This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/21/mitt-romney-wins-illinois-primary-reaction

The article has changed 13 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 10 Version 11
Mitt Romney wins Illinois primary: live reaction Mitt Romney wins Illinois primary: live reaction
(about 1 hour later)
4.55pm: Inevitably, the comapny that makes Etch-a-Sketch has put out a statement. And equally inevitably, Buzzfeed has it. And it's not remotely cheesey. 9.00am: Good morning and welcome to our live blog politics coverage on the morning after one of the most... the most... the most not-even-close races so far, in Illinois, where Mitt Romney played Rick Santorum like a fiddle and then smashed the fiddle. Tom McCarthy here in New York, and here's what happened:
Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society. A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate. • In an easy Illinois win, Mitt Romney widened his delegate lead on Rick Santorum by more than 30 delegates. Romney got 47% of the raw vote while Santorum got 35%, Ron Paul got 9% and Newt got 8%. Our new estimated delegate tally is Romney 546, Santorum 261. 546 > 261.
We are pleased with the added attention being drawn to Etch A Sketch which is truly one of the most recognizable, iconic and fun toys ever developed. As one of the most classic toys of all time, Etch A Sketch has always sold particularly well with today's consumer. It is too early to tell, but we are hopeful to see if there is an uptake in sales given this recent exposure. • Does this mean the Republican party is finally embracing Romney? One key group has: FreedomWorks, the organization that launched the Tea Party, somewhat grudgingly endorsed the frontrunner late yesterday. They cited math. "It is a statistical fact that the numbers favor Mitt Romney," FreedomWorks official Russ Walker told The Washington Times. "We are dedicated to defeating Obama and electing a conservative Senate that will help Romney repeal Obamacare and address the nation's economic and spending challenges."
The Ohio Art Company has been in the toy business for more than 100 years and Etch A Sketch for over five decades. Our company values bringing smiles to kids faces and providing hours of fun playtime for young kids. • Is Santorum finished? He didn't exactly give a withdrawal speech last night. Instead he called the race the most important presidential contest since 1860. Statistics have shown that it is impossible to spend a week campaigning in the Land of Lincoln without comparing yourself to Abraham Lincoln.
Meanwhile, The Fix counsels against over-reaching commentators. • It looks like Santorum will win Louisiana on Saturday, give Romney a run in Wisconsin and then lose a slew of east coast states, including 95-delegate-awarding New York. By then it will be the end of April and we may all be sharing the sentiment of those 30% of voters who told exit pollsters last night that they would prefer to see the race over – even if it meant their candidate did not win.
People speculating about whether Ferhnstrom could be fired for etch-a-sketch don't know how close he and Mitt are. Just no way. 9.10am: What swayed the race? You might argue that nothing swayed it; the fact is, Illinois breeds moderate Republicans, particularly around Chicago, and Rick Santorum's brand of fervid, social-issues based conservatism just doesn't play with most folks. Then there was the money: about 80% of voters in exit polls said economic issues were their main concern. And more money: Romney and his Super Pac outspent Santorum and his Super Pac by a staggering 18-1 on advertising, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group.
— The Fix (@TheFix) March 21, 2012 Now for the question we have to ask: Among friends, it's safe to say this thing is over, right? The answer we're inclined to: Yes.
3.28pm: Etch A Sketch is harder than it looks. Give it a try here. You use arrow keys instead of knobs to move the ink beetle. Take a screen grab of your most beautiful illustration and post it in the comments. Be forewarned that some patience is required! no reasonable way for Santorum to call himself candidate of Midwest. Less reasonable ways to call himself actual contender, either.
3.20pm: Have you ever heard of Mentzer Media Services, Inc.? It's an advertising agency that specializes in Republican campaigns. It made a splash in 2004 with ads for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry for his service in Vietnam. — Rick Klein (@rickklein) March 21, 2012
Mentzer also appears to be the single biggest beneficiary of campaign spending this election cycle, with total receipts so far of $67,119,878, according to a cool new interactive graphic from ProPublica. Most of that money, $64.3 million, came from Restore Our Future, the SuperPac behind Mitt Romney. But wait: if this is all it took to effectively end the nominating race, one state throwing its votes to Romney, then what was all that talk a week ago about a months-long battle? Was that empty hype?
