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Primaries results live blog - Republicans rally to Mitt Romney Republicans rally to Mitt Romney - as it happened
(40 minutes later)
11.30pm: To end our coverage, here's a summary of the night's events. 8pm: They think it's all over – and it is now, as five states vote tonight for the Republican presidential nominee, and Mitt Romney is expected to win all five and assume the mantle of GOP candidate.
• Mitt Romney convincingly swept the board of the five states holding primaries on Tuesday, winning more than 55% of the Republican vote in each of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island and cementing his place as the GOP's presidential nominee New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island all vote tonight – and one clear result that we can expect is that Barack Obama will official seal the Democratic nomination, a minor bureaucratic hurdle but a result nonetheless.
• Turning his attention to the coming presidential campaign, Romney told supporters in New Hampshire: "I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight," and foreshadowed a campaign theme of "fairness" On the Republican side, all tension left tonight's contests once Rick Santorum – who may have made a real fight of it in his home state of Pennsylvania – dropped out. The only tension of the night remains the size of Romney's victories, and the fate of Newt Gingrich, who is likely to "reassess" his campaign if he fails to even win tiny Delaware, the fifth state to vote tonight.
• Newt Gingrich failed in his long-shot bid to win Delaware's primary but pulled back from ending his presidential campaign, although he offered clear hints that he will probably exit the contest early next week At 9pm Romney is to speak in New Hampshire, in a speech clearly aimed at the general election in November. We'll be covering all this right here, so stay tuned.
• Barack Obama easily won the remaining delegates he needed to officially retain the Democratic nomination 8.10pm: So polls have closed everywhere as of now – other than New York, where they close at 9pm – and it's a sign of the excitement surrounding tonight's primaries that precisely zero of the cable news networks are covering the vote counts tonight.
11.10pm: Goodness me, Ron Paul got 24% of the vote in plucky little Rhode Island's primary. That is only 3,500 actual live votes, though. Newt Gingrich got 6%. 8.16pm: And the first result of the night is in – and the AP calls Connecticut for Mitt Romney. That didn't take long.
Here's Politico's Ginger Gibson on Gingrich's threadbare campaign: Spooky fact: with 13% of the vote in, Mitt Romney has 66.6% of the vote in Connecticut. Bad omen?
Following his five-state shutout Tuesday night, Newt Gingrich sent the strongest signal yet that he's nearing the end of his tottering campaign. 8.23pm: And now the AP awards the Rhode Island primary to Ron Paul! Just kidding. It's Mitt Romney. Sorry.
"We're going to look realistically at where we're at," Gingrich said at an election-night rally in North Carolina. "We are going to think carefully about how we can be the most helpful to this country." 8.29pm: The only sliver of tension tonight – apart from whether or not Newt Gingrich is going to not only smell the coffee but drink it as well – is in Delaware, where Gingrich has spent a lot of time campaigning. It's close to his home, so he didn't have to travel far or spend any money.
But the former House speaker — who is deep in debt and recently radically slashed his staff — once again stopped short of actually quitting. In fact, he made a point of saying that he's not hopping off the campaign trail just yet, even once again talking about the summer convention in Tampa. But it hasn't appeared to work, so far. With 7% of the vote in, Mitt Romney is ahead by 52% to 33% for Gingrich.
10.51pm: Mitt Romney "finally declared the Republican presidential race over Tuesday night after sweeping victories in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island," writes the Guardian's Ewen MacAskill: 8.36pm: So much for Delaware: NBC News is calling it for Mitt Romney. Taxi for Mr Gingrich.
Romney aimed his speech at a general election audience rather the core Republican voters who make up the electorate in most of the primaries and caucuses. And to think these same Republican voters gave us Christine O'Donnell two years ago. Not so crazy now, huh? Then again, even Christine O'D herself endorsed Romney.
"Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change, but after we came down to earth, after all the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?," Romney said. 8.40pm: Now AP also calls Delaware for Mitt Romney, so it's not even close.
"Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?" And indeed, the latest tallies from Delaware – with 69% reporting – have Romney leading Gingrich by 57% to 26%.
Most of his speech was an attack on Obama's record rather than an account of what Romney planned to do if he won office, a hint of how he might fight the campaign, keeping the focus on Obama and making himself as small a target as possible. That's it, Newt's done, right? Come on man, pull the plug.
10.32pm: AP says that in Pennsylvania, Tom Smith has won the Republican nomination to challenge the Democratic party's Bob Casey for the US Senate seat he currently occupies. 8.41pm: How low key tonight's results are: even C-Span isn't covering it. On C-Span 3, Senator Bill Nelson is telling someone with incredulity that one of his young staff members doesn't even watch TV at all! Kids today, eh Bill?
