Former governor of Massachusetts wins a pair of US primaries
Former Governor of Massachusetts and current contender for the nomination of the Republican
Party in the race for US President this coming November, Mitt Romney won primary contests
in Michigan and Arizona Tuesday. Romney was successful in the face of serious competition
from the former US Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, narrowly defeating him in
Michigan where Romney's father used to be Governor of the state. In Michigan, the
state's primary rules allow non-Republicans to register as party members and vote
in the primary - meaning that around 10% of all voters identified themselves as Democrats.
Tuesday's
two primaries were the first test for Santorum since a three-state sweep in primary
and caucus earlier in February. Romney won earlier contests in New Hampshire and Florida,
but had struggled in recent weeks. The former Massachusetts governor currently has
152 delegates, compared to Mr Santorum's 72, with 1,144 needed to secure the nomination.
The other hopefuls, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Congressman Ron Paul
did not compete in Arizona and Michigan. Gingrich and Paul chose to focus on contests
scheduled for next week. Listen