Party members and evangelical Christians don't feel they are properly represented in any of the candidates. No candidate has a solid core of voters, so aggressive campaigning will continue until January 3rd.

Out of the dust and debris of Herman Cain's campaign and Newt Gingrich's string of media gaffes, a new contender for the Republican presidential nomination is emerging. Polls show libertarian-leaning Texas congressman Ron Paul taking the lead in the Iowa caucus. He's also expected to have a strong finish in New Hampshire.