[John Roberts, Cnn Anchor:] And good morning to you, Kiran. I'm John Roberts. We're here at the Atlanta Diner in Atlanta, Georgia, big southern state up for grabs. For the Democrats, 87 delegates at stake. For the Republicans, it's 72. The race is extremely close on the Republican side. Just outside the margin of error in some of the polls with John McCain leading. Mitt Romney coming in second and Mike Huckabee, a very close third. On the Democratic side, this is a state where Barack Obama has got a big advantage. We'll see if he can hang on to that today as people go to the polls. Polls close tonight at 7:00. The returns will start coming in. So, Kiran, this is going to be a big day. We're here at the diner. People are going to come in, fuel up, make their last-minute decisions and then head out to the polls. Back up to you there in Harlem.
[Kiran Chetry, Cnn Anchor:] Yes, our in the 2008 race for president and we'll be figuring out more about exactly how it all shook out, late, late tonight, perhaps into the morning. That's why CNN is going to continue to be live for the next 40 hours to bring you all the latest information. This is interesting because this area is sort of known as Clinton country if you will. Former Bill Clinton's offices about 20 blocks away from here. There are 4,000 registered voters that are going to be coming to this poll that opens. It's actually open right now, and behind me, a little bit of a bustle of activity. So a lot going on here and it's all as close as we'll come to a national primary. There are today 24 states up for grabs, and we're live across the board. One thousand six hundred eighty-one delegates available for the Democrats, and 1,020 delegates for the Republicans. And the polls are opening right now in Connecticut, in New Jersey. Right here in New York as we said, we'll be checking with voters and our reporters across the country as more states open their polls throughout the morning. All the top candidates are from Super Tuesday states. They are voting and they're also talking with us today. In fact, we're going to be joined by many of them. Mitt Romney will start in West Virginia before heading back to Massachusetts. We're going to talk to him live at 7:30. Senator John McCain starts the day with a rally in New York City before heading home to Phoenix. And Mike Huckabee is also in West Virginia before heading back to Little Rock, Arkansas. Senator Hillary Clinton, by the way, staying home. She is in New York and she's going to be joining us in just about 10 minutes before she makes her way to her own polling site in Chappaqua, New York, just a little bit north of Manhattan. We're going to be speaking to Senator Barack Obama as well, live at 7:50 Eastern before he heads home to Chicago. So, it's really one of those days where you fasten your seatbelt. A lot going on this morning, and we hope to bring you another look at the candidates, maybe weigh in on some of those big issues before you, like many of the people today, are going to be going to the polls themselves, John.
[Roberts:] We're looking forward to all of that. Hillary Clinton up very early today. And we've got our team on the issues and talking to voters from coast-to-coast. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Gerri Willis join us here in Atlanta. Chris Lawrence is in San Francisco this morning. Ed Lavandera in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Mary Snow is in Charleston, West Virginia. Jason Carroll in Fort Lee, New Jersey, and Suzanne Malveaux is in Boston. And that's where we begin this morning. Polls in Massachusetts open at 7:00 Eastern. Forty delegates at stake for the Republicans, 93 for the Democrats. Suzanne Malveaux is in Boston. And, Suzanne, Senators Obama and Clinton in a fight for those delegates across the northeast. What's the message that they're out there with in these last 24 hours?
[Susan Malveaux, Cnn Correspondent:] Well, John, I guess we're all up real early and we'll be continuing through the next 40 hours or so as the candidates are. And really the messages have been consistent. It's really about experience versus change, and at least that is the way they've formulated the debate here. Obviously, they have crisscrossed the country. They have spent millions of dollars in advertising. They've used rap videos, town hall meetings, all this to try to get voters to understand their positions on the issues. The three things we're going to be looking for is obviously who wins the most states, who wins the most delegates and who wins the mother load of delegates. That is California, some 370. Now, both Senator Clinton and Barack Obama do not expect that this race is going to be over today. Rather, they predict that they're going to split the vote. They're not going to get the majority necessary for the nomination. That this is a contest that will continue. But this is what they're talking about. They really want the candidates rather the voters, to know them. And this is how they've arranged and presented their closing arguments.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] I've been to more than 82 countries as first lady and as senator. I know a lot of the leaders, and I think the world will let out a sigh of relief when George Bush leaves the White House. So we can begin to work with each other again.
[Sen. Barack Obama , Presidential Candidate:] I was convinced that the American people desperately wanted something new that they were hungry for something different, that they didn't want a politics that involved tearing each other down, but wanted a politics that would lift the country up.
[Malveaux:] John, already the Obama campaign trying to lower expectations for today. They say they fully expect that Senator Clinton is going to get more states and more delegates. But if Obama can come within 100 delegates of Clinton and also win some states, they feel that that will really reach a threshold for success and that they'll be in a better position, a good position to win the nomination down the road. So what we're looking at is not only the numbers here, but also the perceptions, the expectation game, in terms of where they go forward. If they convince voters that they are the candidates that is electable, that they're the ones that have won the states where Republicans and independents may cross over, that is equally important as the numbers today, John.
[Roberts:] And who needs to turn out for Obama for his campaign to have a good day?
