A Super PAC supporting Ron Paul was the only major presidential fundraising operation to miss Tuesday's federal deadline for disclosing its donors. The Revolution PAC blamed an error by its credit card company.

Because of bad information provided by the company, the PAC told the Federal Election Commission, it didn't know who its donors were.

The Super PAC is not the same as the official campaign for Paul, a libertarian and Texas Republican member of Congress. The campaign filed its report on time, and by law the PAC can't coordinate its activities with the campaign, although the PAC is operated by Paul supporters, including his former political director.

"To Whom It May Concern," the Revolution PAC wrote to the FEC at 11:48 p.m. ET Tuesday, just 12 minutes before the midnight deadline for its legally required report.

"Please be advised that on the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan 31, Revolution PAC ... was advised by one of its credit card processing vendors that said vendor had provided erroneous information. As a result, credit card donations reported by the vendor and recorded by the PAC were erroneous.

"As we do not have compete details on the specific donations involved, we are unable to correct our information prior to the filing deadline, and are therefore not filing any report at this time.

"We will contact our FEC advisor Feb 1 to determine how best to proceed."

The Super PAC didn't name the credit card company.

The Revolution PAC has been filing its separate reports of expenditures, and has spent $126,000 so far, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

A profile of the group is available from the Center for Public Integrity, a nonpartisan investigative reporting group. Its leaders include Gary Franchi, Web-TV host and director of Restore the Republic, an online clearinghouse and social media site for Ron Paul followers; Lawrence W. Lepard, Venture capital investor at Equity Management Associates, and Penny Langford Freeman, Paul’s former political director.

Two other PACs supporting Paul did file their reports on time.

Endorse Liberty reported $1,020,055 in receipts.

Nearly all of its revenue, $900,000, came from hedge fund manager Peter Thiel, a founder of PayPal. The group also got $10,000 from Sean Wheeler of Marietta, Ga., CEO of Pure Hypnosis, which sells a hypnotic treatment for smoking addiction.

A list of the donors to Endorse Liberty is here.

Another pro-Paul PAC, the Santa Rita Super PAC, reported 234,096 in receipts.

Donors to Santa Rita include hedge fund manager Mark Hart III and Shannon Hart, of Fort Worth, $100,000; real estate investor Donald Huffines of Dallas, $50,000; and Patrick Walker of Little Rock, $50,000. All listed their occupation as self-employed investor.

A list of the donors to Santa Rita is here.

Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.

The Ron Paul presidential campaign organization filed its report on time, showing $26,104,721 in receipts and $24,199,806 in expenditures so far in this election.

A list of the campaign's 22,956 donors is here.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million

Casino magnate Adelson's family gave early money to Gingrich PAC

Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers

Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

TAMPA, Fla. -- Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is getting Secret Service protection.

A Romney campaign adviser says the Secret Service will provide security for the former Massachusetts governor starting Wednesday. Two sources in the Romney campaign confirmed the report to NBC News' Garrett Haake.

An administration official says Romney's campaign requested the protection. The official says the administration determined that Romney met all the conditions for protection. Those include being a major presidential candidate who has raised a certain amount of money.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security means.

By Bill Dedman, msnbc.com, and Michael Isikoff, NBC News
with reporting by NBC's Azriel Relph and Lisa Riordan Seville

After the speeches were over and the TV cameras in Florida were turned off, the pro-Mitt Romney Super PAC called Restore Our Future disclosed its fundraising Tuesday night, just before the midnight ET deadline.

It showed total receipts of $17.9 million during the last six months of last year. It had previously reported raising $12.2 million in the first six months of the year. The PAC ended the year with $23.6 million in the bank, hoarding a huge bankroll for the primaries and general election. The figures for January are not yet included.

Top Wall Street moguls from big hedge fund and private equity firms, including principals from Bain Capital,  topped the list of donors that pumped more than $17.9 million into the Mitt Romney Super PAC,  helping to bankroll attack ads in the Republican primary states.

But while the filing by Restore Our Future shows its formidable fundraising prowess, it will do little to alleviate criticism that Romney is too closely tied to Wall Street and other corporate interests.

The Romney Super PAC collected seven $1 million donations, including one from Paul Singer, the billionaire and secretive head of the Elliott Management hedge fund, and two others from hedge fund kingpins Julian Robertson of Tiger Management and Robert Mercer of Rennaissance Technologies.

Others accounting for $1 million donations included Florida energy executive Bill Koch of Oxbow Carbon, who has also been a fundraiser for Romney's presidential campaign; Miguel Fernandez, who chairs a Miami private equity firm MBF Healthcare Partners; and Rooney Holdings of Tulsa Oklahoma.

Also giving a total of $1 million were firms headed by Frank L. VanderSloot of Idaho. He is also the co-chair of Romney's Idaho finance operation. His firms, operating under the names Melaleuca Inc., Melaleuca of Asia Ltd. Co., Melaleuca of Japan Inc., Melaleuca of Southeast Asia Inc., gave a total of $250,000. The company sells Nicole Miller Timeless Age Defying Serum and other home "wellness"  remedies. Forbes magazine has a profile of VanderSloot here.

Three executives of Bain Capital, the private equity firm formerly headed by Romney, gave a total of $625,000.

Romney has insisted he is not involved in the Super PAC and has no control over its ad buys or messages. But further evidence that the group is working closely with Romney's interests came Tuesday night when Restore Our Future held back its required filing with the Federal Election Commission until after Romney had given his victory speech in the Florida primary.

The filing underscores the key role of wealthy donors and companies in funding the super pacs. Some 62 of its contributors gave $100,000 or more.

Other big donors include:

Chris Shumway, Shumway Capital Investments, Greenwich, Conn., $750,000.

Bob Perry, Perry Homes, Houston, $500,000.

Steven Webster, Avista Capital, Houston, $500,000.

The full list of donors is here.

By contrast, a Super PAC supporting Newt Gingrich reported $2.1 million, not counting $10 million from a casino magnate donated in January.

The Super PAC supporting President Obama reported $4.4 million received by year end. A Super PAC supporting Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who has dropped out of the Republican race, reported $5.5 million.

Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

Casino magnate Adelson's family gave early money to Gingrich PAC

Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers

Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

Mitt Romney swept to victory in the Florida primary Tuesday night by winning nearly every income, age, religious, ideological, and ethnic group – falling short only among the one third of Florida Republican voters who called themselves “very conservative” and among the 40 percent who described themselves as white evangelical Christians, although he only narrowly lost among the latter group, according to the network exit polls.