Who else is making a killing on the exercise of America's most hallowed tradition, electoral politics? AB Data, a fundraising and direct marketing firm, has billed the Obama reelection campaign for more than $36 million. American Rambler Productions, LLC, a media consultancy firm, has done $34.3 million worth of work for Romney for President, Inc. (Eric Fehrnstrom of this morning's Etch A Sketch remark is a founder.) FedEx is on the list for $258,000 – a figure we sure thought would be higher. The analogy might be to an airplane, with Rick Santorum in the cockpit. A week ago pilot Santorum had a path to cruising altitude if he was able to execute an improbably clean takeoff starting with an upset win in Illinois. Instead what has happened is Rick Santorum's plane is sitting on the runway with a broken wing and he is there next to it kicking the tire and using very un-Christian words on it.
Check out the interactive here. The math: of the more than 1200 outstanding delegates, Romney needs roughly 45%; Santorum needs roughly 70%.
2.56pm: Temperatures hit 85 degrees in Illinois yesterday, making it the state's hottest election day ever. The state has experienced only two hotter days for any March in recorded history. As Bill McKibben wrote yesterday in the Guardian, "it was the seventh straight day of 80-degree temperatures at O'Hare [airport], something that's never happened before in March. Or in April, for that matter." — Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 21, 2012
Today Rick Santorum is campaigning in Louisiana, which holds its primary on Saturday. It turns out they're having some unusual weather down there too, with a severe thunderstorm warning currently in effect in the eastern half of the state as well as a flash flood watch.
/>
Here's Santorum's take: 9.21am: The Mitt Romney necktie watch.
Santorum: "There's only one candidate in this race who doesn't believe in man-made global warming" Romney's wearing a necktie again. Primaries over, general has begun? bit.ly/GFcA0R
— Rosie Gray (@RosiePGray) March 21, 2012 — davidfrum (@davidfrum) March 21, 2012
2.40pm: Rick Santorum isn't the only Republican candidate who heard about Romney's aide's Etch A Sketch remark and seized on it to make a point about the perceived ideological flexibility of the would-be nominee: Here's the Romney victory speech. Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
Newt holds up the etch a sketch. twitter.com/GingerGibson/s…
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) March 21, 2012
"Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign," Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom said on CNN. "Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
2.26pm: A comparison a Mitt Romney aide made this morning between the campaign's policy positions and a certain favorite childhood toy has spawned a web site devoted to the perceived flip-flops of Mitt Romney.
The site, created by @mattortega, is called etchasketchmittromney.com.
2.01pm: Jeb Bush has taken his endorsement of Mitt Romney to the Twitterverse. 9.21am: As much as Illinois strengthened Mitt Romney's grip on the nomination, what insights does the election hold for the candidate's appeal with different groups of voters? There seem to have been no surprises here. The voters in Illinois skewed moderate, non-evangelical and wealthy, according to exit polls. Romney won the way he usually wins, and not through some new popularity among evangelicals or strongly conservative voters. After Illinois, Romney has won all 10 primaries where evangelicals make up less than half the vote, @FixAaron points out. And he's lost all seven where they make up more than half.
I've endorsed @MittRomney. It's time for GOP to unite & take our message of fiscal conservatism & job creation to all voters. 9.28am: Look what BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski has found.
— Jeb Bush (@JebBush) March 21, 2012 A new picture unearthed of Rick "Rooster" Santorum in High School. buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynsk…
With that he hit the 140-character limit. The part that got caught off was, "This means you, Rick. Everyone always thought you were an assertive individual. Now you've proven it on a national level. Congratulations. Now get the Hades off of television before every independent voter in America starts mistaking you for the face of the Republican party." — Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 21, 2012
1.49pm: No comment. 9.49am: Here's a sample of the campaigner Mitt Romney will be up against, should he win the nomination and choose to accept it. President Barack Obama is good at making people feel like he understands them. He's known for dropping a few words of Spanish or Bahasa when the occasion calls for it. He also wowed Atlantic writer Jeffrey Goldberg recently by dropping a reference to the Maxwell House Haggadah.
Singing Johnny Cash in the car driving across Louisiana. Now he's been spotted using sign language.
— Callista Gingrich (@CallyGingrich) March 21, 2012 So the 26-year-old Prince George's Community College student took his cue and spoke to President Obama in his first language: American Sign Language. "I am proud of you," Stephon signed. The president, almost involuntary, instinctively, immediately signed back.
