As various polls monitoring the Florida Republican primary predicted over the past week, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney soundly defeated former House Speaker Newt Gingrich by 14 points, 46 to 32 percent, on Tuesday night.

Despite Gingrich's massive Florida defeat, when he addressed his supporters Tuesday night after Romney's victory was assured, he remained resolute. He confirmed that he would not be leaving the primary race and even spoke of how he would commence his presidency "when elected"' in November.

With the campaign in Florida boiled down to a battle between Romney and Gingrich, the other rival candidates were overshadowed. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum received 13 percent of the votes while Texas Congressman Ron Paul received seven percent. Both men also indicated they had no intention of dropping out of the Republican nomination race, and both also virtually ignored the Florida primary to focus on campaigning in states holding contests in February.

Keeping American dream alive is "defining issue of our time"

Launching with his foreign policy successes – the war ending in Iraq and the killing of Osama Bin Laden – President Obama delivered his third State of the Union address before a joint sitting of Congress on Tuesday night.

He told Americans the country still faced significant challenges, but the solution was a choice between opportunities for a few or giving everyone a chance to prosper. He said the basic American dream that if one worked hard, one could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send one's kids to college and put a little away for retirement, must be kept alive. Finding a way to do this is the "defining issue of our time," he said.

"No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important," he said. "We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well, while a growing number of Americans barely get by. Or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules." What is at stake, and must be reclaimed, he said, are American values, not Democratic or Republican values.

Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich took his campaign to South Florida recently, determined to halt the momentum of main rival, Mitt Romney, for the nomination.

Gingrich appeared undaunted over the various Florida polls showing Romney leading with an average of 36 percent, compared to Gingrich's average of 23 percent, leading up to the Florida Republican primary on January 31. He is confident his message will resonate among South Florida Republicans as early voting begins on Saturday, January 21.

Addressing Republican supporters at the Versailles Restaurant in Miami's Little Havana, Gingrich severely criticized Romney as a pro-tax, pro-abortion and pro gun-control candidate. He also repeated a criticism made on the campaign trail in South Carolina – which holds its primaries on Saturday, January 21 – that as the head of the investment firm Bain Capital, Romney profited by closing companies and laying off employees.

Last week the White House announced "Summer Jobs+," the plan for businesses, non-profits, and government to work together to provide employment for low-income and disconnected youth in the summer of 2012.

The President proposed $1.5 billion for high-impact summer jobs and year-round employment for low-income youth, ages 16-24 in the American Jobs Act. When Congress failed to act, the Federal government and private sector came together to commit to creating nearly 180,000 employment opportunities for low-income youth in the summer of 2012, with a goal of reaching 250,000 opportunities by the start of summer, at least 100,000 of which will be placements in paid jobs and internships. This announcement is the latest in a series of executive actions the Obama administration is taking to strengthen the economy and provide jobs.