The former Massachusetts governor displayed especially strong appeal to Latino voters – winning 53 percent of them – and to married women, to self-described moderates (winning 62 percent of them), to wealthier voters, and to those who said that the ability to defeat President Obama was the quality that most mattered to them – more so than the candidate’s experience, character or true conservatism. Nearly three out of five the voters who said beating Obama is the top priority voted for Romney.

See full Florida results and exit poll

A different set of voters leads to a different outcome—that’s the short version of what the exit polls reveal about Romney’s victory in Florida, compared to his loss in South Carolina’s primary ten days ago and his victory in New Hampshire on Jan. 10.

Romney’s failure in South Carolina – which seemed worrisome to his campaign only ten days ago --  probably fades into insignificance now that strategists are turning toward November and to electorates that in most of the battleground states will more closely resemble those in New Hampshire and Florida than in the Palmetto State.

In a close general election in November, New Hampshire and Florida are likely to be hotly contested, while South Carolina will be a safe Republican state, so the New Hampshire and Florida data may contain more valuable insights for the fall contest. And the Florida electorate in Tuesday’s primary – more than 1.5 million voters – was far larger than the electorates in all the previous contests -- Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina -- combined.

With America still emerging from a recession and with income inequality a Democratic theme for the fall, voters’ income may matter greatly. Both Romney and Newt Gingrich, of course, are wealthy men, but Romney is far wealthier. If he’s the GOP nominee, will he be able to appeal to the tens of millions of American voters in the November election who’ll have incomes of less than $50,000 a year?

In Florida, about a third of GOP primary voters Tuesday reported that they had total family income of under $50,000 -- and Romney won 42 percent of such voters, beating Gingrich by ten points.

That compares to South Carolina’s primary electorate: 36 percent of voters reported annual incomes of under $50,000, and Romney was relatively weak with that group in South Carolina, winning only 25 percent of them compared to Gingrich who won 40 percent of them.

Romney rebounds with a victory in Florida

But in the New Hampshire primary, in which more than one in four voters said their families had incomes of $50,000 or less, Romney and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas each won 31 percent of the lower-income voters, while Gingrich won only one out of every ten.

Where Gingrich beat Romney among both men and women in South Carolina’s primary, Romney had a big advantage among women voters in Florida: beating him by more than 20 percentage points.

Next, consider ideology and partisan identification.

Romney continues to have a problem appealing to self-described conservative voters – in Florida, Romney lagged 14 points behind Gingrich among very conservative voters Tuesday and four out of ten voters said Romney’s views were not conservative enough.

Likewise in South Carolina, Romney won fewer than one out of every five voters who categorized themselves as “very conservative,” while in New Hampshire Romney won 26 percent of that group.

Of course, a Republican strategy for victory in November will need to focus on those voters who don’t necessarily define themselves as “conservative.” In November, there will be many independents in states such as Florida and New Hampshire whom the Republican nominee will need to successfully woo. The GOP nominee will need to do what George W. Bush did in New Hampshire in 2000, when he won the state by 1.3 percentage points over Al Gore: persuade the centrist and non-ideological voters to trust him, without alienating too many conservatives.

Can the GOP nominee attract independents and middle-of-the-road voters? In South Carolina one of four voters described himself as independent and Romney and Gingrich ran just about even among them.  But in the New Hampshire primary – in which independent voters could request a Republican ballot and vote in the GOP primary —independents accounted for nearly half of all voters. Romney and Paul each won about 30 percent of independents, compared to only 8 percent of independents who voted for Gingrich.

But in Florida, 18 percent of the electorate Tuesday called themselves independents. Romney won 41 percent of them, while Gingrich won 27 percent.

Another crucial group in November will be those born in 1947 or earlier. There will be more of the gray-haired James Taylor and Kingston Trio fans than the Rock the Vote demographic in November’s electorate. In 2008, more than twice as many votes were cast by people aged 65 and older than by people age 18 to 24. Seventy percent of Americans age 65 and older voted while only 49 percent of 18 to 24 year olds voted.

The Florida electorate Tuesday was a good test run: 36 percent of voters were age 65 and older and Romney won 51 percent of those voters. He trailed Gingrich among the older voters in South Carolina (as his did among other age groups) but had beaten him among older New Hampshire voters.

One should not read too much into Tuesday outcome -- nor should one project a sample of the Republican electorate onto what will be a far bigger national electorate in November. Tuesday's Florida GOP electorate skewed wealthier than the national population, with 31 percent reporting family incomes of $100,000 or more.

And of course no candidate is ideal: 38 percent of Tuesday’s voters said they would like to see someone else run for the Republican nomination. But the time for a late starter has passed. Republicans will go into battle with the candidate they have – and increasingly it is looking like that will be Romney. 

By Michael Isikoff, NBC News, and Bill Dedman, msnbc.com
with reporting by NBC's Azriel Relph and Lisa Riordan Seville

The report shows receipts of $2.1 million. The PAC's spending reports, which by contrast cover the month of January, already show the same PAC spending nearly $9 million so far. 

Even before the Adelsons contributed $10 million, three of his family members had already plunked down $1 million in seed
money for the group.

The PAC reported a $500,000 contribution from one of Adelson's step-daughters, Sivian Ochshorn,  and another $250,000 from another step-daughter, Yasmin Lukatz. Another family member, Oren Lukatz, gave an additional $250,000. All  three listed themselves as "self employed" at 3355 Las Vegas Blvd. in Las Vegas, the address of Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Hotel, and gave the money the same day, Dec. 22.

Also giving a big check to the Gingrich Super PAC was Harold Simmons, the chairman of Contran Corporation, a Texas firm that owns a controversial radioactive waste dump. He had already given two checks totalling $1 million to the Rick Perry Super PAC.

The Associated Press described Adelson's interest in Gingrich in this way: "Adelson is an extreme conservative and staunch backer of right-wing Israeli politicians. Gingrich has held policy positions that would match Adelson's regarding U.S.-Israeli relations, including a pledge to issue a directive on his first day as president to relocate U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. That would enrage Palestinians who demand that part of Jerusalem be their capital in any future two-state solution."

The full list of donors to the Winning Our Future PAC is here.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million

Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers

Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.

By Bill Dedman, msnbc.com, and Michael Isikoff, NBC News
with reporting by NBC's Azriel Relph and Lisa Riordan Seville

Hollywood director Steven Spielberg and the Service Employees International Union were among the big donors to a Super PAC supporting President Barack Obama. Priorities USA Action filed the report Tuesday with the FEC showing $4.4 million raised to support the president's re-election.

