S.D. Primary: Ron Paul Fails to Get 20% of Vote, All Delegates Go to Romney

South Dakota Primary Results: Ron Paul Fails to Get 20% of Vote, All Delegates Go to Romney

Jake Horowitz

Mitt Romney has won the South Dakota primary by a vast margin, effectively putting an end to Ron Paul supporters' hopes for a surprise victory in the state.

With 65.6% of precincts reporting, Romney has secured 66.5% (21,311 votes) of the vote, compared to Ron Paul's 12.1% (3,900 votes). Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum also managed to pick up 11.7% of the vote, although he is no longer in the race.

The victory marks a solid win for Romney, who is marching forward toward the GOP convention this summer in Tampa, Florida, but comes as a disappointment to Ron Paul. Several weeks back, Paul officially announced his campaign will fully channel its financial resources and staff to delegate and convention operations instead of upcoming primary states like South Dakota. Still, Paul's grassroots supporters had hoped to carry the torch and deliver a strong showing on primary night.

More than a dozen workers and volunteers went door to door and called voters in the final hours before the polls closed in South Dakota. This push was run by a political action committee headed by former Paul campaign official Jared Hendrix. His Conservative Republican Victory PAC raised more than $25,000 and focused entirely on supporting Paul in South Dakota.

To win delegates from South Dakota, Paul needed to gain more than 20 percent of the vote. In 2008, he got 16 percent in the South Dakota primary. He did not meet that target this time around.

Mitt Romney will take all of South Dakota's 28 delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL.

South Dakota Primary Results: Ron Paul Fails to Get 20% of Vote, All Delegates Go to Romney