[Malveaux:] Well, he absolutely needs young voters to turn out. New voters, he's been very strong. He needs more women voters to raise those numbers. He needs more Latino voters to raise those numbers as well. And he also needs some of those Republican and crossover voters, the independents in some of those caucus states. That is what they're hoping for. A performance well in the caucus states where you have other voters who can cross over into the Democratic process, an open process. And that is going to be his coalition that he is looking at John.
[Roberts:] Suzanne Malveaux for us this morning. Suzanne, thanks very much. We'll check back in with you a little bit later on as we get into Super Tuesday here. Hillary Clinton took a break from the campaign trail last evening, appearing on "The Late Show with David Letterman." She got to show the audience her lighter side when Letterman asked whether she and Barack Obama would ever share the Democratic ticket.
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] I've been giving a lot of careful consideration to that, and it's really down to you and Regis.
[David Letterman, Host, "the Late Show With David Letterman":] Well, you know, Regis is elderly.
[Roberts:] So Barack Obama obviously going to have to get in line there. Clinton also did answer serious questions about issues like home foreclosures and health care. And now it's back to Harlem and here's Kiran. Hey, Kiran.
[Chetry:] Hey, John. You know, on the Republican side, Mitt Romney is promising a Super Tuesday surprise saying don't count on a McCain sweep. Romney told voters in Oklahoma that he's the true conservative choice and the man who can protect their money.
[Mitt Romney , Presidential Candidate:] How executive leadership works, you've got to get out of the Senate and the House where you're there with what? Hundreds of other people voting yes or no, serving on committees. But the real economy is where I've been, it's where these folks have been and we need to have somebody from the real economy, in my view, go to Washington and make sure we keep the real economy strong.
[Chetry:] Senator McCain also heads to California later today after picking up an endorsement from former New York Governor George Pataki. Pataki says no one is better quipped to keep the country safe. McCain told the crowd that a vote for him means keeping more personal freedom.
[Sen. John Mccain , Presidential Candidate:] We'll have a vigorous debate, and it will be all about a conservative Republican philosophy or a big government liberal Democrat philosophy. And I'm confident the American people will choose to let American families to make the choices for themselves in America rather than the government do that.
[Chetry:] Senator McCain will head home to Arizona after a rally in San Diego. And things are getting interesting in New Jersey as well. Fifty- two delegates at stake for Republicans, 107 for Democrats. But unlike the primaries in New York and Connecticut, independents can go to the polls in New Jersey today. CNN's Jason Carroll is live in Fort Lee where polls just opened. Hey, Jason.
[Jason Carroll, Cnn Correspondent:] And hello to you, Kiran. You know, independents can show up at the polls here. But just to clarify, once they do get here, they have to declare themselves either Republican or Democrat in order to vote. Let me set the scene for where we are here in Fort Lee. You can take a look. You can see a number of the volunteers are already set up and ready to go, ready to meet voters here at this fire station, which is now a polling place. You know, Kiran, New Jersey actually moved its primary up so they could try to have more impact on the presidential nominee. And this year, the state really got its wish. The Democratic race, too close to call here in the state. Senator Barack Obama campaigned in East Rutherford yesterday where he was joined by Senator Edward Kennedy. It was the second major rally that he attended in northern Jersey just in the past month. Senator Clinton supporters say, look, they have a slight lead here in the state. Even so, they sent Chelsea Clinton out to campaign at the last minute. Also in terms of last-minute campaigners, Senator John McCain was here in the state as well. He holds by many polls a double-digit lead over Romney. But still, McCain stopped through a Trenton suburb yesterday and did a lot of last-minute campaigning there yesterday. What it will all come down to, Kiran, is what happens when voters end up here at polling places like this one here in Fort Lee. In the past, voter turnout has been low. But since the primary has moved up, Kiran, folks here in the state expecting voter turnout to be much, much higher. The polls open just a little after 6:00 a.m. They got things together here. They're ready to meet voters. Polls here will stay open until 8:00 p.m. Kiran.
[Chetry:] Jason Carroll for us in Fort Lee, New Jersey, this morning. Thanks John.
[Roberts:] Coming up on 10 minutes after the hour now, Kiran. And coming up, we are live with three possible presidents. Hillary Clinton joins us in the next few minutes. Mitt Romney will be with us. It's 7:30 Eastern. Barack Obama is our guest. It's 7:50 Eastern. We'll give you a final chance to hear from the candidates this morning at length and detail about the issues before you go out and make your choice today. CNN is your election headquarters throughout this Super Tuesday and into Super Wednesday. Forty nonstop hours of coverage beginning right now, and we'll have returns tomorrow morning, a special early start to AMERICAN MORNING at 5:00 a.m. Eastern here on the "Most Politics in the Morning." Television shows and movies could go back into production soon. We will tell you about a possible deal in the writers strike. Plus, Hillary Clinton one-on-one. Can her voice hold out to Super Tuesday? And what was going through her mind during another emotional moment on the campaign trail on Monday?
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] I said I would not tear up. Already, we're not exactly on that path.
[Roberts:] We're going to talk live with Senator Clinton about the issues including her plan to make sure that all Americans have health care coverage. That's emerging as one of the dominant issues on this Democratic campaign. Three potential presidents joining us on this special Super Tuesday edition of AMERICAN MORNING. Stay with us. We will be right back.