A majority of Republicans said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul should end their presidential campaigns, according to new survey data released Tuesday.

Sixty percent of Republicans said that it's time for Gingrich to leave the race, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll. Sixty-one percent said the same for Paul.

Gingrich has struggled to win any caucuses or primaries beyond the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary and the Super Tuesday primary in Georgia, the state where he was elected as a representative to Congress. He's vowed, though, to fight on with his campaign through the August Republican convention, though the former speaker acknowledged Tuesday that his campaign's finances were tight.

Paul, despite a vaunted fundraising operation and an enthusiastic corps of volunteers, hasn't scored a single victory and has faded from the campaign trail.

By contrast, a majority of Republicans -- 59 percent -- said that Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who's emerged as the chief conservative alternative to frontrunner Mitt Romney this primary cycle, should stay in the race.

The poll, conducted March 24-25, has a 4.5 percent margin of error for the subsample of Republicans.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul's campaign is pushing back against charges of nepotism leveled by a new study published by a political watchdog group.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) published a report report, titled “Family Affair,” outlining instances in which 248 members of Congress allegedly used their positions to benefit their families during the 2008 and 2010 election cycles.

The report highlighted the Paul family as one such example.

“There are, of course, members who stand out. Rep. Ron Paul’s campaign (R-TX) paid six relatives salaries or fees, the most of any member," the report read.

The report details payments made to Paul’s family members as well as reimbursements made to relatives. Paul is listed in the report’s key findings as the number four congressman who paid “the most money in salaries and fees to family members” ($304,599) and number two on the list of representatives “reimbursing family members the most money” ($47,421).

Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign chairman and grandson-in-law Jesse Benton, who is listed in the report (Page 306), responded to NBC News in a written statement that “this so-called report is a sad attempt by a group of beltway insiders trying to grab cheap headlines.”

“Dr. Paul's campaigns and organizations have raised over $100 million dollars during the last five years, and employed many hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Family members have received a tiny fraction of one percent of jobs and salaries. Everything that Dr. Paul has done in Politics is 100 percent above board and any insinuation otherwise is completely off base," he said.

CREW notes at the end of the report that “many of the financial arrangements uncovered during this project are legal.” The group’s executive director, Melanie Sloan, responded that Paul has not violated any laws or House rules but said campaign contributors have “no idea” their donations will be given to family members.

“It’s a nice way to transfer wealth,” Ms. Sloan said while pointing out Mr. Benton’s relationship with the Paul family. "The American people don’t expect [politics] to be a family business."

Happy Super Tuesday!... All eyes on Ohio… The pressure’s on Santorum… The skinny on today’s 11 contests: the delegates at stake, the expectations for a good night, the poll closings, and the ad spending… Obama holds presser on Super Tuesday at 1:15 pm ET… And the public, per NBC/WSJ poll, differs with McCain on Syria.

Jim Watson / AFP - Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney waves to supporters after speaking at a rally in Zanesville, Ohio, March 5, 2012, ahead of voting on Super Tuesday.

*** Super Tuesday: How things have changed in just one week. Exactly seven days ago, Mitt Romney was fighting for his political life in Michigan; a loss in his native state could very well have cost him the GOP presidential nomination. But after his very narrow victory there, plus his win in Arizona, the narrative has suddenly changed: Romney -- with wins in Ohio, maybe Tennessee, too -- could very well become the de facto nominee after tonight’s Super Tuesday contests. The marquee race in Ohio is particularly significant for both Romney and Rick Santorum. A Romney win there would keep him on his path (no matter how rocky it’s been) toward capturing the GOP nomination. But a Santorum victory there would signal that his close second-place finish in Michigan wasn’t a fluke, and would likely ensure that this primary season remains competitive, perhaps through April and possibly June. But something to keep in mind: Every time it seems that Romney has been on the ropes (after South Carolina, before Michigan), he pulls off a big win. And every time we think he’s wrapped up this race (after New Hampshire, after Florida/Nevada), we discover it’s not over. 

*** The pressure’s on Santorum: But make no mistake: The pressure is on Santorum tonight. Romney could lose Ohio and still win the GOP nomination. But if Santorum loses the popular vote in the Buckeye State, it’s hard to see how he’ll be a factor come April or May. And no matter what, Romney is going to win the math race tonight -- by virtue of Santorum and Gingrich not being on the ballot in Virginia, and because he didn’t file a full slate of delegates in some Ohio congressional districts. Chew on this: It is possible that Santorum could win in both Ohio and Tennessee, but Romney could win a majority of tonight’s delegates (213 out of 424). That outcome would create a math problem for Santorum and a perception problem for Romney. And given how this campaign season has gone so far, isn't this the most LIKELY outcome?

