Romney: 'we didn't win by a lot, but we won by enough'
Jonathan Jones 8:21am
It'll be a relieved Mitt Romney and a deflated Rick Santorum who head to Ohio ahead of next week's Super Tuesday primaries. Romney scored an impressive 21-point victory in Arizona — exceeding the already high expectations for him there. This win provides him with a significant boost in the delegate count — a factor that becomes more important the longer the race drags on — as Arizona assigns all of its 29 delegates to the winner. But more important for Romney was the three-point margin he secured over Santorum in Michigan.
Winning Michigan may not help Romney extend his lead in delegates — he and Santorum might well come away with 15 each from the state — but his victory there was crucial in setting the media narrative in the run-up to Super Tuesday. It has provided Romney with some much-needed positive headlines: the Wall Street Journal, somewhat self-fulfillingly, proclaims 'Romney Regains Momentum'. It is precisely such headlines that fuel this momentum, more than the vote-count itself. The win also denied Santorum a bump in states like Ohio and Georgia, making his path to the nomination much more tricky.
So what'll happen next? It'd be easy to say that last night's victories put Romney within reach of the nomination; that his real focus is now on Obama. But many said that after his wins in New Hampshire and Florida, only for first Newt Gingrich and then Rick Santorum to shake things up. Either could still do the same again next Tuesday.
Previous
David L
February 29th, 2012 9:58am Report this commenteems like a very convoluted way to decide who's going to lose to Obama in November. Still, it keeps the policy wonks happy.
Vulture
February 29th, 2012 11:07am Report this commentWhat do we know about Mitt?
> That he's a serial flip-flopper.
> That he's a squillionaire asset stripper.
> That by his own admission he enjoys firing people.
> That he's a stiff who makes a teak plank look friendly and flexible.
> That he has zero appeal to voters.
> That he subscribes to a weird cult that makes him wear funny underwear.
I guess Barry can roll up his socks, put his feet in a pitcher of warm spit and wait for the votes to roll in. The GOP have done the impossible and made him look good.
Frank P
February 29th, 2012 1:53pm Report this commentHas it occurred to anyone that the GOP don't want to win this election and have to shovel the shit that has come down globally. Perhaps they just want Obama to wallow in it for another four years and then come back to re-sow the scorched earth. If that's so it's curtains for us all; the toxic socialist poison has already soaked deep, imagine what it will be like if Obama gets another four year to keep spreading it - which is looking increasingly likely.
Dimoto
February 29th, 2012 3:14pm Report this commentRecord low turnout for the Presidential election guaranteed ?
Even the usually, switched-on-to-the-USA Coffee-House crowd are bored.
Augustus
February 29th, 2012 4:05pm Report this commentActually, a neutered Obama facing a GOP controlled Congress (with subpoena power) is far more preferable than a big government Romney.
john gerard
February 29th, 2012 6:29pm Report this commentObama will walk the election, it's a doddle. There's nothing for him or his campaign organisers to be concerned about. There's clear water between now and '16.
Back to top