Spielberg chipped in $100,000, and the SEIU gave the largest amount,  $1 million.

The total contributions to Priorities USA Action are, however,  far less than those being raised by the Super PACs for the Republican candidates and appear to put the group well behind its initial goal of raising $100 million on behalf of the president's re-election.

But there are signs that the Obama Super PAC is being financed by a related non-profit group that is in turn raising money from secret donors. Such non-disclosing political entities were denounced in 2010 by President Obama. But in Tuesday night's filing, the pro-Obama Priorities USA Action reported that it has gotten $215,234 from its non-disclosing sister group, Priorities USA, listing the funds as reimbursements for its operating expenses. As a nonprofit, Priorities USA is not required to file any public reports with the Federal Election Commission.

Proirities USA Action and Priorities USA, which has already begun running attack ads on Mitt Romney,  were founded last year by two former Obama White House aides -- former deputy press secretary Bill Burton and political aide Sean Sweeney. Burton said in an email to NBC News that the two groups Priorities groups together have now raised a total of $6.7 million, adding: "I have no doubt we'll raise our goal. The question is when we'll raise it."

The SEIU, which organizes workers in government jobs, health care and property services, has been a strong supporter of Obama. Its leaders have been named among the most frequent visitors to the White House, when the Obama administration released most of its visitor logs.

Other donors to the Obama Super PAC include:

 The American Association for Justice PAC has contributed a total of $50,000 to the PAC, and has also given a total of $100,000.00 to the House Majority PAC, which supports Democrats.

John C. Law is the managing director of Warland Investments, a major landowner in Cypress, Calif. He has given $100,000 to Priorities USA, and is a big donor to Democratic political causes.

Akerman Senterfit is a law and lobbying firm with locations throughout the U.S. Records show $20,000 going to Priorities USA from the firm, and another $10,000 from Joseph L. Falk, who specializes in the mortgage banking industry at the firm.

William E. Little Jr. gave $150,000. He is chairman of George Little Management, LLC, a large producer of trade shows for consumer goods in the United States, and a Bates College trustee.

Lenny Mendonca gave $50,000. He is a direcdtor in the San Francisco office of McKinsey & Co., chairman emeritus of the Bay Area Council, and chairman of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. He is the former chair of Repair California, the organization behind the call for a limited Constitutional Convention to address the structural elements that have made governing California so difficult. He serves on the board of The New America Foundation.

The full list is here.

Tuesday is the day for the so-called Super PACS to file an annual report of donors. NBC News and msnbc.com will be scouring the filings, and posting details. We'll have updates on msnbc.com, and could always use your help identifying the economic and political interests behind the names.

The official deadline for filing is midnight ET (12 a.m. Wednesday), so reports may trickle in. And it wouldn't surprise us if some campaigns file late tonight as attention is focused on voting results in the Florida Republican primary.

Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers

Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

Update: The full list of donors to the Super PAC is here, but that filing does not list the greater amount donated to the nonprofit.

WASHINGTON (AP) — American Crossroads, the Republican "super" political committee that plans to play a major role in this year's presidential campaign, raised more than $51 million along with its nonprofit arm last year, The Associated Press has learned.

The figures from Crossroads — the group backed by former George W. Bush adviser Karl Rove — were among the first financial reports being made public Tuesday, the deadline for super PACs and presidential candidates to file financial reports with federal election officials.

While most recent public attention has focused on groups spending major sums for negative TV ads assailing GOP presidential primary rivals Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, Tuesday's figures are a sign of even greater spending to come in the general election battle between the Republican nominee and Democratic President Barack Obama.

Other big Super PACs required to disclose their donors Tuesday include Restore Our Future, the Romney-leaning PAC that has contributed to a deluge of ads hammering Gingrich, and Winning Our Future, the Gingrich-supportive group that has been critical of Romney's time at a venture capital firm. Both super PACs are run in part by former advisers to the candidates.

The American Crossroads PAC has about $15.6 million cash on hand, representing only part of the money it has in the bank to spend on defeating Obama. Financial details from Crossroads GPS — the nonprofit arm — are unclear because it doesn't have to disclose its donors under IRS rules, althoughCrossroads GPS was responsible for most of the groups' fundraising haul.

The Crossroads war chests underscore the extraordinary impact Super PACs could have on this year's race for the White House. In GOP primaries so far, groups working for or against presidential candidates have spent roughly $25 million on TV ads — about half the nearly $53 million spent on advertising so far to influence voters in the early weeks of the race.

Crossroads' financial reports, which the AP obtained ahead of the Federal Election Commission, identify wealthy donors who had given contributions reaching as high as seven figures by the end of 2011. Among the largest contributors is Dallas businessman Harold Simmons, who gave the group $5 million last November and whose holding company, Contran Corp., donated an additional $2 million.

Simmons is a major donor to GOP and conservative causes who pumped as much as $4 million into the "swift boat" campaign that helped sink Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry in 2004. Simmons, an early supporter of Texas Gov. Rick Perry's presidential run, also was a fundraising "bundler" putting donations together for Arizona Sen. John McCain.

Other Super PACs have already had a major effect this primary season. One group, for instance, effectively saved Newt Gingrich's candidacy, while another tore into him in Florida and elsewhere. At the minimum, the groups' spending is a precursor to the general election — when super PACs aligned with both Republicans and Obama plan to dole out even larger sums.

These groups are the products of a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that removed restrictions on corporate and union spending in federal elections. The groups can't directly coordinate with the candidates they support, but many are staffed with former campaign workers who have an intimate knowledge of a favored candidate's strategy.

Since this summer, the groups have spent tens of millions on ads in key GOP primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. The PACs have also unleashed millions on expenses typically reserved for campaigns, including direct mailings, phone calls and get-out-the-vote efforts.

Few groups are likely to be as influential as American Crossroads, which plans to raise hundreds of millions of dollars this election cycle and enlists support from high-profile GOP figures such as former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Crossroads' financial reports show other large donors such as Joseph W. Craft III, a Tulsa businessman whose Alliance Holdings, a major coal producer, gave $425,000. Other contributions include: $500,000 from Dallas-based Crow Holdings; $250,000 from Chicago philanthropist and GOP supporter Janet Duchossois, and $100,000 from Sam Zell, a Chicago real estate billionaire whose Tribune media company is now in bankruptcy.

Outside spending by individuals isn't new. Liberal-leaning billionaire George Soros gave more than $20 million to help groups supportive of Kerry — these groups were known as "527" organizations — and his 2004 White House bid. But the high court's Citizens United ruling essentially gave a green light to individuals who want to pump unlimited sums into outside groups that would in turn support candidates.

