Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is moving closer to winning his party's nomination, setting his sights on a political battle with U.S. President Barack Obama.
The former Massachusetts governor swept Tuesday's primaries in Washington, the eastern state of Maryland, and the midwestern state of Wisconsin, telling supporters in Wisconsin, “We won 'em all!”
Romney called it a “great victory tonight in our campaign to restore the promise of America.”
Results from Washington and Maryland showed Romney winning decisively over his nearest rival, former Senator Rick Santorum. The margin of victory was slightly less in Wisconsin – where Santorum campaigned most heavily.
Tuesday's victories bring him another step closer to having enough delegates to become the Republican Party's choice to take on President Obama, a Democrat, in the November general election. And both Romney and Mr. Obama seemed to give voters a preview of what a race between the two might look like.
In his speech to supporters in Wisconsin, Romney targeted Mr. Obama's record on the economy, saying in the president's “government-centered society the government has to do more because the economy is doomed to do less.”
Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Obama denounced a Republican budget plan backed by Romney, saying it would impose “a radical vision” on the country.
Mr. Obama's supporters have also started airing campaign ads criticizing Romney.
Romney already has about half the number of delegates needed for the nomination and has increasingly won endorsement from major Republicans like former President George H.W. Bush. But Romney's Republican challengers — Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul — have given no signs they are ready to drop out of the race.
Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, is hoping his home state's primary later this month will give him a badly needed boost.
He told supporters in Pennsylvania Tuesday night that the Republican race is only at the halfway mark and says he plans to come out charging into the second half.
Mitt Romney, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE in Wisconsin:
“And thank you to Wisconsin, Maryland and Washington, D.C. We won 'em all! This really has been quite a night. We've won a great victory tonight in our campaign to restore the promise of America.”
2. Rick Santorum, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE in Pennsylvania, “Ladies and gentlemen, Pennsylvania and half the other people in this country have yet to be heard.” ))