*** The more things change, the more they stay the same: Indeed, no matter what happens tonight, the overall story remains the same. Romney has a lead in delegates; it will be difficult for his less-organized rivals to catch up to him; no one, including Romney, is likely to wrap up the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination until late May; and the GOP primary season, as our NBC/WSJ poll shows, has taken a toll on the party’s brand and its candidates. Here is NBC’s official delegate count heading into tonight: Romney 119, Gingrich 30, Santorum 17, Paul 8. Note: NBC News does not allocate delegates from many of the non-binding caucus results (like Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, Maine, and Washington state; in most of these cases, these results don't even LOOSELY guide the actual delegate allocation process in these states so be careful of some of the various counts circulating.)

*** The skinny on today’s races: Eleven states across the country will hold contests awarding a combined 424 delegates. Here are the 11 contests, plus the delegates at stake in each: Alaska caucus (24), Georgia primary (76), Idaho caucus (32), Massachusetts primary (38), North Dakota caucus (28), Ohio primary (63), Oklahoma primary (40), Tennessee primary (55), Vermont primary (17), Virginia primary (46), and Wyoming caucus (5 of its 26 are elected tonight). The GOP presidential candidates have different strategies and strongholds in these 11 races. Romney hopes to lock down his home state of Massachusetts, Vermont, Virginia (where only he and Paul are on the ballot), and Idaho. Santorum is expecting wins in Oklahoma and Tennessee. Gingrich has focused on his home state of Georgia. And Paul has concentrated on the caucuses in Alaska, Idaho, and North Dakota, as well as the primary in Vermont.

*** What would be a good night for the candidates, delegate-wise: Here’s what the NBC Political Unit would see as a good or better-than-expected night for all the candidates. For Romney, it would be winning between 200-220 delegates (with 35-plus in OH, 20-plus in GA, 15-plus in TN, and 10-plus in OK)… For Santorum, it would 115-130 (with 30-plus in OH, 20-plus in GA, 25-plus in TN, and 25-plus in OK)… For Gingrich, it would be 70-80 delegates (with 20-plus in TN, 35-plus in GA, 10-plus in OK, and any delegate from Ohio). 

*** Poll closings: Here are the final poll closing times in each state:
7:00 pm ET: Georgia, Virginia, Vermont
7:30 pm ET: North Dakota, Ohio
8:00 pm ET: Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee
9:00 pm ET: Wyoming
10:00 pm ET: Idaho
Midnight ET: Alaska

*** Romney enjoys big ad-spending advantage: By the way, it’s worth noting that Romney and his Super PAC allies have more than a 4-to-1 ad-spending advantage over Santorum and his allies in the pivotal state of Ohio. And overall, it’s nearly a 5-to-1 advantage. Here are the most up-to-date numbers for ad spending in the Super Tuesday states:
Ohio: pro-Romney $4 million, pro-Gingrich $739,000, pro-Santorum $950,000
Georgia: pro-Romney $1.5 million, pro-Gingrich $950,000, pro-Santorum $214,000
Tennessee: pro-Romney $1.3 million, pro-Gingrich $664,000, pro-Santorum $247,000
Oklahoma: pro-Romney $576,000, pro-Gingrich $422,000, pro-Santorum $182,000
Idaho: pro-Romney $126,000, pro-Santorum $3,000, pro-Paul $47,000
Vermont: pro-Romney $61,000, pro-Paul $55,000

*** On the trail, per NBC’s Adam Perez: The candidates are all in different parts of the country today: Romney is in Massachusetts, where he casts his vote in that state’s primary at 5:15 pm ET… Gingrich gives a speech in Georgia before campaigning in Alabama… Santorum is delivering a speech at the AIPAC conference in DC… And Paul stumps in Idaho and North Dakota. Note: As NBC’s Alex Moe reported last night, Newt and Callista Gingrich WILL NOT be voting in Virginia, since Gingrich isn’t on the ballot in the state.