The Obama campaign on Tuesday disclosed a list of 61 people who raised at least half a million dollars for the president's re-election efforts. Among them are movie producers Jeffrey Katzenberg and Harvey Weinstein and embattled former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, whose $70,000 in contributions from himself and his wife were refunded by the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

A handful of other financial filings began trickling in to the Federal Election Commission Tuesday afternoon, including those from the Gingrich campaign. It said the former House speaker raised $10 million during the fourth quarter, in addition to $5 million this month. Those totals are separate from super PAC money being spent on his behalf by outside groups.

Perry, the Texas governor who was an early star in the Republican primaries, raised an anemic $2.9 million this past quarter, compared with $17.2 million within the first two months of his entering the race last summer. The Jon Huntsman-leaning Our Destiny super PAC raised about $2.8 million — with more than $1.8 million coming from his father, Jon Huntsman Sr.

Endorse Liberty, a group supportive of libertarian-leaning Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, said it raised $3.9 million for online advertising in key primary states.

___

Associated Press writers Stephen Braun and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.

By Michael Isikoff, NBC News
with reporting by NBC's Azriel Relph and Lisa Riordan Seville

The Obama campaign on Tuesday released an updated list of 445 major "bundlers" of campaign contributions, including a "Desperate Housewives" star, a Silicon Valley mogul, and a former Energy Department advisor who pushed a government loan for the now bankrupt Solyndra solar company.

The report provides new evidence of just how important big money bundlers are in presidential campaigns. In all, the 445 bundlers raised $74 million to $100 million for the Obama re-election campaign, the campaign reported, according to totals calculated by NBC from the rough ranges the campaign reported for each person's collections. Just 61 elite fundraisers among that group brought in at least $30 million, or at least $500,000 apiece.

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan group, calcuated that the bundlers raised $35 of every $100 raised by the Obama campaign groups since April, when he launched his re-election campaign.

Among the newly named bundlers who have raised at least $500,000 or more for the Obama re-election are Marc Benioff, a Silicon Valley computer tycoon who founded Salesforce.com and hosted a fundraiser for the president at his home last spring; Jack Rosen, a prominent New York real estate developer who is chairman of the American Jewish Congress; and Kawana Brown, the chief operating officer of Magic Johnson Enterprises.

Altogether there are 88 newly disclosed bundlers for the president's campaign. Those raising $200,000 to $500,000 include Eva Longoria, the Desperate Housewives actress; Stewart Bainum, chairman of Manor Care and Choice Hotels International; Joel Cantor, owner of Cantor Partners real estate firm; and Mai Lassiter, wife of film producer James Lassiter.

The Obama list of $500,000 bundlers includes some notable names that have previously been disclosed, such as Hollywood moguls Jeffrey Katzenberg (who has also donated $2 million to an Obama superpac), film producer Harvey Weinstein, and UBS Americas chairman Robert Wolf.

One of the president’s top bundlers, former New Jersey governor Jon Corzine, recently caused embarrassment for the campaign when his investment  firm, MF Global, filed for bankruptcy, triggering an FBI investigation into whether its clients’ money had been mishandled. The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee last month returned over $70,000 of funds donated by Corzine  and his wife.

Another name previously disclosed is a former Energy Dept. adviser, Steve Spinner, of Menlo Park, Calif., who pushed the controversial funding of the Solyndra energy company. Emails uncovered by a Congressional committee last fall showed that Spinner, while on an Energey Department board, repeatedly pushed officials to finalize a loan for Solyndra before Vice President Joe Biden visited the company in September 2009. "What is he waiting for?" Spinner wrote to a DOE official. I have the OVP [Office of the Vice President] and WH [White House] breathing down my neck on this."

Other names on the list include:

David Cohen, the executive vice president of Comcast, the cable firm that owns NBC and is co-owner of msnbc.com

Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue

Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs

Jon Corzine, former governor of New Jersey and former chairman of bankrupt MF Global Holdings

Thomas Carnahan, founder of wind farm company Wind Capital Group

Andrew Tobias, Miami, financial writer

Crystal Nix-Hines, lawyer and Hollywood writer

Mark Gallogly, private equity investor and member of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board

The full list is here.

In an official filing with the FEC, the campaign's fundraising arm, Obama for America, reported having $82 million cash on hand at year end. It raised $40 million in the last quarter. A related campaign arm, Obama Victory Fund, reported raising $24 million in the last quarter, finishing the year with $1 million on hand. The Obama Victory Fund, controlled by the campaign, jointly contributes to the Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee.

Overall, 61 Obama fundraisers are now in the highest bundler category, "$500,000 plus," 20 more than were on the previous list of 41 listed last fall.

The Obama campaign is so far the only presidential campaign to voluntarily disclose its bundlers, fundraisers who are key to a presidential campaign’s success because they collect  checks en masse from multiple donors,  giving them far more clout than individual contributors who are still limited to giving $2,500 a piece.  Although John McCain and Obama both disclosed their bundlers in 2008.

Update: Mitt Romney released a short list of bundlers on Tuesday, but only the names required by law to be disclosed, because they are lobbyists. Those names are here.

President Obama, as a United States senator, proposed legislation in 2007 that would have required disclosure of supporters who raised $50,000 or more. That legislation was not enacted, but Obama voluntarily released names during his campaign and during his term in office.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million

Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Sugar Daddy: Huntsman's father gave $1.9 million to Super PAC

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has said on MSNBC on various occasions that Florida's GOP primary is not winner-take-all.

That's not the case. Florida is winner-take-all. But it is true that Florida might potentially wind up being proportional. But a lot has to happen for that to be the case.

Here's why there is some confusion -- this is all based on the current RNC's interpretation of the rules (more on that below).

The only way how delegates are allocated changes is if an aggrieved Florida resident challenges the interpretation and the RNC's contest committee rules in that party's favor.

So, (1) Right now it's winner take all, (2) It's potentially possible that at some point the way the delegates will be allocated is overturned.

But again: (1) That's not the CURRENT rule, and (2) If there was a change, it wouldn't happen until the August convention.

"The Florida state party submitted a plan to the RNC that included Winner Take All delegate allocation," an RNC official told First Read "They lost 50 percent of their delegates because they submitted a WTA plan before the stated April 1st rule date. The only way for Florida's delegate allocation to change from winner take all at this point is for a resident of Florida to bring a contest to the RNC meeting in Tampa this summer and the contest committee will review it. Just because a contest is brought to the committee doesn't mean the committee will rule in their favor."

