Decisive victory for Romney in Republican race
Source: Agencies |
February 2, 2012, Thursday
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MITT Romney clobbered Newt Gingrich by 14 percentage points in Florida's Republican US primary vote yesterday and moved on to the next state, Nevada, with a fat campaign bankroll and a renewed sense that he is the inevitable challenger to President Barack Obama in November.
Ten days after Gingrich hammered Romney by a similar margin in South Carolina, one of the most conservative American states, the chaotic Republican nominating contest took another dramatic turn in Florida, which awards all of its party delegates to the top vote-getter and gives Romney momentum as the race heads to friendlier states out west.
Florida also will be a key battleground in the general election later this year as a large and diverse state with a history of backing candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Romney and his allies poured roughly US$16 million into Florida television advertising for the primary alone.
Romney spoke as though he was the presumptive nominee Tuesday night, declaring himself ready "to lead this party and our nation."
"Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time to get out of the way," he said.
Obama's campaign issued a fund-raising appeal yesterday focused on the millions that Romney and his supporters have poured into negative ads.
"That's ugly, and it tells us a lot about what to expect from Romney if he wins the Republican nomination," said campaign manager Jim Messina. "They're going to try to spend and smear their way to the White House."
With Obama vulnerable in his bid for a second White House term because of the slow US economic recovery, about half of Florida primary voters said the most important factor for them was a candidate who could defeat the president, according to exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press and television networks.
Romney, who had failed to draw much above a quarter of the vote in three previous primary and caucus contests in smaller states, won almost half the votes in Florida's four-person race. That damages Gingrich's contention that the voters who oppose Romney outnumber those who favor him.
Returns from 100 percent of Florida's precincts showed Romney with 46 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Gingrich. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had 13 percent, and Texas congressman Ron Paul 7 percent. Neither mounted a substantial effort in the state and campaigned Tuesday in western states with upcoming caucuses.
Ten days after Gingrich hammered Romney by a similar margin in South Carolina, one of the most conservative American states, the chaotic Republican nominating contest took another dramatic turn in Florida, which awards all of its party delegates to the top vote-getter and gives Romney momentum as the race heads to friendlier states out west.
Florida also will be a key battleground in the general election later this year as a large and diverse state with a history of backing candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties. Romney and his allies poured roughly US$16 million into Florida television advertising for the primary alone.
Romney spoke as though he was the presumptive nominee Tuesday night, declaring himself ready "to lead this party and our nation."
"Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it's time to get out of the way," he said.
Obama's campaign issued a fund-raising appeal yesterday focused on the millions that Romney and his supporters have poured into negative ads.
"That's ugly, and it tells us a lot about what to expect from Romney if he wins the Republican nomination," said campaign manager Jim Messina. "They're going to try to spend and smear their way to the White House."
With Obama vulnerable in his bid for a second White House term because of the slow US economic recovery, about half of Florida primary voters said the most important factor for them was a candidate who could defeat the president, according to exit poll results conducted for The Associated Press and television networks.
Romney, who had failed to draw much above a quarter of the vote in three previous primary and caucus contests in smaller states, won almost half the votes in Florida's four-person race. That damages Gingrich's contention that the voters who oppose Romney outnumber those who favor him.
Returns from 100 percent of Florida's precincts showed Romney with 46 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Gingrich. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum had 13 percent, and Texas congressman Ron Paul 7 percent. Neither mounted a substantial effort in the state and campaigned Tuesday in western states with upcoming caucuses.
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