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*** Obama holds presser on Super Tuesday at 1:15 pm ET: To make sure that he isn’t an afterthought on this Super Tuesday, President Obama is holding a White House news conference at 1:15 pm ET. As NBC’s Shawna Thomas has noted, he hasn’t held a presser since last year (a short one in December on Richard Cordray’s nomination and a longer one back in November in Hawaii). While we’re sure that Obama gets plenty of questions on the GOP primary race and 2012, don’t be surprised if he also gets some tough questions on Syria, Israel and Iran, whether he’s evolved more on gay marriage (see our NBC/WSJ poll), GM halting production of the Obama-touted Chevy Volt, and the administration’s hiring of former lobbyist Steve Ricchetti, whom the Obama campaign had singled out in ’07 as a lobbyist bundler for the Hillary Clinton campaign. 

*** U.S. public differs with McCain on Syria: Speaking of Syria, yesterday Sen. John McCain “called for U.S.-led airstrikes against government forces in Syria … the first such call from the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee,” NBC’s Frank Thorp notes. But our new NBC/WSJ poll shows that McCain’s call is VERY unpopular with the country. Just 13% say the U.S. should take military action to stop the killings there; 11% want to provide arms to the opposition; 48% want to give only humanitarian assistance; and 25% want to take no action.

Countdown to Alabama, Hawaii, and Mississippi: 7 days
Countdown to Election Day: 245 days

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The battle for the GOP presidential nomination stands to gain a degree of clarity after Tuesday – amid signs that the race has hurt the eventual nominee’s chances in the eyes of some Republicans.

The nominating fight has stretched two months already has been marked by an especially negative tone. And it’s taken a toll; 40 percent of U.S. adults – and 23 percent of GOP primary voters – said the primary process has given them a less favorable opinion of the Republican primary, according to Monday’s NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

“I think if you polled folks, they very much want to have a spokesperson — an identified candidate — sooner rather than later,” said Rep. Steve LaTourette, a Republican who’s backing Romney, and a veteran of Capitol Hill.

NBC/WSJ poll: Primary season takes 'corrosive' toll on GOP

LaTourette represents a district in northeast Ohio, the consummate swing state which plays host to one of 11 contests on Super Tuesday in which delegates are at stake. The competition is especially fierce in Ohio, where Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are rehashing their fight from Michigan’s primary just a week before.

A week later, the tables have been turned for Santorum. He’s now the candidate who must beat expectations and halt Romney’s momentum. Ohio, and, to a lesser extent, Tennessee, have become the proving ground for the Pennsylvania senator on Tuesday.

"Politics is a game of expectations — who overperforms, who underperforms ... I still believe a coalescing needs to take place behind an alternative to Romney," said Bob Vander Plaats, an influential social conservative leader from Iowa whose support helped propel Santorum to an ultraslim victory over Romney in the state's Jan. 3 caucuses. "I think what he [Santorum] needs to do is he needs to over-deliver on expectations."

First Thoughts: Are the GOP candidates damaged goods?

In both Ohio and Tennesee, Santorum has witnessed his lead over Romney evaporate after Romney successfully defended his native Michigan, and defeated the former Pennsylvania senator in the state. Super Tuesday might not offer Romney an opportunity to deliver a knockout blow, but, at a minimum, he could put Santorum on the ropes by beating him in one or both states.

Team Romney believes that factors within the Republican Party are beginning to move in the former Massachusetts governor’s direction. Romney enjoyed his highest-ever level of support among Republicans compared to past NBC/WSJ polls, and the closing gap in some Super Tuesday states, especially in Ohio, suggests momentum.

“There is a feeling that we have had a vigorous debate about the direction we want to take as a party, and how we want to prosecute Obama on the No. 1 issue, which is the economy,” one Romney adviser said. “We are seeing a movement by many voters to consolidate all the different factions behind one candidate, that candidate being Romney.”

The GOP logic is that once the nomination fight has wrapped, the eventual nominee will be able to pivot toward President Barack Obama, and reverse the damage to the party’s brand.

“Right now there's a media narrative that none of them are up for prime time,” said Jim McLaughlin, a Republican pollster who argued the prolonged primary has actually made Romney a sharper candidate. “The good news for Republicans is once we have a nominee, he'll be able to define himself.”

READ: The NBC political unit's guide to Super Tuesday

Whether the campaign will reach that inflection point Tuesday night is a matter of campaign mechanics as much as raw votes and momentum.

Vander Plaats called Romney the “odds-on” favorite to win the nomination as long as GOP voters fail to rally  — quickly — behind Santorum as the lone alternative to Romney. He argued that Gingrich should consider exiting the campaign after Tuesday night if the former House speaker fails to score any significant wins.