To better understand this, let's get into the details:

Florida violated two clauses within one rule (Rule 15b).

1. Going too early (before March 6), and
2. Submitting a plan for a winner-take-all contest even though no state that goes before April 1 should be winner-take-all.

The reason Florida was allowed to continue to have a winner-take-all contest is, because, according to the RNC's interpretation of the enforcement rule (16a), Florida only violated one rule (two clauses within the same rule, but still one rule). 16a talks about what happens if a state violates 15b, not two portions of 15b, according to their interpretation.

"It's a technicality, but, technically, it's one rule they broke -- not two separate ones," another RNC official said.

Again, it's POSSIBLE that the contest committee takes up a challenge, and it's possible that they would then revert to making Florida's allocation proportional. But it is incorrect to say that "currently" the rule IS proportional. It is winner take all.

RULE NO. 15
Election, Selection, Allocation, or Binding of
Delegates and Alternate Delegates

(b) Timing.* (Revised language was adopted
by the Republican National Committee on August 6,
2010)

(1) No primary, caucus, or
convention to elect, select, allocate, or bind delegates to
the national convention shall occur prior to the first
Tuesday in March in the year in which a national
convention is held. Except Iowa, New Hampshire,
South Carolina, and Nevada may begin their processes
at any time on or after February 1 in the year in which a
national convention is held and shall not be subject to
the provisions of paragraph (b)(2) of this rule.

(2) Any presidential primary,
caucus, convention, or other meeting held for the
purpose of selecting delegates to the national
convention which occurs prior to the first day of April
in the year in which the national convention is held,
shall provide for the allocation of delegates on a
proportional basis.

RULE NO. 16
Enforcement of Rules
(a) If any state or state Republican Party
violates The Rules of the Republican Party relating to
the timing of the election or selection process with the
result that any delegate from that state to the national
convention is bound by statute or rule to vote for a
presidential nominee selected or determined before the
first day of the month in which that state is authorized
by Rule No. 15(b) to vote for a presidential candidate
and/or elect, select, allocate, or bind delegates or
alternate delegates to the national convention, the
number of delegates to the national convention from
that state shall be reduced by fifty percent (50%), and
the corresponding alternate delegates also shall be
reduced by the same percentage. Any sum presenting a
fraction shall be increased to the next whole number.
No delegation shall be reduced to less than two (2)
delegates and a corresponding number of alternates.

Emmanuel Dunand / AFP - Getty Images

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney supporters attend a campaign rally at Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages, Florida, Jan. 30, 2012.

Mitt Romney could reassert his status as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination with a win Tuesday night in Florida, where the former Massachusetts governor has waged a pitched battle against Newt Gingrich.

A number of polls indicate that Romney appears headed toward a victory over Gingrich in the Sunshine State. Most polls have Romney leading the former House speaker by a double-digit margin, signifying a remarkable change in momentum since Gingrich decisively won the South Carolina primary on Jan. 21.

NBC/Marist poll: Romney up 15 points over Gingrich in Fla.

But the campaign isn't yet on the verge of a quick or neat conclusion. Gingrich remains defiant in his bid to fight Romney, while the other remaining contenders -- Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- show no signs of ending their White House bids.

Nonetheless, the former governor has sought to rebuild his advantage in the race by essentially bludgeoning Gingrich, marking a departure in strategy for the Romney organization, which had been almost exclusively focused on targeting President Barack Obama and running a campaign with the tone of a presumptive nominee.

Of late, the Romney campaign is seeking to remind Republican voters of the heavy baggage Gingrich accumulated as speaker during the 1990s, a message easily pushed with a sizable war chest and the backing of Restore Our Future, a super PAC spending on the former Massachusetts governor's behalf.

Together, this spending from the Romney campaign and the super PAC has heavily outpaced the Gingrich campaign and a pro-Gingrich super PAC. The difference in these campaign expenditures is especially pronounced in a state like Florida -- a large, diverse state with several large media markets, where TV advertising makes a difference. 

To that end, the bruising 10 days in the campaign appears to have worked; the NBC News-Marist poll conducted over the weekend found Romney at 42 percent in Florida, followed by Gingrich at 27 percent. This contrasts with polls released immediately following the South Carolina primary, which reflected a close race in the Sunshine State.

Ahead in new polls Romney aims for Newt knockout

A strong win in Florida would, if nothing else, make Romney the titular leader in the race for the nomination. The state's 50 delegates -- the most allotted by any contest so far in January -- are awarded entirely to the winner of the primary.

Romney has appeared confident on the campaign trail as of late, tweaking Gingrich gleefully, and even going so far as to sing lines from "America the Beautiful" on Monday.

"I know the speaker is not real happy," Romney said Monday in Dunedin. "He's not feeling really excited these days. I know, it's sad. He's been flailing around a bit, trying to go after me for one thing or another. You just watch and shake your head."

But victory would also give Romney a kind of imprimatur coming out of the gauntlet of early January primaries going into a relatively dead period for the campaign over the next month.

Nevada and Maine host caucuses on Saturday; Romney won in the former (which has a sizable Mormon population) in 2008. Colorado and Minnesota each hold caucuses on Feb. 7, too. Because caucuses typically favor candidates with money and organization, Romney and Ron Paul, who's focused intently on those contests, are expected to perform best.

Those are the only nominating contests until late February, when Arizona and Michigan host its primaries. The Wolverine State is expected to strongly favor Romney -- it's where he was raised and his father served as governor.

The structure of the calendar means that Romney could work to secure a stranglehold on the race for the nomination or, if nothing else, dismiss competitors like Gingrich with the kind of relentless advertising that took its toll on the former speaker in the last week.

The prospect of defeat has done little, however, to deter Gingrich, who vowed this past weekend to take his campaign "all the way to the convention."

Gingrich: Race will go to 'June or July'

I’m not going to lose big here,” Gingrich told reporters Tuesday in Orlando, predicting his campaign would last "probably six months -- probably June or July -- unless Mitt Romney drops out earlier.”

Gingrich has rallied anti-establishment-minded conservatives to his candidacy, collecting endorsements from Herman Cain and former Sen. Fred Thompson, and even qualified support from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

Gingrich has complained vocally in Florida about the type of attacks he's faced over the airwaves, similar to the frustration he spoke of in Iowa, when, during the a similar boomlet for his campaign, negative ads and attacks from Republican competitors deflated his support.

The attacks have prompted Gingrich to respond in kind, labeling Romney as a "Massachusetts liberal" and accusing him of supporting policies anathema to Republican voters.

