It is Super Tuesday in the US Republican presidential nomination campaign with primary elections in 10 states.

If Mitt Romney wins he takes a big step towards the nomination. If not, he faces a long slog against Rick Santorum through the spring and into the summer.

The Today programme's James Naughtie reports from Ohio, where the election may turn.

Ohio Attorney General and Republican Mike DeWine told him that "we have to have a candidate who can appeal to blue collar workers... average people".

While Tina Brown, editor-in-chief of The Daily Beast, maintained that these elections are "all about money".

"You cannot get anyone of quality to run for office" she said, because most of the candidates time is spent "dialling for dollars" in order to raise funds.

She went on to say that many Americans are reacting against what they see as the "grotesque impact" of money on these elections and this will be a "watershed year" in rethinking the way candidates are elected.

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