US News

Florida win puts Romney ahead of Republican pack

By Matthew Rusling Feb 1, 2012, 5:02 GMT

Former Massachusetts governor and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney (R) and his wife Ann celebrate his victory on the Florida Republican Presidential Primary at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, USA, 31 January 2012. EPA/ERIK S. LESSER

Washington - Mitt Romney cemented his standing as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination with a big win in the Florida primary.

Putting his advantages in fundraising and campaign organization to use in the biggest state so far, the former Massachusetts governor captured Florida on Tuesday with 46 per cent of the vote.

Rival Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the US House of Representatives, had been neck-and-neck in polls only days before the Florida vote but finished at 32 per cent. Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum lagged behind with 13 per cent, with Texas Congressman Ron Paul at 7 per cent.

Florida's winner-take-all primary gives Romney 50 delegates to the Republican convention in August. He now has 69 delegates after Tuesday's victory, a win in New Hampshire and a strong performance in Iowa.

Of the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the GOP nomination, Gingrich has 23 from his South Carolina win on January 21. Santorum has 13 delegates and Paul has three.

Romney's 46 per cent was the highest percentage for the winner of any state so far.

Romney takes his momentum into caucus votes on Saturday in Maine and Nevada and February 7 in Colorado and Minnesota. Arizona and Michigan follow on February 28 and Washington state on March 3, leading up to 'Super Tuesday' on March 6, when 10 states vote.

Appearing with family members in front of a crowd of supporters in Florida, Romney launched a scathing attack on US President Barack Obama, whom he hopes to challenge as the Republican nominee in the November general elections.

The United States needs a White House that represents the 'best of America,' and not 'the worst of what Europe has become,' Romney said, accusing Obama of steering the country toward becoming a highly indebted welfare state.

To cheers from the crowd of 'Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!' Romney blasted Obama as a poor steward of the economy, pointing to persistent high unemployment and a sluggish recovery from the worst recession in decades.

'Mr President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now its time for you to get out of the way,' Romney said.

He vowed to roll back Obama's health care reforms and to 'return entrepreneurship' to the country.

Some analysts credited Romney's victory to his strong showing in Thursday's debate, in which he staged a blistering attack on Gingrich, demanding an apology for previous remarks that Romney was anti-immigrant.

The former House Speaker was also caught flat-footed when he said he would establish a US colony on the moon, an idea that Romney said would be a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Gingrich told a crowd of Florida supporters late Tuesday that he remains in the fight despite the loss, to chants of 'Newt! Newt! Newt!'

He said that the Florida result showed that the race for the presidential nomination was now a contest between 'the conservative leader, Newt Gingrich,' and the 'Massachusetts moderate,' taking a jab at Romney's record as a Republican governor in a liberal north-eastern state.