Mitt Romney is the projected winner in the Virginia Republican primary,news outlets are reporting.
Romney and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas were the only candidates on Virginia’s ballot, after the rest of the field failed to qualify for the state’s primary. But Romney’s following and ground game in the commonwealth far exceeded Paul’s, and it’s expected to carry him to an easy victory.
Despite living in Virginia, former Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich failed to turn in the 10,000 valid signatures necessary to qualify for the state’s primary.
Recently polls showed nearly seven in 10 Virginians choosing Romney over Paul in a head-to-head matchup. However, low voter turnout threatened to skew results and steal some of Romney’s thunder.
Many Fairfax County precincts reported just a handful of residents showing up to vote.
Romney is expected to grab most — if not all — of the state’s 49 delegates to put distance between him and the rest of the Super Tuesday field. Virginia designates three delegates to the winner of each of the state’s 11 congressional districts, and 13 delegates to anyone who captures more than 50.001 percent of the statewide.
The three Virginia delegates on the Republican National Committee can pick whomever they want and are not restricted to the popular vote or the candidates on the ballot.