Smith is a coal magnate, which has a pleasantly 19th century ring to it. 8.43pm: Here we go: Newt Gingrich is to speak in 10 minutes. So we'll soon know.
10.20pm: Exciting news – if you're living in Pennsylvania – is that two centrist Democratic members of Congress have lost their primaries. Tim Holden and Jason Altmire have both gone down in flames. 8.49pm: Newt Gingrich speaks! And after exactly one minute, CNN cuts away from him. Good job.
Coincidentally (or not), both Holden and Altmire voted against Obama's healthcare reforms back in the day. Then came redistricting, and now they won't be voting against anything any more. 8.52pm: Never mind Newt, here's Mitt Romney, taking the stage a little early, possibly just to step on Gingrich in one final humiliation.
10.15pm: Say what you like about Michele Bachmann – actually don't, it would take too long and probably get shouty – she has a fantastic political antennae: Romney is introduced by his wife, Ann, before a podium sign reading: "A better America begins tonight".
Bachmann: "becoming very apparent" Romney will be GOP nominee. @gretawire 8.54pm: "Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less," Mitt Romney begins his speech. He then reels off a list of unnamed people – "the grandparents who can't afford to the gas to visit their grandparents" – who are worse off. But then:
Talk about going out on a limb. Or going out on a limp. To all of the thousands of good and decent Americans I've met who want nothing more than a better chance, a fighting chance, to all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight.
10.04pm: My Guardian colleague Ewen MacAskill is working on his report on tonight's events, but he has these thoughts on Mitt Romney's speech: 8.56pm: Romney says he wants to meet every American personally "and learn about your families". That could take a while. And he wants to them about himself. "I'll probably bore you with stories about my kids and grandkids," says Mitt.
Almost any president or politician aspiring to office could have said these words. Looks like he is going to fight just on Obama's record and make himself as small a target as possible. More to the point, Romney says:
10pm: Oh yeah and AP predicts that Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination as of tonight, taking enough delegates. So there's that. I'll tell you about how much I love this country, where someone like my dad, who grew up poor and never graduated from college, could pursue his dreams and work his way up to running a great car company. Only in America could a man like my dad become governor of the state in which he once sold paint from the trunk of his car.
9.52pm: The New York Times has its take on Romney's victory lap tonight, saying that he "laid out a succinct argument for his economic leadership and urged Americans to consider whether they are better off now than when Mr Obama took office three years ago". I'd say that you might have heard that I was successful in business. And that rumor is true.
But the question remains about the lack of enthusiasm for Romney among Republicans:
The Republican primary campaign, which was defined by the acrimony among Mr Romney, Mr Santorum and their rivals over the party's direction, is drawing to a close in an anticlimactic fashion. Some Republicans have done little to mask their tepid response to Mr Romney, but several party leaders said Tuesday that they did not worry about getting conservatives to rally behind him.
"It's Obama that's going to get Republicans jazzed up," said Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who has expressed support for Mr Romney.
9.47pm: The full text of Mitt Romney's totally awesome speech is online here. Memorise it now and surprise your co-workers tomorrow by reciting it at lunch break.
9.40pm: Just in case Newt Gingrich needs any help in making his decision: he is currently being beaten by Ron Paul in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. And in Pennsylvania – the state where Newt was actually born 700 years ago – Gingrich is running fourth out of four, below both Paul and Rick Santorum, who isn't even in the running any more.
Even in Delaware Newt came second and only trailed Romney by... hmm ... 30 percentage points. Oh if only he'd had a couple more years.
9.36pm: Some actual news – or lack of it – out of Rick Santorum's back massage with Piers Morgan tonight, when Santorum refuses to endorse Mitt Romney. Although he does say that he's meeting with Romney's staff tomorrow. So, ok.
9.35pm: And there we have it: CBS News now projects that the New York state Republican primary will be won by Mitt Romney. That's the full five states tonight going for Mitt, and all by big margins.
9.30pm: In the loser's circle, Newt Gingrich has cancelled the press conference he was to have held, although he somehow manages to tell some journalists that he won't make a decision "before Sunday". As if we care.
9.22pm: Meanwhile, Rick Santorum is appearing with his wife Karen on CNN, to be lightly chatted with by Piers Morgan, the former journalist.
9.12pm: And what about Newt Gingrich? He kept flapping his jaws for some time. But he did say: "Over the next few days, we are going to look realistically at where we're at."
What's that old saying about doing something or getting off the pot?
9.09pm: Polls have now closed in New York state, no news yet.
According to Fox News, Mitt Romney's speech was utterly fabulous, one that made Cicero sound like a stuttering fool. Basically, the election is over and we are just hanging around until the votes are counted on 6 November.
