• Florida primary election results
• With win, Romney faces tough opponents in long war
• Why Romney won — Why Gingrich lost
• Super PAC spending on GOP candidates tops $44M
• After loss, Gingrich pledges long primary fight
• Exit polls: Florida GOP voters hurt by economy
TAMPA, Fla. — Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney coasted to a 14-point victory over Newt Gingrich in Florida’s Republican presidential primary Tuesday after a bruising battle in which both campaigns and their backers spent an estimated $19 million attacking each other.
Romney won decisively, with 46 percent of the vote in unofficial counts. The victory recalibrates Romney’s campaign after a big loss in South Carolina and gives him a much-needed boost heading into the next round of contests in Nevada and Michigan.
Romney will claim all of Florida’s 50 delegates, bringing his total delegate tally to 87. That’s the most of any candidate so far, but just a fraction of the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination. And with all three of his opponents — Gingrich, former Sen. Rick Santorum and Rep. Ron Paul — intent on staying in the race, the election is far from over.
Romney, who spent much of the week attacking Gingrich, didn’t even mention his top rival by name in his victory speech in Tampa. Instead, Romney pivoted to focus his attacks on President Obama.
“I stand ready to lead this party and our nation,” Romney told an excited crowd chanting his name.
Gingrich, appearing before supporters in Orlando, pledged to continue his fight against Romney on behalf of the party’s conservative wing. His supporters held aloft signs reading, “46 States To Go,” reminding voters who believe Romney is too moderate that Gingrich is still his top conservative challenger.
“It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader Newt Gingrich and the Massachusetts moderate,” Gingrich said, not mentioning Romney by name.
The on-going fight between Romney and Gingrich has some Republicans worried that the party will be damaged going into the general election, and Romney tried to address that concern Tuesday night.
“As this primary unfolds, our opponents in the other party have been watching and they like to comfort themselves with the thought that a competitive campaign will leave us divided and weak,” Romney said. “But I’ve got some news for them. A competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us.”
Gingrich arrived in Florida 10 days ago leading the polls following his 12-point victory over Romney in South Carolina. But Gingrich’s support waned after Romney and his supporters unleashed a barrage of attack ads. Romney also outperformed Gingrich in two Florida debates, attacking the former speaker’s $1.6 million consulting contract from mortgage giant Freddie Mac, one of two government-sponsored enterprises blamed for the housing crisis that devastated Florida’s economy.
Gingrich came in second with 32 percent of the vote in unofficial counts after spending the days before the election complaining that Romney had outspent him 5-to-1 and carpet-bombed him with misleading attack ads.
Gingrich confidently told his supporters that over the next six months “people power” will defeat “money power.”
Santorum, who won Iowa, placed third in Florida with 13 percent in unofficial counts. Paul, who did not campaign in Florida, came in fourth with 4 percent.
Paul and Santorum have already begun campaigning in Nevada, which holds its caucuses Saturday.
Santorum told a Las Vegas crowd that the Romney-Gingrich feud would make it harder to defeat Obama in November.
“Republicans can do better,” Santorum said. “Really this campaign went downhill.”
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