But the Gingrich campaign has worked intently on winning Georgia, which offers Tuesday’s largest kitty of delegates. And a Gingrich surrogate, Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, argued that recent weeks of focus on Santorum’s social views have illustrated the risk in making the former senator the GOP’s nominee.

“We’re not 100 percent sure that Santorum has the right language. You have to be very delicate and diplomatic about the things you say,” he said.  “I think there are some things that he has said along the way that weren’t vetted that would come back to haunt him.”

And as for Vander Plaats’s wish that Gingrich drop out if he loses Georgia? “I think that he would probably look at that, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Kingston said.

Ohio: Romney maintains economic focus | Santorum emphasizes roots

If it’s the case that Romney wins Tuesday and none of his challengers exit the campaign, the race for the nomination may shift into a new stage with Romney in more commanding position, all while fighting to keep his momentum going and bleeding his rivals of support and finances.

LaTourette said he didn’t expect the campaign to end after Tuesday, but expressed his sense of the sentiment among Republicans on Capitol Hill that the nominating battle should wrap up by no later than Memorial Day.

“There comes a point in time when it's too late. I remember Bob Dole and President Clinton. He never got rolling, if you will,” he said. “I would expect Santorum's money to dry up if he doesn't pull out a couple rabbits tomorrow … If he wins it goes on for a little bit, but I really don't see him capturing the hearts and minds of the average Republican voter.”

As another round of voting takes place this week in the Republican presidential race – with 11 states holding Super Tuesday contests – a new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows that the combative and heavily scrutinized primary season so far has damaged the party and its candidates.

Four in 10 of all adults say the GOP nominating process has given them a less favorable impression of the Republican Party, versus just slightly more than one in 10 with a more favorable opinion.

Additionally, when asked to describe the GOP nominating battle in a word or phrase, nearly 70 percent of respondents – including six in 10 independents and even more than half of Republicans – answered with a negative comment.

Some examples of these negative comments from Republicans: "Unenthusiastic," "discouraged," "lesser of two evils," "painful," "disappointed," "poor choices," "concerned," "underwhelmed,” “uninspiring” and “depressed.”

Read the full poll here (.pdf)

And perhaps most significantly, the GOP primary process has taken a toll on the Republican presidential candidates, including front-runner Mitt Romney, who is seen more unfavorably and whose standing with independents remains underwater.

“The primaries have not raised the stature of the party, nor enhanced the appeal of the candidates,” says Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart, who conducted this survey with Republican pollster Bill McInturff.

“The word you’d have to use at this stage is: ‘Corrosive,’” McInturff adds.

The damage from the Republican primary season – in addition to a rising job-approval rating for President Obama and more optimism about the U.S. economy – has given Democrats an early advantage for November’s general election.

Indeed, the president’s job-approval rating now stands at 50 percent; Obama leads Romney in a hypothetical general-election match up by six points; and Democrats hold a five-point edge on the generic congressional ballot.

If this poll’s outlook on the 2012 race were a cocktail, Hart says, it would be “one part Obama, one part the economy, and three parts the Republican Party’s destruction.”

Bad news and good news for Romney
How damaging has the primary season – with all of its debates, attack ads and scrutiny -- been for the Republican Party?

Forty percent of all adults say the GOP contest so far has made them feel less favorable about the party, while 12 percent say they now have a more favorable impression. Forty-seven percent say it’s had no impact.

Even among Republicans, 23 percent maintain the primary season has given them a less favorable opinion of the party, versus 16 percent who say it’s been positive.

In addition, 55 percent of respondents – including 35 percent of Republicans – believe the Democratic Party does a better job than the GOP in appealing to those who aren’t hard-core supporters. Just 26 percent say the Republican Party does a better job on this front.

And it’s been damaging for Romney, too. In January’s NBC/WSJ poll, Romney’s favorable/unfavorable rating stood at 31 percent to 36 percent among all respondents (and 22/42 percent among independents).

But in this latest survey, it’s now 28 percent favorable and 39 percent unfavorable (and 22/38 percent among independents).

In fact, Romney’s image right now is worse than almost all other recent candidates who went on to win their party’s presidential nomination: Obama’s favorable/unfavorable ratio was 51/28 percent and John McCain’s was 47/27, in the March 2008 NBC/WSJ poll; John Kerry was at 42/30 at this point in 2004; George W. Bush was 43/32 in 2000; and Bob Dole was 35/39 in March 1996.

The one exception: Bill Clinton, in April 1992, was at 32/43 percent.