9.07pm: Overall, this is a pretty bland speech from Mitt Romney, almost like one of those one-size-fits-all US politician speech. Here's his ringing peroration, for example:
There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world.
Those days are coming back. That's our destiny.
We believe in America. We believe in ourselves. Our greatest days are still ahead. We are, after all, Americans!
That's pretty much what every presidential candidate ever has said, apart from Jimmy Carter and his "We are all cursed by an angry god" speech.
9.06pm: Mitt Romney is getting into the "shining city on the hill" part of his speech:
In the days ahead, join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th, when across America we can give a sigh of relief and know that the Promise of America has been kept. The dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again.
And this time we'll get it right. We'll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad.
9.05pm: AP awards Pennsylvania to Mitt Romney as well.
Romney is making a big play about "fairness" in this speech, although more correctly it's "unfairness" he's complaining about:
This America is fundamentally fair. We will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends' businesses; we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next.
9.03pm: More from Romney:
This President is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats and boards, commissions and czars. He's asking us to accept that Washington knows best – and can provide all.
We've already seen where this path leads. It erodes freedom. It deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. And it hurts the very people it's supposed to help. Those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty. Other nations have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages.
9pm: Meanwhile, as Romney speaks, NBC News declares Romney the winner of the Pennsylvania primary as well. So that's going to be five from five tonight, with just New York to come.
Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich is still speaking, and believe it or not vowing to "go all the way to Tampa," for the convention.
8.58pm: "I know how to lead us out of a stagnant Obama economy and into a job-creating recovery," Romney declares:8.58pm: "I know how to lead us out of a stagnant Obama economy and into a job-creating recovery," Romney declares:
Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. But after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. But after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?
Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?
No, the crowds responds. Now there's a surprise.No, the crowds responds. Now there's a surprise.
"It's still about the economy – and we're not stupid," says Mitt."It's still about the economy – and we're not stupid," says Mitt.
8.56pm: Romney says he wants to meet every American personally "and learn about your families". That could take a while. And he wants to them about himself. "I'll probably bore you with stories about my kids and grandkids," says Mitt. 9pm: Meanwhile, as Romney speaks, NBC News declares Romney the winner of the Pennsylvania primary as well. So that's going to be five from five tonight, with just New York to come.
More to the point, Romney says: Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich is still speaking, and believe it or not vowing to "go all the way to Tampa," for the convention.
I'll tell you about how much I love this country, where someone like my dad, who grew up poor and never graduated from college, could pursue his dreams and work his way up to running a great car company. Only in America could a man like my dad become governor of the state in which he once sold paint from the trunk of his car. 9.03pm: More from Romney:
I'd say that you might have heard that I was successful in business. And that rumor is true. This President is putting us on a path where our lives will be ruled by bureaucrats and boards, commissions and czars. He's asking us to accept that Washington knows best – and can provide all.
8.54pm: "Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less," Mitt Romney begins his speech. He then reels off a list of unnamed people – "the grandparents who can't afford to the gas to visit their grandparents" – who are worse off. But then: We've already seen where this path leads. It erodes freedom. It deadens the entrepreneurial spirit. And it hurts the very people it's supposed to help. Those who promise to spread the wealth around only ever succeed in spreading poverty. Other nations have chosen that path. It leads to chronic high unemployment, crushing debt, and stagnant wages.
To all of the thousands of good and decent Americans I've met who want nothing more than a better chance, a fighting chance, to all of you, I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight. 9.05pm: AP awards Pennsylvania to Mitt Romney as well.
8.52pm: Never mind Newt, here's Mitt Romney, taking the stage a little early, possibly just to step on Gingrich in one final humiliation. Romney is making a big play about "fairness" in this speech, although more correctly it's "unfairness" he's complaining about:
Romney is introduced by his wife, Ann, before a podium sign reading: "A better America begins tonight". This America is fundamentally fair. We will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; we will stop the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends' businesses; we will stop the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; we will stop the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next.
8.49pm: Newt Gingrich speaks! And after exactly one minute, CNN cuts away from him. Good job. 9.06pm: Mitt Romney is getting into the "shining city on the hill" part of his speech:
8.43pm: Here we go: Newt Gingrich is to speak in 10 minutes. So we'll soon know. In the days ahead, join me in the next step toward that destination of November 6th, when across America we can give a sigh of relief and know that the Promise of America has been kept. The dreamers can dream a little bigger, the help wanted signs can be dusted off, and we can start again.