/>"Thank you," Obama replied.

(h/t: @thegarance)
10.23am: It's tough to spin this:
Santorum spokeswoman Alice Stewart predicted last night they'd win 24-30 delegates in Illinois. They won 10.
— Neil King, WSJ (@NKingofDC) March 21, 2012
10.33am: You know you're a candidate for national office if...
– you've slept in your own bed once since Christmas
– there's one speech you know so well you could give it while completing a crossword and cooking an omelette
– your wife's anniversary love letter to you takes the form of a highly produced video posted to YouTube
*Be advised that this video has not been tested on animals.
10.51am: Breaking news: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Huge news for Romney. One of the Republican party's leading generals who until this point has sat overlooking the field, watching the skirmish below without committing his troops. Now he sees which way the battle is definitively breaking – and he sends in the whole contingent.
The Republican party has spoken. Like it or not, this year it's Mitt. Now let's beat the president.
Translation: Shut this thing down. RT @rickklein: SIREN. Jeb Bush statement: "I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our Party's nomination."
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) March 21, 2012
10.59am: Here's the text of Republican dynast Jeb Bush's endorsement of party member Mitt Romney:
Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season. Primary elections have been held in 34 states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall. I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our Party's nomination. We face huge challenges, and we need a leader who understands the economy, recognizes more government regulation is not the answer, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism and works to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed.
Just don't read the headline into your smart phone.
SHOES. (cc: @lovethebay) RT @GOP12: Just did a voice-text of Jeb's endorsement -- my smart phone read it as "Jeb Bush justin nordstrom me."
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) March 21, 2012
11.10am: A Bush endorsement: worth its weight in gold.
Now that he's got the beloved Bush name on his side, nothing can stop Mitt Romney!
— Indecision (@indecision) March 21, 2012
For the record, George H.W. "Pappy" "41" Bush had already endorsed Romney.
43 still isn't allowed to appear in public.
11.25am: Mitt Romney's main political liability is the perception that he doesn't stand for anything and is willing to reset his views to please whatever audience he happens to be in front of.
Now one of Romney's closest aides has come out on CNN and accused – no not accused; let's say portrayed; drawn, if you will – his boss of having the ideological integrity of an Etch A Sketch.
Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom was asked whether Romney's jag to the right this spring to capture Republican voters won't hurt him this fall when it comes time to win Independents.
Don't worry, Fehrnstrom replied, in effect. Mitt will say anything. It's effortless. No big deal. He can stand for something completely different in the fall.
"Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
Mitt Romney: Etch A Sketch.
(h/t @politicalwire)
11.30am: Interesting!
Now that Jeb Bush has finally endorsed Romney, could this be the surprise ticket? If not Rubio, a popular ex-FL GOV w/Latina wife?
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 21, 2012
11.54am: The Santorum campaign looks to capitalize on Romney's adviser saying that Romney has the ideological integrity of an Etch A Sketch. Hasn't Santorum been informed he's over?
ALL CAPS is so right for Rick Santorum.
from team santo: SHOCKING VIDEO: LIKE AN ETCH-A-SKETCH TEAM ROMNEY ADMITS THEIR CANDIDATE WILL CHANGE POSITIONS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) March 21, 2012
12.29pm: Heh. I wonder if we can expect more of these Etch A Sketch chuckles.
Seamus Romney drawn on an Etch A Sketch. twitpic.com/8zducq
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 21, 2012
12.45pm: Jeb Bush has taken the Romney plunge. So now that Jeb's in the pool, which other major figures in the Republican party might be next to come on in?
Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard and Rick Klein of ABC News have made a quick list that includes our most recent president and vice president, the governor of Indiana, a star senator from Florida, the Senate's Tea Party leader, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Minority Leader.
@rickklein Ryan won't b/c of Pres trust. W, Cheney, Daniels, Rubio, DeMint, Boehner, McConnell, Scott Walker (unlikely), Kasich...
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) March 21, 2012
That's a sizable portion of the party leadership. What could they possibly be waiting for?
Real reason why GOP big names are holding off backing Romney: they don't want it used against them in 2016
— Richard Adams (@RichardA) March 21, 2012
1.35pm: From our comments section: Can Romney beat Obama?1.35pm: From our comments section: Can Romney beat Obama?
johnwallis42 says no:johnwallis42 says no:
much ado about nothing. Romney willl never ever be POTUS ever, even if he was the last man in the US.much ado about nothing. Romney willl never ever be POTUS ever, even if he was the last man in the US.
