Already entering the Illinois primary as favorite, Mitt Romney had an overall success with the state’s supporters. As the Republican race heads towards the second part of the bid for nomination, it becomes a lot more obvious that Mitt Romney will get the nomination. That is, if no other surprises show up down the road.
Perhaps, Santorum’s last comment before the Illinois primary made it a lot easier for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, to score such a success. But as much as Mitt Romney is trying to emphasize the need for voters to support him and put an end to the Republican nomination race, that’s still something that fails to happen.
The truth is that Mitt Romney still hasn’t convinced the large part of voters that he’s the one to represent them and their interest for a better life. Rick Santorum remains second in line as voters are still keeping the U.S. senator as an alternative to the former governor. But, this time the Illinois primary expanded the difference between the two Republicans.
If in the last primary, Mitt Romney managed to win by just several votes, the Illinois primary was a raving victory. Romney received 47 percent of the votes, while Santorum came in at a bigger difference, with only 35 percent of the votes. Newt Gingrich, once a challenger for Mitt Romney’s frontrunner position, now the former U.S. House of Representative speaker came in fourth. Congressman Ron Paul remains in the race, but with only several votes.
After learning the Illinois primary results, Mitt Romney told his cheering fans in Schaumburg: “Elections are about choices, and today hundreds of thousands of people in Illinois have joined millions across the country to join our cause”.
He continued his winning speech emphasizing he remains the best candidate the Republicans have to offer: “I’m offering a real choice and a new beginning. I have the vision and the experience to get us out of this mess”.
Meanwhile, Rick Santorum left the Illinois public to enjoy Mitt Romney’s success. He made a public appearance last night in Pennsylvania, his home state. “We’re feeling very, very good about winning Louisiana” he said. Santorum tried to make the best of the Illinois failure, saying that he has at least “won the areas that conservatives and Republicans populate”.
