The polls have closed and the Florida primary results are in: Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has clobbered former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the Florida Republican presidential primary. CNN projects that Mr. Romney will win his second primary, following a victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary on January 18th.
According to data from The Associated Press, Mr. Romney has 47.1 percent of the votes with 55 percent of the precincts reporting. Mr. Gingrich, who is projected to finish in second place, has 31.5 percent of the votes. Meanwhile, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, who is headed for a third place finish, has 13.1 percent of the votes. Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX), who turned his attention away from the Florida Republican primary several weeks ago, is projected to finish in fourth place with 6.9 percent of the votes.
The Florida primary results are bad news for Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Santorum and Mr. Paul. Florida’s winner-take-all primary means that 50 delegates were up for grabs Tuesday night. Following CNN’s projection, Mr. Romney will walk away with all 50 delegates.
Although Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Paul have both said that they will stay in the race until the Republican convention, the Georgia Republican faces a serious test to his campaign’s longevity after losing the Florida Republican primary.
Mr. Gingrich’s quest for the Republican presidential nomination has hit several road bumps in the last few months, including a massive negative ad campaign led by Mr. Romney. In the coming days, Mr. Gingrich is likely to weigh his chances of actually winning the Republican presidential nomination.
Mr. Paul, who finished in last place in the Florida Republican primary, is likely to continue until the Republican convention, because he has support in the caucus states and the ability to raise money even if he is not winning the race.
While disappointing, the Florida primary results are not the end of the line for Mr. Santorum. The Pennsylvania Republican is a strong candidate in both the Ohio Republican primary and the Missouri Caucuses, according to the latest Public Policy Polling polls.
The biggest lesson from the Florida Republican primary appears to be that excellent organization and a large stash of cash can go a long way towards winning an election. The anti-Gingrich ads went virtually unchallenged by the Georgia Republican, because his campaign lacked the resources to compete on the same scale as the Romney campaign.
