Super Tuesday States Update: How do Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Ron Paul Stack up?

The Republican presidential primary is nearing the defining moment of the Super Tuesday. While Mitt Romney looks to throw rivals out of the park with emphatic wins in major Super Tuesday states, for the others, the future of their race will be decided no later than March 6.

Mitt Romney has consolidated his Super Tuesday firepower with a win in the Washington caucus, his fifth straight primary victory over close rivals.

Here's a look at the Super Tuesday states, which offer more than 430 delegates, and how each of the four GOP would-be nominees stand:

OHIO

Ohio is the most crucial for Rick Santorum who was the rising star before Arizona and Michigan. He is in dead heat with Romney, and if he loses here, the race is pretty over for him, Republican strategist Karl Rove wrote in the Wall street Journal.

According to the latest Reuters/Ipos poll, Romney has surged into a dead heat with Santorum in Ohio, setting up a cliffhanger race on Super Tuesday.

Both are tied with 32 percent of votes while Gingrich has 17 percent support and Ron Paul has 6 percent.

This race could really go either way between now and Tuesday ... If Mitt Romney is able to close this out and win this race, that gives him a leg up in going all the way to the convention and winning the Republican nomination, Ipsos pollster Chris Jackson said, according to Reuters.

GEORGIA

Gingrich has opened up a double-digit lead in his home state of Georgia. And it's so crucial for Gingrich as a strong win here could alter the race for him. Gingrich concedes that he must win here to retain the credibility of his race.

The state has the most delegates at stake, and a win here, built upon his $2.50-a-gallon gas plan, could propel another Gingrich come-from-behind run toward the nomination. Under such a scenario, fractious GOP voters would rally around Gingrich and his plan, especially as energy inflation, rising toward $4 a gallon this summer, pinches everyone from long-haul truckers to commuters, Alaska Despatch reported.

According to a Mason-Dixon Polling & Research survey conducted for the Athens Banner-Herald and the Georgia Newspaper Partnership, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum are virtually tied at 24 percent and 22 percent while Gingrich has a 38 percent support in his home state, onlineathens.com reported.

TENNESSEE

Polls show Rick Santorum is an overwhelming favorite in Tennessee. Santorum could record a double-digit victory in Tennessee's GOP primary on Super Tuesday, Kansascity.com said citing polls.

Of the 10 states voting Tuesday, Santorum has the largest lead in Tennessee and his campaign is even hoping to get the 66 percent of the vote, in which case he will romp home with all the delegates.

However, according to a YouGov poll on Thursday, Santorum has only 37 percent support while Romney has 30 percent, Gingrich 19 and Paul 15 percent.

Gingrich suffered a jolt in the state when the co-chairman of his campaign shifted floors to Santorum Saturday. Neither Romney nor Gingrich are conceding the state, but instead, getting ahead with a fierce ad war.

IDAHO

Only Ron Paul has a physical campaign office in Idaho but Romney, Santorum and Gingrich have campaigned in the state, which offers 32 delegates. It appears Idaho is the only Super Tuesday state that Ron Paul is hoping for a win and is actively campaigning there.

Paul had won second place in the 2008 Idaho GOP primary and he won a Jan. 6 straw poll of 399 Republicans, the Idaho Statesman reported.

But Romney's chances in the state cannot be written off. The most competitive of the three caucus states voting Tuesday, Idaho is friendly territory for Romney -- a quarter of the state's residents are Mormon, the Washington Post reported.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma is very crucial, especially for Santorum. If he can win here, along with Tennessee and Ohio, he will be a credible contender for the nomination.

The sate is witnessing one of the stiffest races, with all candidates except Ron Paul enjoying good support levels. According to the American Research Group survey Saturday, Santorum has 37 percent support while Romney has 26 percent and Gingrich has 22 percent support.

NORTH DAKOTA

Romney, Santorum and Ron Paul have been actively campaigning in North Dakota while Gingrich hasn't planned any visit so far. The caucus state is hard to predict.

VIRGINIA

Romney is almost certain to grab the 46 delegates from Virginia, where he was not forced to spend much time or money, according to the New York Daily News. Neither Santorum nor Gingrich got enough signatures to make it to the ballot there.

MASSACHUSSETTS

It is frontrunner Mitt Romney's home state. Romney is predicted to register solid win in the state, though he doesn't stand much of a chance in the general election. Massachusetts has voted Democratic in the last six presidential elections. According to a YouGov poll March 1, Romney led Santorum 56 percent to 16 percent.

VERMONT

Like Massachusetts, Vermont is a Romney stronghold. He is expected to romp home, and according to GOP insiders what remains to be seen is by what margin Romney will win the state. Ron Paul has considerable fan following in Vermont and this election is so far the only one which explicitly pits Paul against Romney. Santorum is also vying for the 15 percent vote share which is the threshed for picking up delegates.

ALASKA

Alaska is an interesting piece in the Super Tuesday puzzle. Ron Paul is the only candidate who ever made a plan to visit a trip up there while others sent delegates or held teleconferences. According to the Washington Post, it's a toss up there. Sara Palin has ambiguously endorsed Newt Gingrich there, but it remains to be seen how far it helps him.