Romney Wins Florida GOP Primary; Hillsborough Republicans React

Mitt Romney won the Florida Presidential Preference Primary on Tuesday, earning the state's 50 delegates and distancing himself from Newt Gingrich as the Republican frontrunner for 2012.

The Associated Press projected Romney's commanding victory shortly after 8 p.m. when the final polls closed in Florida's Panhandle.

The former Massachusetts governor had taken 46 percent of the vote to 31 percent for Gingrich after returns from 99 percent of the polls were in. Rick Santorum had 13 percent, and Ron Paul 7 percent.

"Florida, you're the best," a victorious Romney told a crowd gathered at his  at the downtown Tampa Convention Center.

Ron Paul supporters gathered at the in Temple Terrace. Bob Rocco, 60, and David Peters, 27, both of Temple Terrace, agreed that if Mitt Romney wins the Republican nomination, they'll likely vote for President Barack Obama.

"With Obama, at least we know what we've got," Rocco said.

Others like Paul Fosse, of Citrus Park, and Lea Rashka, of Davis Islands, said that Romney's win in Florida doesn't mean a win in the country overall. Fosse compared the race to the nomination to a football game.

"Very few football teams quit after the first three minutes," he said. "They keep going. It seems kind of silly to give up after four states."

Still others said they would vote for Paul until the end.

"I'll write in 'Ron Paul,' " said Dave Jones, of Westchase.

How Hillsborough Voted

Unofficial results from the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections showed Romney took 47.6 percent of the vote, topping Gingrich's 28.2 percent.

Romney garnered more than 42,300 of the nearly 90,000 votes cast by Hillsborough County Republicans.

The Importance of Florida

The "Interstate 4 corridor" and the Tampa Bay area in particular had been prime territory for some of the candidates' campaigns in the days and weeks leading up to Tuesday's vote.

Romney, who established a campaign headquarters in South Tampa, made visits and .

Gingrich attended , and in Tampa, along.

The win in Florida would have been even bigger for Romney, but the state was penalized by the Republican National Committee for moving up its primary date, getting stripped of half of its 99 delegates.

Florida is expected to again be a battleground state in the 2012 general election. In 2008, Barack Obama took 50 percent of the vote, narrowly edging Republican Sen. John McCain's 48 percent.

What's Next

Romney has taken 84 delegates — but needs a total of 1,144 to win the Republican nomination.

Now the campaign trail shifts to Nevada and Maine for their caucuses on Feb. 4.