The Florida election results are in and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, is expected to carry the state by a wide margin.
With 47 percent of precincts reporting, Mr. Romney has the support of 47 percent of voters. Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, is expected to gain the support of 31 percent of voters. Rick Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, received the support of 13 percent, while Texas Republican Congressman Ron Paul received the support of 7 percent of voters.
The Florida election results largely reflect a trend seen in recent polls, which showed Mr. Romney leading the field in the state of Florida. Mr. Gingrich, who was seen as the leading candidate earlier in the week, was seen as trailing Mr. Romney in the lead up to Tuesday’s election.
“Thank you Florida! While we celebrate this victory, we must not forget what this election is really about: defeating Barack Obama,” the former Massachusetts governor posted on Facebook.
The Florida election results mean that Mr. Romney is likely to enter Saturday’s Nevada primary election in a position far superior to that following the South Carolina election.
The election results also reflect early returns and exit polls, which showed Mr. Romney well ahead of Mr. Gingrich. Two in three Florida primary voters say the presidential debates were an important factor in their vote, according to early CBS News exit polls. Mr. Romney and Mr. Gingrich clashed during a pair of debates last week, both of which largely seemed to favor Mr. Romney.
