Thread: Romney wins Florida primary

Paul, Santorum take GOP campaign out West


Jan 31, 2012
Live blog: Romney wins Florida primary



By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY
Updated 2m ago


8:06 p.m. ET:
The votes are still being counted, but it looks like Romney will defeat Newt Gingrich by double digits. This is significant because Gingrich soundly defeated Romney just 10 days ago in South Carolina.

8:01 p.m. ET:
It's official: Romney has won the Florida primary, according to the Associated Press.

8 p.m. ET
All of the polls in Florida are now closed. CNN and Fox News have projected Romney will win the primary.

7:51 p.m. ET:
New data from the second wave of exit polls: About two-thirds or more of Florida voters describe themselves as "conservative" or "very conservative," and "strongly" supportive or "somewhat" supportive of the Tea Party movement. More than one-third of voters are 65 years or older.

7:46 p.m. ET:
Ann Romney tells CNN "we are looking forward to a win tonight." The candidate's wife says it's "unfortunate politics has a negative side to it" but she says she'll continue to emphasize her husband's positive qualities and what he can do to help the economy.
"Mitt can actually do something to turn this economy around," she said, calling her husband a "turnaround guy" who knows how to fix things.

7:09 p.m. ET:
So you think there were too many debates? Florida voters overwhelmingly believe the debates have been either "the most important factor" or "one of several important factors," according to the first wave of exit polls.

7:06 p.m. ET:
Polls have now closed throughout most of the state and in very early returns Romney is leading Gingrich.

Updated 6:32 p.m. ET
Some findings from an early wave of surveys done with Florida voters as they left their polling places shed some light into top concerns.
The economy is clearly on the minds of voters. Half say foreclosures are a "major problem" in their community, and there are statistics to back that up.

USA TODAY's Julie Schmit notes Florida has the 7th highest foreclosure rate, with one of every 49 homes receiving a foreclosure filing in 2011. That compares to 1 out of every 69 homes nationally.
Another interesting note: The early exit polls show defeating President Obama in November is a top concern.
The exit polls are sponsored by the television networks and the Associated Press. Interviews are conducted by Edison Research.

Our original blog post begins here:
The first polls close at 7 p.m. ET, and the last polls close at 8 p.m. ET.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor making his second bid for the White House, has been aggressive in Florida. He has adapted to his resounding loss to Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary 10 days ago.
Gingrich responded by portraying himself as the race's only truth teller. He vowed today the GOP fight would go on through the summer "unless Romney drops out."
Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, meanwhile, took their campaigns to Colorado and Nevada as they searched for the 1,144 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination.
USA TODAY will have full coverage online on our Elections 2012 micro-site. Our colleague Jackie Kucinich is working hard on the ground in Tampa, so follow her on Twitter @JFkucinich. We'll also tweet from @ElectionsUSAT and @USATOnPolitics. And read Susan Page's cover story about what's next in the GOP race in Wednesday's print edition.

Live blog: Romney wins Florida primary

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http://www.alipac.us/f12/florida-rep...esults-249850/