In California for Super Tuesday

By Samantha Hayes, Los Angeles

It is interesting to watch the way the Presidential candidates and their campaigns behave like athletes the night before the big game on the eve of Super Tuesday--that's because the stakes are so high.

John McCain was feeling superstitious again, telling reporters in New Jersey he's not ready to discuss what he'll do if he wins the nomination.  Before the New Hampshire primary  he stayed in the same hotel room as he did in 2000.

Hillary Clinton, whose much publicized emotional moment on the eve of her win in the New Hampshire primary got a little weepy-eyed again yesterday at Yale University when she was introduced by a college friend.

"Here is the abiding truth we know," said Penn Rhodeen, "you have always been a champion for children, welcome home, dear friend. We are so proud of you."

Later in the evening, Mrs. Clinton cracked jokes on David Letterman's show.

Mike Huckabee did the same on NBC's Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

All the candidates campaigned heavily on Monday. For example, Mitt Romney criss-crossed the country looking to rack up votes like frequent flyer miles.

Romney changed his travel plans to include Long Beach, Calif. after stops in Nashville and Atlanta. Romney is crunching the numbers. On Sunday, he said "this is get every delegate that you can, everyway that you possibly can."

And California is clearly a strategic state.

"If I can win California," Romney said about going to Orange County for one rally yesterday, "that means you're going to have a conservative in the White House."

Barack Obama's staff has been making it their  goal to pack arenas with thousands of people in one stop per city rallies where the feeling is more rock concert than town hall meeting.

Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe recognizes Obama's ability to "excite people," and said of a possible Clinton-Obama ticket, "how could you deny consideration of someone who has excited so many people."

In what has seemed to be a race for big name endorsements, a couple interesting ones came in Monday.

Former Senator Bill Bradley endorsed Barack Obama. Actor Jack Nicholson endorsed Hillary Clinton and the two spoke together on the Rick Dees Radio Show Monday.

Whether any of this will affect voters' decisions remains to be seen. But the candidates are convinced that every commercial, every campaign stop, every chance to influence one more voter could make a difference on the big day. And its going to be a long one.