"Why would anybody in the establishment think that a Massachusetts moderate, which is a liberal by Republican standards -- pro-abortion, pro gun control, pro tax increase, pro gay rights -- why would they think that he's going to be able to debate Barack Obama," Gingrich said Monday in Jacksonville.

But the former speaker's effort to rally conservatives behind his candidacy could continue to be complicated by persistance from Paul and Santorum. Paul is poised to pick off some delegates in several caucuses, and Santorum has already started campaigning in Minnesota, and will spend all of the Florida primary day in Colorado.

By Bill Dedman, msnbc.com, and Lisa Riordan Seville, NBC News

A Super PAC supporting Jon Huntsman Jr., the former candidate in the Republican presidential primary, has filed its annual report of donors, showing that the candidate's father provided 70 percent of its support.

Jon Huntsman Sr., who founded chemical company Huntsman Corp., gave $1,887,040 to the Our Destiny PAC in the last quarter of 2011.

Our Destiny PAC showed 2,680,560 in receipts during 2011. Other money may have come in during the first month of 2012, not yet reported.

Other top donors included:

• Peter Arnott, Research Affiliates, $250,000
• C. Boyden Gray, attorney, $50,000
• Craig McCaw and Susan McCaw (McCaw Cellular), $75,000
• William E. Oberndorf, SPO Partners, $50,000
• James R. Swartz, Accel Management Co., $100,000
• Nicholas F. Taubman, Mozart Investments, $50,000
• Christy R. Walton, Wal-Mart heir and philanthropist, $50,000
• Jim Walton, Wal-Mart heir and Arvest Bank chairman, $100,000

Susan McCaw is a former U.S. ambassador to Austria. Craig McCaw is the founder of McCaw Cellular, a mobile phone company now a part of AT&T. McCaw had a net worth of about $1.6 billion as of September, according to Forbes.

The candidate's full report is here.

Tuesday is the day for the so-called Super PACS to file an annual report of donors. NBC News and msnbc.com will be scouring the filings, and posting details. We'll have updates on msnbc.com, and could always use your help identifying the economic and political interests behind the names.

The political action committees must disclose by midnight tonight who gave them money, and how much they spent to support or oppose candidates in the presidential race, including the Republican candidates and President Obama as well.

The official deadline for filing is midnight ET (12 a.m. Wednesday), so reports may trickle in. And it wouldn't surprise us if some campaigns file late tonight as attention is focused on voting results in the Florida Republican primary.

Super PACS are known to the Federal Election Commission as independent committees, because they are forbidden to coordinate their activities with campaigns. Outside the limits of campaign finance laws, Super PACs may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, associations and individuals. They can use that money to advocate for or against political candidates.

Read more about the reports filed Tuesday:

After TV cameras leave, Romney PAC discloses $18 million

Spielberg, labor union are big backers of Obama Super PAC

Perry PAC's $1 million donor got help with nuclear waste dump

Major GOP Super PAC raised $51 million in 2011

Not 'Desperate' for cash: Obama lists his big fundraisers

Colbert Super PAC raises $1 million; non-satirical PACs to follow

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and his wife Callista greet supporters and pose for photographs outside a polling place on primary day in Celebration, Fla.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Jean Richard-Houck sits on her mobility scooter as she watches Newt Gingrich greet voters at the Celebration Heritage Hall polling precinct in Celebration, Fla.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney works the phones for votes at his campaign headquarters on Jan. 31, 2012 in Tampa, Fla. Romney has a double-digit lead going into the primary.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich visits with people at Fred's Southern Kitchen on Jan. 31, 2012 in Plant City, Fla.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

A voter arrives at a polling station on primary day on Jan. 31, in Tampa, Florida. Republican voters head to the polls as their party continues the process of deciding who will be their general election candidate against President Barack Obama.

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

Security guards for Republican presidential candidate and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich push Ron Paul supporter Eddie Dillard of Orlando away from Gingrich as he campaigns on primary day outside a polling place at First Baptist Church of Windermere on Jan. 31 in Orlando, Florida. Dillard had been at the polling place all morning when Gingrich stood in front of him to pose for photographs. Gingrich supporters then began shoving Dillard and stepping on his feet when security came over and pushed him back. Polls show Gingrich's fellow candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, with a double digit lead going into the Florida primary.

Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

Activists from PETA dressed as pigs walk outside a polling precinct in Orlando, Florida on Jan. 31.

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Ray Roy sets up a polling station as he prepares for voters on primary day on Jan. 31 in Tampa, Florida. Republican voters head to the polls as their party continues the process of deciding who will be their general election candidate against President Barack Obama.

• It's decision day in Florida and the latest poll shows Romney leading.
• Is Florida the beginning of the end of the GOP nominating season?
• Is the long primary fight hurting Mitt Romney's image with voters?
• Gingrich is confident despite Florida polls. Can he last?

Report: US deficit falls slightly to $1.1 trillion

After weeks of controversy following the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, Matt Strawn, the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, today said he will step down from his role with the party at the end of next week.
 
Strawn, who has served as the GOP chairman in the first-in-the-nation caucus state since 2009, announced his resignation in a statement. “It is only because the Iowa GOP has returned as a strong and relevant voice in Iowa politics that I am now able to evaluate all the competing priorities in my personal, business and political life."

He added, "The party is strong and has the resources in place for victory in November. Now is the time to transition to new leadership."
 
Strawn's resignation is effective Friday, Feb. 10.

Mitt Romney was declared the winner of the caucus by a mere eight votes during the wee hours of the morning on caucus night. After the certified results came in nearly two weeks later, Rick Santorum pulled ahead of Romney by 34 votes.

The Iowa GOP was also never able to account for all 1,774 precincts –- 8 precinct votes could not be tabulated because the Form Es were not collected.
 
On Jan. 19, the Iowa GOP sent out a press release congratulating both Santorum and Romney on their performance in Iowa, but did not declare a winner despite Santorum being ahead by 34 votes.
 
The Santorum campaign and supporters were unhappy with the lack of official word declaring their candidate the winner.
 
Later that day, however, Strawn went on an Iowa radio station and began to change his tone on the subject -- and leaned towards saying Santorum was the winner.
 
This switch brought additional criticisms of the chairman as well –- and confusion nationally as to who was the true winner in Iowa.
 
The Iowa GOP was forced to send a press release on Jan. 20 stating: "In order to clarify conflicting reports and to affirm the results released Jan. 18 by the Republican Party of Iowa, Chairman Matthew Strawn and the State Central Committee declared Senator Rick Santorum the winner of the 2012 Iowa Caucus."
 