MasonUSA says yes:MasonUSA says yes:

Romney may well be elected POTUS this November. Higher gas prices alone bolster his candidacy. Americans don't like to pay more for gasoline, and always blame the current guy in the White House when they pay more.
Romney may well be elected POTUS this November. Higher gas prices alone bolster his candidacy. Americans don't like to pay more for gasoline, and always blame the current guy in the White House when they pay more.
Mitt is a weak debater, a terminally dull public speaker and has all the charisma of an Amazonian tree sloth, but he's the only Republican who can defeat Obama in swing states like Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Colorado. These folks drive everywhere (all 4 states are the very definition of suburban sprawl, with no sidewalks and virtually no public transportation to speak of). When they're unhappy, watch out. Obama's burden is heavy this year.Mitt is a weak debater, a terminally dull public speaker and has all the charisma of an Amazonian tree sloth, but he's the only Republican who can defeat Obama in swing states like Ohio, Florida, Michigan and Colorado. These folks drive everywhere (all 4 states are the very definition of suburban sprawl, with no sidewalks and virtually no public transportation to speak of). When they're unhappy, watch out. Obama's burden is heavy this year.
Allow us to add this chart from Real Clear Politics, which tracks President Obama's job approval rating. Last year the electorate seemed ready to eject the president from office. In October he had a negative approval rating of almost 10 points.Allow us to add this chart from Real Clear Politics, which tracks President Obama's job approval rating. Last year the electorate seemed ready to eject the president from office. In October he had a negative approval rating of almost 10 points.
In an October matchup with Romney, Obama was behind in RCP's poll of polls. Now the same gauge has the president up by 4.5 points.In an October matchup with Romney, Obama was behind in RCP's poll of polls. Now the same gauge has the president up by 4.5 points.
Obama has shown vulnerability among the white working class voters who move elections in the swing states MasonUSA mentions. But in November he will apparently be facing a candidate who has had a terribly difficult time connecting with anyone who earns less than $50k.Obama has shown vulnerability among the white working class voters who move elections in the swing states MasonUSA mentions. But in November he will apparently be facing a candidate who has had a terribly difficult time connecting with anyone who earns less than $50k.
Is the president vulnerable? Turnout will also be an issue. In 2008 Obama benefitted from an unusually energized base. 130 million people voted that November, breaking the record for the highest election turnout ever (2004) by nearly 8 million voters. The president won huge support among minority and youth voters, who turned out in unprecedented numbers.Is the president vulnerable? Turnout will also be an issue. In 2008 Obama benefitted from an unusually energized base. 130 million people voted that November, breaking the record for the highest election turnout ever (2004) by nearly 8 million voters. The president won huge support among minority and youth voters, who turned out in unprecedented numbers.
Any observer of this primary has to wonder about Romney's own ability to mobilize the base. But he may not need to; Obama will do it for him. The ability to defeat the president has ranked among the top few issues for Republican voters in every state exit poll so far.Any observer of this primary has to wonder about Romney's own ability to mobilize the base. But he may not need to; Obama will do it for him. The ability to defeat the president has ranked among the top few issues for Republican voters in every state exit poll so far.
What do you say? Does Romney have a chance?What do you say? Does Romney have a chance?
12.45pm: Jeb Bush has taken the Romney plunge. So now that Jeb's in the pool, which other major figures in the Republican party might be next to come on in? 1.49pm: No comment.
Stephen Hayes of The Weekly Standard and Rick Klein of ABC News have made a quick list that includes our most recent president and vice president, the governor of Indiana, a star senator from Florida, the Senate's Tea Party leader, the Speaker of the House and the Senate Minority Leader. Singing Johnny Cash in the car driving across Louisiana.
@rickklein Ryan won't b/c of Pres trust. W, Cheney, Daniels, Rubio, DeMint, Boehner, McConnell, Scott Walker (unlikely), Kasich... — Callista Gingrich (@CallyGingrich) March 21, 2012
— Stephen Hayes (@stephenfhayes) March 21, 2012 2.01pm: Jeb Bush has taken his endorsement of Mitt Romney to the Twitterverse.
