Republican Frontrunner Mitt Romney Prevails at the Michigan and Arizona Primaries

Massachusetts businessman Mitt Romney won both the Michigan and Arizona primaries this Tuesday, a necessary set of victories if he hoped to maintain his front-running position. Romney achieved a total of 41 percent of the vote in Michigan and 47 percent in Arizona, with candidate Rick Santorum trailed behind at 38 percent in Mich. and 25 percent in Ariz.
 
One expert said this victory is important not only to Romney, but also to the Republican party as a whole.
 
“It reduces the uncertainty a little bit. If Romney had lost, all hell would break loose,” said Michael Heaney, a political science professor at the University of Michigan.  “If Romney had lost, there would have been no clear frontrunner at all. The fact that Romney won suggests that the Republican race still has a clear frontrunner, whereas a couple of days ago it did not have one.”
 
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich won 16 percent of all votes in Ariz. and seven percent of the votes in Mich. Senator Ron Paul finished ahead of Gingrich in Mich. with 12 percent, but lagged behind in Ariz. with just eight percent of the total votes.
 
As for Paul and Gingrich, Heaney said their chances of playing catch-up are low at this point.
 
“I wouldn’t say they’re out, I mean, they’re definitely in the mix,” he said, “but it doesn’t seem like they’re likely to be winning.”
 
With Super Tuesday approaching in one week, Republicans from other parts of the nation will consider these results when casting votes in their own states.
 
“The 2 things that republicans are looking for right now are someone who’s a true conservative and someone who’s a winner,” said Heaney. “I would say these primaries are definitely very important in terms of how the next steps of the process will go.”
 
Quentin Marquez, Vice Chair of the University of Iowa’s College Republicans, said he thinks Romney’s win will provide a lot of momentum as Super Tuesday approaches.
 
“Romney definitely needed both of these wins,” said Marquez. “I think it’s good to have a well-tested candidate just to make sure we’re getting the right guy to beat Obama in the next election.”
 
But considering the closeness of his Michigan win, with Romney coming out only three percent ahead of the Pennsylvania Senator, Heaney said both lead candidates remain strong.
 
“If Santorum had won, this would have been a major problem for Romney,” said Michael Heaney, a political science professor at Michigan State University. “Given that Romney won, but only by a few points, especially in the state of his birth, shows that Santorum has real staying power.”
 
 
Sources: Fox News
Photo Credit: CNN
 
Fox News Arizona Primary
Fox News Michigan Primary