But many in Iowa are sad to see Strawn step down.
 
"For three years, Matt's focus on fundraising and voter registration was unparalleled. Because of him, the Iowa GOP is better prepared to go in to the 2012 elections,” State Central Committee member Tim Moran told NBC News. "I wish him well as he prepares for the next stage of his life"
 
The Governor of Iowa also thanked the Chairman for his dedication to the state.
 
“I want to thank Matt Strawn for his three years of leadership at the Republican Party of Iowa. Matt took over at a time when the party was in desperate shape, and rebuilt it precinct-by-precinct, putting it in the strongest position in years,” Gov. Terry Branstad said in a written statement. “Matt’s leadership will be missed, but I am confident a smooth transition will take place at the Republican Party of Iowa and we will continue our party’s successes this November.”
 
The State Central Committee will be tasked with electing Strawn’s replacement. The next quarterly meeting is scheduled for Feb. 11.

A new budget report released Tuesday predicts the U.S. government will run a $1.1 trillion deficit in the fiscal year that ends in September, a slight dip from last year but still very high by any measure. A previous estimate was for $973 billion. 

The Congressional Budget Office report also says that annual deficits will remain in the $1 trillion range for the next several years if Bush-era tax cuts slated to expire in December are extended, as commonly assumed. The CBO is a non-partisan budget analyst for Congress.

If the CBO estimate for this year's deficit proves accurate, fiscal year 2012 would be the fourth consecutive year of federal budget deficits topping $1 trillion. The shortfall registered $1.3 trillion in fiscal 2011, up from $1.29 trillion in 2010. It reached $1.42 trillion in 2009, the highest ever.

The report is yet another reminder of the perilous fiscal situation the government is in, but it is commonly assumed that little will be accomplished on the deficit issue during an election year.   

The study also predicts modest economic growth of 2 percent this year and forecasts that the unemployment rate will remain above 8 percent this year. That is based on an assumption that President Barack Obama will fail to win renewal of payroll tax cuts and jobless benefits by the end of next month.   

The CBO report projects the unemployment rate will gradually decline to around 7 percent by the end of 2015, before dropping to near 5.5 percent by the end of 2017.  Inflation and interest rates will remain low during the next few years.

The new figures also show that last summer's budget and debt pact has barely made a dent in the government's fiscal woes.   

The pact imposed $2.1 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, but the latest estimates predict $11 trillion in accumulated deficits over the 2013-2022 time frame if the Bush-era cuts in taxes on income, investments, large estates and on families with children are renewed. Obama has proposed largely extending them, but allowing them to expire for upper-income taxpayers.   

The deficit would require the government to borrow 30 cents of every dollar it spends. Put another way, the deficit will reach 7 percent of the size of the economy, a slight dip from last year's 8.7 percent of gross domestic product. 

Vote: How would you close the budget gap?

The CBO report shows that the deficit dilemma would largely be solved if the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 -- and renewed in 2010 through the end of this year -- were allowed to lapse. Under that scenario, the deficit would drop to $585 billion in 2013 and to $220 billion in 2017.

Congress is expected to extend at least some of those tax cuts by the end of this year. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News

• New airline rules give meaning to price tags
• Is the Florida primary the beginning of the end?
• 'I'm very alive': Army veteran declared dead 4 times
• Real-life nightmare: Car lands on sleeping man

Newt Gingrich

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich faces a lawsuit over his use of "Eye of the Tiger," the theme song to the movie "Rocky III," court documents show.

The claim for copyright infringement, lodged on Monday by Rude Music Inc in an Illinois federal court, relates to Gingrich's use of the song at his political rallies.

Rude Music Inc is owned by Frank Sullivan, who co-wrote the Grammy-award winning song. In addition to Gingrich, the complaint names his campaign, Newt 2012 Inc, and the American Conservative Union, an advocacy organization, as defendents.

The complaint states that the violation it alleges is intentional since Gingrich is "sophisticated and knowledgeable" concerning copyright laws. Rude Music Inc has requested the court to order an end to unauthorized use of the song by the defendents, and to award Rude Music Inc damages.

A Gingrich campaign spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Do you think politicians intentionally use music without permission and just figure they'll get away with it for as long as they can, or was this an honest mistake? Tell us on Facebook.

Related content:

• Colbert reports SuperPAC now over $1 million
• Gene Simmons is a Mitt Romney fan
• Who knew President Obama could sing?
• Kimmel mashes up GOP debate with 'Jersey Shore'

Joe Raedle / Getty Images

Ray Roy sets up a polling station as they prepare for voters on primary day on Jan. 31, 2012 in Tampa, Florida.

Will tonight’s Florida primary mark the beginning of the end of the GOP nominating season?... Or just the end of the beginning?... Polls close at 7:00 pm local, but because some Florida counties are in CST, networks won’t call the race until 8:00 pm ET at the earliest… Will February be the cruelest month for Gingrich?... And will it allow for Romney to do something BIG?... Romney’s balancing act… His negatives spike with indies… An ideological split over unemployment benefits… And OR-1 and FEC filing day.

*** The beginning of the end? With Mitt Romney’s expected victory at tonight’s Florida primary, The New York Times asks a very good question: Will it mark the beginning of the end of the GOP nominating season, or will it merely signal the end of the beginning? On the one hand, Romney winning Florida would give him a victory in the largest, most diverse, and electorally important state so far. It would demonstrate his ability to bounce back from a major setback (the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary), as well as his organizational and financial strength. And, as our recent NBC/Marist poll suggests, a Romney win in Florida would represent his most impressive showing with conservative GOP voters outside of New England. As we’ve written before, Romney wouldn’t ever be a shoo-in for the Republican nomination until he won a GOP contest with support from the conservative/Tea Party base of the party. Florida might give him that kind of victory tonight.

*** Or is it just the end of the beginning? On the other hand, you could argue that the Republican nominating contest is far from being over. For starters, Newt Gingrich has vowed to “go all the way to the convention.” After all, Hell hath no fury like a presidential candidate who believes he’s been scorned. Ron Paul’s campaign will continue, too. Remember, even after John Kerry won all the early contests in ’04, Howard Dean didn’t end his campaign until after Super Tuesday and after Wisconsin. What’s more, there’s a LONG way to go mathematically. After tonight’s contest, just 115 delegates (or projected delegates) will have been awarded, but it officially will take 1,144 delegates out of a total of 2,286 to clinch the nomination. So we’re just 5% of the way through, and don’t be surprised if you hear that stat from Gingrich today. Finally, every time we think this race (or Newt Gingrich, for that matter) is over, we find out we’re wrong. And why are we wrong? Because it's clear the activist conservative base (read: tea party) just isn't satisified with Romney and they aren't going to roll over this fast. What has been clear is that this Republican nominating contest -- even if we’re just 5% of the way finished -- has taken a toll on Romney, especially among independents (more on that below).