That's a sizable portion of the party leadership. What could they possibly be waiting for? I've endorsed @MittRomney. It's time for GOP to unite & take our message of fiscal conservatism & job creation to all voters.
Real reason why GOP big names are holding off backing Romney: they don't want it used against them in 2016 — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) March 21, 2012
— Richard Adams (@RichardA) March 21, 2012 With that he hit the 140-character limit. The part that got caught off was, "This means you, Rick. Everyone always thought you were an assertive individual. Now you've proven it on a national level. Congratulations. Now get the Hades off of television before every independent voter in America starts mistaking you for the face of the Republican party."
12.29pm: Heh. I wonder if we can expect more of these Etch A Sketch chuckles. 2.26pm: A comparison a Mitt Romney aide made this morning between the campaign's policy positions and a certain favorite childhood toy has spawned a web site devoted to the perceived flip-flops of Mitt Romney.
Seamus Romney drawn on an Etch A Sketch. twitpic.com/8zducq The site, created by @mattortega, is called etchasketchmittromney.com.
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 21, 2012
11.54am: The Santorum campaign looks to capitalize on Romney's adviser saying that Romney has the ideological integrity of an Etch A Sketch. Hasn't Santorum been informed he's over?
ALL CAPS is so right for Rick Santorum.
from team santo: SHOCKING VIDEO: LIKE AN ETCH-A-SKETCH TEAM ROMNEY ADMITS THEIR CANDIDATE WILL CHANGE POSITIONS IN THE GENERAL ELECTION
— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) March 21, 2012
11.30am: Interesting!
Now that Jeb Bush has finally endorsed Romney, could this be the surprise ticket? If not Rubio, a popular ex-FL GOV w/Latina wife?
— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) March 21, 2012
11.25am: Mitt Romney's main political liability is the perception that he doesn't stand for anything and is willing to reset his views to please whatever audience he happens to be in front of.
Now one of Romney's closest aides has come out on CNN and accused – no not accused; let's say portrayed; drawn, if you will – his boss of having the ideological integrity of an Etch A Sketch.
Romney adviser Eric Fehrnstrom was asked whether Romney's jag to the right this spring to capture Republican voters won't hurt him this fall when it comes time to win Independents.
Don't worry, Fehrnstrom replied, in effect. Mitt will say anything. It's effortless. No big deal. He can stand for something completely different in the fall.
"Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
Mitt Romney: Etch A Sketch.
(h/t @politicalwire)
11.10am: A Bush endorsement: worth its weight in gold.
Now that he's got the beloved Bush name on his side, nothing can stop Mitt Romney!
— Indecision (@indecision) March 21, 2012
For the record, George H.W. "Pappy" "41" Bush had already endorsed Romney.
43 still isn't allowed to appear in public.
10.59am: Here's the text of Republican dynast Jeb Bush's endorsement of party member Mitt Romney:
Congratulations to Governor Mitt Romney on his win last night and to all the candidates for a hard fought, thoughtful debate and primary season. Primary elections have been held in 34 states, and now is the time for Republicans to unite behind Governor Romney and take our message of fiscal conservatism and job creation to all voters this fall. I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our Party's nomination. We face huge challenges, and we need a leader who understands the economy, recognizes more government regulation is not the answer, believes in entrepreneurial capitalism and works to ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed.
Just don't read the headline into your smart phone.
SHOES. (cc: @lovethebay) RT @GOP12: Just did a voice-text of Jeb's endorsement -- my smart phone read it as "Jeb Bush justin nordstrom me."
— Ana Marie Cox (@anamariecox) March 21, 2012
10.51am: Breaking news: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush has endorsed Mitt Romney for president. Huge news for Romney. One of the Republican party's leading generals who until this point has sat overlooking the field, watching the skirmish below without committing his troops. Now he sees which way the battle is definitively breaking – and he sends in the whole contingent.
The Republican party has spoken. Like it or not, this year it's Mitt. Now let's beat the president.
Translation: Shut this thing down. RT @rickklein: SIREN. Jeb Bush statement: "I am endorsing Mitt Romney for our Party's nomination."
— Garance Franke-Ruta (@thegarance) March 21, 2012
10.33am: You know you're a candidate for national office if...
