In a hard fought and decidedly negative campaign, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won a decisive victory to claim the Florida Republican primary. Romney won 46 percent of the vote while former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich garnered 32 percent to finish a distant second.
“A competitive primary does not divide us but prepares us and we will win,” an exuberant Romney told supporters and perhaps in answer to critics who charged he ran a dirtball campaign. But he also reminded what the November election was really about: defeating Barack Obama.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum picked up 13 percent of the votes cast, while Texas Congressman Ron Paul, with no campaign staff in Florida, claimed 7 percent. But if anyone expected that today’s outcomes might have winnowed the number of GOP contenders, that didn’t happen as Gingrich, Santorum and Paul all vowed to remain in the race.
Without conceding defeat, an almost defiant Gingrich told supporters that “It’s now clear this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader and the Massachusetts moderate,” referring to Romney, who 41 percent of Republican voters say, is not conservative enough.
In a speech which lacked focus, Gingrich suggested that he will be the Republican nominee to challenge President Obama in November.
“We are going to contest every place and we are going to win and we will be the nominee in Tampa in August,” he said.
Gingrich also said he planned to design a people’s campaign and that people power would defeat money power in the next six months.
Speaking from Las Vegas, Santorum decried the negative campaigning that had ensued in Florida and urged that the focus be placed on real issues, including jobs.
“Let’s focus on the real issue which is defeating Barack Obama,” he said. “We won’t do it by mud slinging.”
As he has indicated on previous occasions, Santorum said the GOP needs a candidate that can get up and draw a clear contrast with President Obama and he is that person. “Newt Gingrich had his chance and he became the issue instead,” he said.
But perhaps the winner of the Florida primary was Paul who appeared upbeat and ebullient as he too, thanked his supporters from Nevada, the next stop for the GOP caucus. Â He told a group of excited supporters that he is looking forward to campaigning in the caucus states where he said it’s better, once you have an energized group.
Not surprisingly, Paul underscored his themes of smaller government and more personal liberty, as keys for getting the American economy moving again.
The Nevada GOP caucus will take place on February 4, 2012.