But there is also some good news for Romney in the poll, especially as it relates to his bid to capture the GOP presidential nomination.

Read the full poll here (.pdf)

After his primary victories last Tuesday in Arizona and Michigan, the former Massachusetts governor leads the national Republican horserace, getting support from 38 percent of GOP voters, his highest-ever mark in the poll.

He’s followed by former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum at 32 percent and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul tied at 13 percent.

In a race reduced to just two candidates, Romney leads Santorum by five percentage points, 50 to 45 percent.

In particular, Romney has improved his standing with Tea Party supporters, getting support from 44 percent of them in a two-way contest against Santorum.

And what’s more, 72 percent of Republicans say they would be satisfied if Romney becomes their party’s presidential nominee.

Obama’s improved political standing
When it comes to President Obama, the poll contains mostly good news. Fifty percent approve of his job – his highest mark in the NBC/WSJ survey since Osama bin Laden’s death – and 45 percent disapprove.

In a hypothetical general-election contest, he leads Romney by six points, 50 to 44 percent, winning independents (46-39 percent), women (55-37 percent) and those in the Midwest (52-42 percent).

Obama enjoys bigger leads over Paul (50 to 42 percent), Santorum (53 to 39 percent) and Gingrich (54 to 37 percent).

Bolstering Obama’s standing is increased optimism about the state of the U.S. economy.

Read the full poll here (.pdf)

Forty percent believe the economy will improve during the next year, a three-point increase from January. And looking back at the economic recession, 57 percent say that the worst is behind us, while 36 percent say the worst is still to come.

Back in November, only 49 percent said the worst was behind us.

“President Obama is probably in the best political shape he’s been in since his initial year as president,” says Hart, the Democratic pollster.

The NBC/WSJ poll was conducted from Feb. 29 through March 3 of 800 adults (including 200 by cellphone), and it has an overall margin of error of plus-minus 3.5 percentage points. The poll also contains an oversample of 185 interviews to achieve a total of 400 GOP primary voters, and that margin of error is plus-minus 4.9 percentage points.

Gerald Herbert / AP

Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign rally at American Posts in Toledo, Ohio, Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

TOLEDO, Ohio – Ten states hold their nominating contests in the Republican presidential primary on Tuesday, none more important than the contested race in Ohio, a state key in any general election candidate’s path to the White House.

The state’s Republican primary is poised to become the crown jewel of Super Tuesday, a state in which Mitt Romney could avoid the kind of backslide he suffered after previous wins in the primary cycle or where another candidate could find a new boost of energy and momentum.

For Rick Santorum, the former senator from neighboring Pennsylvania, Ohio presents an opportunity to challenge Romney on similar terrain as Michigan – where he almost upset Romney on Tuesday evening – but without the built-in advantages for the former Massachusetts governor.

Santorum must begin to string together some big wins in major states, said Randall Fought, a Perrysburg bricklayer, of Santorum at his campaign event on Tuesday in northwest Ohio. “He’s got to pick up some decisive places, especially here in the Midwest.”

But Romney is riding high after staving off Santorum in Michigan, while also scoring a decisive win in Arizona.

“If Santorum would have won Michigan, I would’ve been tilted in that direction … He was weak in the debate, and I think that affected him in the result,” said Michael Kuhar of Point Place, Ohio following a Romney event in Toledo. 

“I think [Romney] has more momentum. I think he attracts and will continue to attract anybody that could’ve been on the fence, like myself,” added Kuhar, who said he was undecided before Romney’s win in Michigan.

Of the 10 states hosting primaries or caucuses on Tuesday, few are as competitive as Ohio, a battleground state that will be important to the general election in November.

Santorum held an advantage over Romney in the state ahead of the voting this week in Michigan and Arizona, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday that found Santorum leading Romney, 36 percent to 29 percent with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 17 percent and Texas Rep. Ron Paul at 11 percent.

But Santorum faces an initial handicap in the race, too. While he’ll appear on the ballot statewide – giving him the chance to beat Romney – he’ll be ineligible to win delegates in the three congressional districts where he did not file delegate slates. He’ll lose out on the opportunity to win as many as nine delegates.

First Read: How ugly was Romney's win?

“What people are beginning to understand is the conventional wisdom about Romney – that he would be the best candidate in the fall – is not true,” said Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, a former senator who served with Santorum in Congress and had initially backed Romney for the nomination.