– you've slept in your own bed once since Christmas
– there's one speech you know so well you could give it while completing a crossword and cooking an omelette
– your wife's anniversary love letter to you takes the form of a highly produced video posted to YouTube
*Be advised that this video has not been tested on animals.
10.23am: It's tough to spin this:
Santorum spokeswoman Alice Stewart predicted last night they'd win 24-30 delegates in Illinois. They won 10.
— Neil King, WSJ (@NKingofDC) March 21, 2012
9.49am: Here's a sample of the campaigner Mitt Romney will be up against, should he win the nomination and choose to accept it. President Barack Obama is good at making people feel like he understands them. He's known for dropping a few words of Spanish or Bahasa when the occasion calls for it. He also wowed Atlantic writer Jeffrey Goldberg recently by dropping a reference to the Maxwell House Haggadah.
Now he's been spotted using sign language.
So the 26-year-old Prince George's Community College student took his cue and spoke to President Obama in his first language: American Sign Language. "I am proud of you," Stephon signed. The president, almost involuntary, instinctively, immediately signed back.
"Thank you," Obama replied.

(h/t: @thegarance)
9.28am: Look what BuzzFeed's Andrew Kaczynski has found.
A new picture unearthed of Rick "Rooster" Santorum in High School. buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczynsk…
— Andrew Kaczynski (@BuzzFeedAndrew) March 21, 2012
9.21am: As much as Illinois strengthened Mitt Romney's grip on the nomination, what insights does the election hold for the candidate's appeal with different groups of voters? There seem to have been no surprises here. The voters in Illinois skewed moderate, non-evangelical and wealthy, according to exit polls. Romney won the way he usually wins, and not through some new popularity among evangelicals or strongly conservative voters. After Illinois, Romney has won all 10 primaries where evangelicals make up less than half the vote, @FixAaron points out. And he's lost all seven where they make up more than half.
9.21am: The Mitt Romney necktie watch.
Romney's wearing a necktie again. Primaries over, general has begun? bit.ly/GFcA0R
— davidfrum (@davidfrum) March 21, 2012
Here's the Romney victory speech. Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!
9.10am: What swayed the race? You might argue that nothing swayed it; the fact is, Illinois breeds moderate Republicans, particularly around Chicago, and Rick Santorum's brand of fervid, social-issues based conservatism just doesn't play with most folks. Then there was the money: about 80% of voters in exit polls said economic issues were their main concern. And more money: Romney and his Super Pac outspent Santorum and his Super Pac by a staggering 18-1 on advertising, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group. 2.40pm: Rick Santorum isn't the only Republican candidate who heard about Romney's aide's Etch A Sketch remark and seized on it to make a point about the perceived ideological flexibility of the would-be nominee:
Now for the question we have to ask: Among friends, it's safe to say this thing is over, right? The answer we're inclined to: Yes. Newt holds up the etch a sketch. twitter.com/GingerGibson/s…
no reasonable way for Santorum to call himself candidate of Midwest. Less reasonable ways to call himself actual contender, either. — Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) March 21, 2012
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) March 21, 2012 "Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign," Romney aide Eric Fehrnstrom said on CNN. "Everything changes. It's almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all over again."
But wait: if this is all it took to effectively end the nominating race, one state throwing its votes to Romney, then what was all that talk a week ago about a months-long battle? Was that empty hype? 2.56pm: Temperatures hit 85 degrees in Illinois yesterday, making it the state's hottest election day ever. The state has experienced only two hotter days for any March in recorded history. As Bill McKibben wrote yesterday in the Guardian, "it was the seventh straight day of 80-degree temperatures at O'Hare [airport], something that's never happened before in March. Or in April, for that matter."
The analogy might be to an airplane, with Rick Santorum in the cockpit. A week ago pilot Santorum had a path to cruising altitude if he was able to execute an improbably clean takeoff starting with an upset win in Illinois. Instead what has happened is Rick Santorum's plane is sitting on the runway with a broken wing and he is there next to it kicking the tire and using very un-Christian words on it. Today Rick Santorum is campaigning in Louisiana, which holds its primary on Saturday. It turns out they're having some unusual weather down there too, with a severe thunderstorm warning currently in effect in the eastern half of the state as well as a flash flood watch.
