Front-runner Mitt Romney has emerged as the victor of the “Super Tuesday” voting to decide the Republican Party’s nominee to challenge President Barack Obama in November’s U.S. election.
In all, Romney scored six victories in the 10 states that held Republican primaries or caucases on March 6.
But despite his victories, Romney failed to secure a decisive "Super Tuesday" win that would establish him as the all-but-official Republican nominee to challenge Obama in November.
In the pivotal state of Ohio, Romney scored a narrow win, edging his main rival Rick Santorum 38 percent to 37 percent. Romney also won in his home state of Massachusetts, as well as in Vermont, Virginia, Idaho, and Alaska.
Santorum won in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Dakota.
A third candidate, Newt Gingrich, also remains in the race following a victory in his home state of Georgia.
Romney's narrow win in Ohio is seen as the leading headline emerging from "Super Tuesday." No Republican candidate has ever been elected president without winning the north-central heartland state, and its voters include a mix of conservatives and liberals that closely mirrors the United States as a whole.
Nearly 40 percent of the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination were at stake on “Super Tuesday.” The Republicans are to formally choose their nominee at the Republican National Convention at the end of August.
Romney, a multimillionaire former business executive, has the best-organized and best-funded election campaign. But he has struggled to connect with conservatives and blue-collar voters and has not been able to secure the nomination as quickly as some of his supporters had expected.
Santorum, a former U.S. senator from the eastern state of Pennsylvania, has won the support of religious conservatives thanks to his opposition to gay marriage and abortion. But his outspoken comments on birth control and the role of religion are seen as potentially alienating moderate-leaning voters.
Santorum told supporters in Ohio that his victories underscored he was the best candidate to represent right-wing conservatives.
The Republican race now moves on to the states of Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Hawaii, which hold their contests over the next 10 days.
In all, Romney scored six victories in the 10 states that held Republican primaries or caucases on March 6.
But despite his victories, Romney failed to secure a decisive "Super Tuesday" win that would establish him as the all-but-official Republican nominee to challenge Obama in November.
In the pivotal state of Ohio, Romney scored a narrow win, edging his main rival Rick Santorum 38 percent to 37 percent. Romney also won in his home state of Massachusetts, as well as in Vermont, Virginia, Idaho, and Alaska.
Santorum won in Oklahoma, Tennessee, and North Dakota.
A third candidate, Newt Gingrich, also remains in the race following a victory in his home state of Georgia.
Romney's narrow win in Ohio is seen as the leading headline emerging from "Super Tuesday." No Republican candidate has ever been elected president without winning the north-central heartland state, and its voters include a mix of conservatives and liberals that closely mirrors the United States as a whole.
Nearly 40 percent of the 1,144 delegates needed to secure the Republican nomination were at stake on “Super Tuesday.” The Republicans are to formally choose their nominee at the Republican National Convention at the end of August.
Romney, a multimillionaire former business executive, has the best-organized and best-funded election campaign. But he has struggled to connect with conservatives and blue-collar voters and has not been able to secure the nomination as quickly as some of his supporters had expected.
Santorum, a former U.S. senator from the eastern state of Pennsylvania, has won the support of religious conservatives thanks to his opposition to gay marriage and abortion. But his outspoken comments on birth control and the role of religion are seen as potentially alienating moderate-leaning voters.
Santorum told supporters in Ohio that his victories underscored he was the best candidate to represent right-wing conservatives.
The Republican race now moves on to the states of Kansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Hawaii, which hold their contests over the next 10 days.