To that end, Santorum is set to rely on a similar formula that almost won him Michigan, looking to relate with working class voters and very conservative voters who feel uncomfortable or disconnected from Romney.

“I think he should play very well here,” said Peggy Moody of Steubenville, Ohio, who’s been unemployed for a year and a half since losing her job as a pharmaceutical sales representative. “I feel that Rick Santorum is much more genuine and he relates better to the people.”

But some Ohio voters also take umbrage at the suggestion that Romney can’t relate to voters in the state as well as Santorum.

“I look at it the same way,” said Brook Welker, who owns a small business that places outdoor signage throughout northwest Ohio, in reference to Romney’s well-publicized private sector career. “I acquire signs in disrepair – I acquire assets for my business, fix them up, and cut losses. It’s the same thing [with Romney] on a larger scale. I can identify.” 

Both Romney's and Santorum’s abilities to connect with voters will be an important test not just in Ohio, but in the nine other states hosting contests.

Moreover, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul are each battling to rejuvenate their own candidacies by focusing on very specific caucuses and primaries. Victories by either candidate could infuse their campaigns with new momentum, or, at the very least, contribute to the growing possibility that the race for the GOP nomination will become a drawn-out battle for delegates.

“Every primary is important as you start to build your delegate count. Our goal is to help Gov. Romney achieve the goal,” said Ohio Senate President Tom Niehaus, a Republican who’s supporting Romney. “I certainly would hope that it would come to an end soon. But I think the reality is that we have a number of candidates who have said they’ll continue contesting contests through the early summer.”

The 10 states hosting primaries or caucuses on Super Tuesday are Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia. A total of 437 delegates are at stake, although some states apportion them differently. In the case of Virginia, only Romney and Paul qualified for the ballot.

Romney has campaigned this week in Ohio, Idaho and North Dakota, and has dispatched surrogates to some of the other states. Gingrich has, meanwhile, fought most aggressively in his native Georgia and neighboring Tennessee. Santorum has planned stops in Tennessee and has done media in Oklahoma. Paul has also spread the map, but has made a particular point of challenging Romney head-to-head in Virginia.

Ten states have held their primaries already, with over 300 delegates up for grabs. That’s the same number of states that hold contests on Super Tuesday, except more delegates will be at stake on a single day than in two months’ worth of voting. An additional 11th state, Wyoming, is apportioning its delegates on Super Tuesday, too. The state of Washington additionally hosts caucuses this weekend.

In addition to the Paul campaign's latest TV ad, here's more evidence in the emerging Mitt Romney/Ron Paul bro-mance: The Paul camp is now passing around oppo on Rick Santorum.

With Santorum potentially on the brink of upsetting Romney in Michigan next week, the Paul campaign is targeting the former Pennsylvania senator for what it says is hypocrisy -- after Santorum criticized Romney on the 2002 Winter Olympics.

“He heroically bailed out the Salt Lake City Olympic Games by heroically going to Congress and asking them for tens of millions of dollars to bail out the Salt Lake games,” Santorum told a crowd in Ohio on Saturday. “In an earmark for the Salt Lake Olympic games."

The Romney campaign claims the money was for post-9/11 security at the Olympics.

And in an email to NBC News, a senior Ron Paul campaign source points out that in 2001 Santorum voted for legislation that -- you guessed it -- provided millions for security at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Here's a link to the vote, as well as the summary of the legislation.

The latest sign of the emerging Mitt Romney/Ron Paul bro-mance: The Paul campaign is airing a new TV ad in Michigan that hits Rick Santorum on the very points that the Romney camp has been raising (voted to raise the debt ceiling, increase spending).

Do note that this Paul ad is being released BEFORE Paul even starts campaigning in Michigan (he'll do so in the coming days) and as his team focuses more on the upcoming caucus contests (like Idaho and North Dakota) instead of the Arizona and Michigan contests, which don't appear to factor into the Paul campaign's delegate plans.

After all, Arizona is winner take all, and Michigan is winner take all per congressional district.

Per NBC's Anthony Terrell, the ad will also air in the upcoming Super Tuesday states.

The transcript:
Is this dude serious?
Fiscal conservative, really?
Santorum voted to raise the debt ceiling 5 times
Doubled the size of the Department of Education
Then supported the biggest entitlement expansion since the ‘60’s.
Not groovy.
Santorum voted to send billions of our tax dollars to dictators in North Korea and Egypt.
And even hooked Planned Parenthood up with a few million bucks.
Rick Santorum a fiscal conservative?
Fake.