The math: of the more than 1200 outstanding delegates, Romney needs roughly 45%; Santorum needs roughly 70%. Here's Santorum's take:
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) March 21, 2012 Santorum: "There's only one candidate in this race who doesn't believe in man-made global warming"

/> 		— Rosie Gray (@RosiePGray) March 21, 2012
9.00am: Good morning and welcome to our live blog politics coverage on the morning after one of the most... the most... the most not-even-close races so far, in Illinois, where Mitt Romney played Rick Santorum like a fiddle and then smashed the fiddle. Tom McCarthy here in New York, and here's what happened: 3.20pm: Have you ever heard of Mentzer Media Services, Inc.? It's an advertising agency that specializes in Republican campaigns. It made a splash in 2004 with ads for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry for his service in Vietnam.
• In an easy Illinois win, Mitt Romney widened his delegate lead on Rick Santorum by more than 30 delegates. Romney got 47% of the raw vote while Santorum got 35%, Ron Paul got 9% and Newt got 8%. Our new estimated delegate tally is Romney 546, Santorum 261. 546 > 261. Mentzer also appears to be the single biggest beneficiary of campaign spending this election cycle, with total receipts so far of $67,119,878, according to a cool new interactive graphic from ProPublica. Most of that money, $64.3 million, came from Restore Our Future, the SuperPac behind Mitt Romney.
• Does this mean the Republican party is finally embracing Romney? One key group has: FreedomWorks, the organization that launched the Tea Party, somewhat grudgingly endorsed the frontrunner late yesterday. They cited math. "It is a statistical fact that the numbers favor Mitt Romney," FreedomWorks official Russ Walker told The Washington Times. "We are dedicated to defeating Obama and electing a conservative Senate that will help Romney repeal Obamacare and address the nation's economic and spending challenges." Who else is making a killing on the exercise of America's most hallowed tradition, electoral politics? AB Data, a fundraising and direct marketing firm, has billed the Obama reelection campaign for more than $36 million. American Rambler Productions, LLC, a media consultancy firm, has done $34.3 million worth of work for Romney for President, Inc. (Eric Fehrnstrom of this morning's Etch A Sketch remark is a founder.) FedEx is on the list for $258,000 – a figure we sure thought would be higher.
• Is Santorum finished? He didn't exactly give a withdrawal speech last night. Instead he called the race the most important presidential contest since 1860. Statistics have shown that it is impossible to spend a week campaigning in the Land of Lincoln without comparing yourself to Abraham Lincoln. Check out the interactive here.
• It looks like Santorum will win Louisiana on Saturday, give Romney a run in Wisconsin and then lose a slew of east coast states, including 95-delegate-awarding New York. By then it will be the end of April and we may all be sharing the sentiment of those 30% of voters who told exit pollsters last night that they would prefer to see the race over – even if it meant their candidate did not win. 3.28pm: Etch A Sketch is harder than it looks. Give it a try here. You use arrow keys instead of knobs to move the ink beetle. Take a screen grab of your most beautiful illustration and post it in the comments. Be forewarned that some patience is required!
4.55pm: Inevitably, the comapny that makes Etch-a-Sketch has put out a statement. And equally inevitably, Buzzfeed has it. And it's not remotely cheesey.
Happy to see Etch A Sketch, an American classic toy, is DRAWING attention with political candidates as a cultural icon and important piece of our society. A profound toy, highly recognized and loved by all, is now SHAKING up the national debate. Nothing is as quintessentially American as Etch A Sketch and a good old fashion political debate.
We are pleased with the added attention being drawn to Etch A Sketch which is truly one of the most recognizable, iconic and fun toys ever developed. As one of the most classic toys of all time, Etch A Sketch has always sold particularly well with today's consumer. It is too early to tell, but we are hopeful to see if there is an uptake in sales given this recent exposure.
The Ohio Art Company has been in the toy business for more than 100 years and Etch A Sketch for over five decades. Our company values bringing smiles to kids faces and providing hours of fun playtime for young kids.
Meanwhile, The Fix counsels against over-reaching commentators.
People speculating about whether Ferhnstrom could be fired for etch-a-sketch don't know how close he and Mitt are. Just no way.
— The Fix (@TheFix) March 21, 2012
6.00pm: Ewen MacAskill has filed his story, wrapping up the political day. He concludes that, with the Bush nomination, Romney "tightened his hold on the party nomination".
That seems like a good point at which to bring our coverage of the day to an end. See you back her for more tomorrow.