*** The skinny on tonight’s primary: Polls close tonight in Florida at 7:00 pm local. Yet because some of the state’s counties are in the Central Time Zone, that means the earliest the networks can call the race is at 8:00 pm ET. At stake are 50 delegates (Florida lost half of total when it was penalized for moving up to Jan. 31), and it’s winner take all.

*** Will February be the cruelest month for Gingrich? As we’ve said before, February promises to be a cruel month for Gingrich and a pretty good one for Romney. Per NBC’s John Bailey, the next contests are Nevada and Maine (Feb. 4); Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri (Feb. 7); and Arizona and Michigan (Feb. 28). After all, Romney won Nevada -- which has a large Mormon population -- four years ago, and he also won in his home state of Michigan. In addition, the caucus format in Maine, Colorado, and Minnesota will benefit strong, organized campaigns like Romney’s and Paul’s. Note: Missouri’s primary on Feb. 7 is non-binding; its results have no bearing on allocating the state’s delegates. Lucky for Gingrich, that's the case since he's NOT on that beauty contest ballot.

*** Will February allow for Romney to do something big? So we all know that February is going to be a cruel month for Gingrich. But what does Romney do in the meantime to improve some of his shortcomings? It almost seems as if Romney needs to do something BIG, something that adds to his narrative – which, right now, is that he’s a really rich guy who understands how the economy works (though Dems would add "how the economy works for HIM). What is the lesson we learned from Herman Cain? He took off (albeit temporarily) because he was selling something big (his 9-9-9 flat tax plan). By the way, when was the last time Romney talked about his 59-point economic plan?

*** Romney’s balance-beam act: Right now, Newt Gingrich has an interesting assortment of allies. Fred Thompson. Herman Cain. Michael Reagan. What do these folks have in common? They are conservative talk-radio heroes. (And you could even add Sarah Palin, who wants the GOP nominating contest to continue, to this group.) This presents a challenge for Romney: Yes, the lesson he and his campaign learned from South Carolina is that they have to continue to pummel Gingrich, and the Romney campaign today is holding a conference call with Nevada allies to hammer Newt in that state. But at the same time, Team Romney can’t entirely alienate Gingrich and his conservative supporters. So how does he walk that fine line? He eventually needs these folks in the tent.

Slideshow: Mitt Romney's life in politics

Jonathan Ernst / Getty Images

From governor's son to presidential contender, a look at the life of Republican Mitt Romney.

Launch slideshow

*** Romney’s negatives spike with independents: It’s also clear that this whole race -- at least so far -- hasn’t helped Romney’s image among the very people needs to win over if he’s the GOP nominee: independents. According to our recent NBC/WSJ poll, Romney’s negatives with independents jumped 13 points in the past month -- which saw eight nationally televised debates since our last poll, as well as now four bitter GOP contests -- and 20 points since November. In November’s poll, he stood at 21%/22% with indies; by December, it was 21%/29%; and last week, he was 22%/42%. (Full write up here.) That should be a major red flag for the Romney campaign. One thing’s clear: Romney might have emerged as a better debater from the bruising primary process, but it has taken a toll on his image with the middle. And there’s probably no one who wants this fight over with sooner that Romney.

*** Ideological split over unemployment benefits: At first glance at two policy questions in the NBC/WSJ poll, there appears to be broad support for extending the payroll tax cut until the end of the year (55% good idea, 17% bad idea) and continuing to provide unemployment benefits for those out of work up to 99 weeks (52%/33%). But when you dig into the numbers, very different pictures emerge. For the payroll tax cut, support is broad and non-ideological. But for unemployment benefits, it’s the opposite -- a real partisan divide emerges. Among Democrats, it’s 69%/18%, independents 57%/26%. But with Republicans, the idea is wildly unpopular -- 29%/55%. It also breaks down along racial lines, with whites being much less likely to think it’s a good idea (47%/38%) versus African Americans (78%/11%) and Hispanics (56%/25%). Interestingly, among those who think the economy will get better over the next 12 months, 65% say it’s a good idea. But among those who say the economy will get worse, just 35% say so.

*** On the trail: Before tonight’s polls close in Florida, Gingrich makes a handful of stops in the Sunshine State… Santorum holds his primary-night watch party in Nevada -- not Florida… And Ron Paul stumps in Colorado.

Slideshow: Newt Gingrich

Duricka / AP

Historian, author, member of Congress and speaker of the House — a look back at his public life.

Launch slideshow

*** OR-1 and FEC filing day: Also, don’t forget that today’s the special congressional election to fill David Wu’s vacant seat in Oregon. Politico: “Democrat Suzanne Bonamici holds a comfortable lead over Republican Rob Cornilles in public polling heading into the last day of balloting in the vote-by-mail special election to replace disgraced former Democratic Rep. David Wu. Republicans glumly acknowledge there’s little reason to expect the kind of upset the GOP scored last fall.” The DCCC spent A LOT of money on this race; some might argue TOO much. But as they will argue, a loss of this special would have been DEVASTATING to their national narrative of keeping the House in play. So overpaying to avoid that storyline was worth it to them. And it’s FEC filing day, and we’ll also be able to see the contributions to the Super PACs.Countdown to Nevada caucuses: 4 days

Countdown to Super Tuesday: 35 days
Countdown to Election Day: 280 days

Click here to sign up for First Read emails.
Text FIRST to 622639, to sign up for First Read alerts to your mobile phone.
Check us out on Facebook and also on Twitter. Follow us @chucktodd, @mmurraypolitics, @DomenicoNBC, @brookebrower

The White House is criticizing comments by the Republican National Committee chairman comparing President Barack Obama to the Italian cruise ship captain who allegedly abandoned his sinking ship.

RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation" that Obama was "our own little Captain Schettino." Priebus accused Obama of abandoning ship in the U.S. and spending more time on his re-election campaign.

Former RNC Chairman Michael Steele told MSNBC the analogy was "unfortunate."

In response, White House press secretary Jay Carney said: "If you are so desperate for attention that you make an analogy that Michael Steele deems inappropriate, you know you've probably gone too far."

Sixteen people remain unaccounted for and are presumed dead in the shipwreck of the Costa Concordia.

RELATED:

• Brzezinski calls comparison "gutter politics," "despicable"