Mitt Romney is the current frontrunner for the Republican Party presidential nomination, having taken first place in New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada. But with more than 40 states that have not yet voted, it’s still much too early to declare a winner.

Aside from Romney, there are three other candidates left in the running: Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul and Rich Santorum.

Gingrich, who won South Carolina in an unexpected landslide, is considered the other main contender for the candidacy. However, both Gingrich and Romney have drawn heavy criticism for recent comments. Speaking to a Florida audience, Gingrich made headlines when he suggested that under his presidency, citizens could expect a moon base by the year 2020.

“By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon, and it will be American,” said Gingrich.

The speech also gave loose details on plans for a spaceship that could depart from the moon and travel to Mars. Gingrich’s lunar ambitions have become a popular subject in negative campaign ads.

A comment made by Romney may have attracted more negative attention, however. In a mishap during an interview with CNN, he said he’s not concerned about the very poor.

“I’m in this race because I care about Americans. I’m not concerned about the very poor, we have a safety net there and if it needs repair I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the heart of America [the middleclass],” said Romney.

Romney has since backtracked, claiming that he misspoke, but critics have used the comment to depict Romney as so rich and privileged that he is disconnected from the realities of economic hardship.

“People of lower income are not on Romney’s radar,” said former Mayor of Cincinnati and popular talk show host, Jerry Springer. “Probably in his everyday life, before he started running for president, he didn’t even think about (them), they’re not a part of his world view…he doesn’t relate to them.”

The early infighting between the GOP’s two major contenders may be just what the underdog candidates need to make a push into prominence.

Paul and Santorum are bringing up the rear in delegates, but it is far too early in the process to count anyone out. Santorum actually won the first primary of the election process in Iowa, narrowly beating Romney by 1.1 percent of the vote. Paul’s grassroots support has gotten stronger since the 2008 campaign, and he is receiving much more attention from the media.