Former Gov. Mitt Romney, R-Mass., is almost certain to win the Republican nomination, say GOP strategists and insiders in a new survey, while the Democratic strategists indicate Romney as the most electable general election candidate in the Republican field.

Romney had a rating of 98 in the National Journal survey, meaning that he received 98% of the points available if every GOP strategist surveyed had predicted he would win. “Through none of his own doing, he has become the heir apparent,” said one of the people surveyed, while another added that “Mitt Romney looks more and more like the last man standing by failing to self-immolate.”