8.41pm: How low key tonight's results are: even C-Span isn't covering it. On C-Span 3, Senator Bill Nelson is telling someone with incredulity that one of his young staff members doesn't even watch TV at all! Kids today, eh Bill? And this time we'll get it right. We'll stop the days of apologizing for success at home and never again apologize for America abroad.
8.40pm: Now AP also calls Delaware for Mitt Romney, so it's not even close. 9.07pm: Overall, this is a pretty bland speech from Mitt Romney, almost like one of those one-size-fits-all US politician speech. Here's his ringing peroration, for example:
And indeed, the latest tallies from Delaware – with 69% reporting – have Romney leading Gingrich by 57% to 26%. There was a time – not so long ago – when each of us could walk a little taller and stand a little straighter because we had a gift that no one else in the world shared. We were Americans. That meant something different to each of us but it meant something special to all of us. We knew it without question. And so did the world.
That's it, Newt's done, right? Come on man, pull the plug. Those days are coming back. That's our destiny.
8.36pm: So much for Delaware: NBC News is calling it for Mitt Romney. Taxi for Mr Gingrich. We believe in America. We believe in ourselves. Our greatest days are still ahead. We are, after all, Americans!
And to think these same Republican voters gave us Christine O'Donnell two years ago. Not so crazy now, huh? Then again, even Christine O'D herself endorsed Romney. That's pretty much what every presidential candidate ever has said, apart from Jimmy Carter and his "We are all cursed by an angry god" speech.
8.29pm: The only sliver of tension tonight – apart from whether or not Newt Gingrich is going to not only smell the coffee but drink it as well – is in Delaware, where Gingrich has spent a lot of time campaigning. It's close to his home, so he didn't have to travel far or spend any money. 9.09pm: Polls have now closed in New York state, no news yet.
But it hasn't appeared to work, so far. With 7% of the vote in, Mitt Romney is ahead by 52% to 33% for Gingrich. According to Fox News, Mitt Romney's speech was utterly fabulous, one that made Cicero sound like a stuttering fool. Basically, the election is over and we are just hanging around until the votes are counted on 6 November.
8.23pm: And now the AP awards the Rhode Island primary to Ron Paul! Just kidding. It's Mitt Romney. Sorry. 9.12pm: And what about Newt Gingrich? He kept flapping his jaws for some time. But he did say: "Over the next few days, we are going to look realistically at where we're at."
8.16pm: And the first result of the night is in – and the AP calls Connecticut for Mitt Romney. That didn't take long. What's that old saying about doing something or getting off the pot?
Spooky fact: with 13% of the vote in, Mitt Romney has 66.6% of the vote in Connecticut. Bad omen? 9.22pm: Meanwhile, Rick Santorum is appearing with his wife Karen on CNN, to be lightly chatted with by Piers Morgan, the former journalist.
8.10pm: So polls have closed everywhere as of now – other than New York, where they close at 9pm – and it's a sign of the excitement surrounding tonight's primaries that precisely zero of the cable news networks are covering the vote counts tonight. 9.30pm: In the loser's circle, Newt Gingrich has cancelled the press conference he was to have held, although he somehow manages to tell some journalists that he won't make a decision "before Sunday". As if we care.
8pm: They think it's all over – and it is now, as five states vote tonight for the Republican presidential nominee, and Mitt Romney is expected to win all five and assume the mantle of GOP candidate. 9.35pm: And there we have it: CBS News now projects that the New York state Republican primary will be won by Mitt Romney. That's the full five states tonight going for Mitt, and all by big margins.
New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Rhode Island all vote tonight – and one clear result that we can expect is that Barack Obama will official seal the Democratic nomination, a minor bureaucratic hurdle but a result nonetheless. 9.36pm: Some actual news – or lack of it – out of Rick Santorum's back massage with Piers Morgan tonight, when Santorum refuses to endorse Mitt Romney. Although he does say that he's meeting with Romney's staff tomorrow. So, ok.
On the Republican side, all tension left tonight's contests once Rick Santorum – who may have made a real fight of it in his home state of Pennsylvania – dropped out. The only tension of the night remains the size of Romney's victories, and the fate of Newt Gingrich, who is likely to "reassess" his campaign if he fails to even win tiny Delaware, the fifth state to vote tonight. 9.40pm: Just in case Newt Gingrich needs any help in making his decision: he is currently being beaten by Ron Paul in Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. And in Pennsylvania – the state where Newt was actually born 700 years ago – Gingrich is running fourth out of four, below both Paul and Rick Santorum, who isn't even in the running any more.
At 9pm Romney is to speak in New Hampshire, in a speech clearly aimed at the general election in November. We'll be covering all this right here, so stay tuned. Even in Delaware Newt came second and only trailed Romney by... hmm ... 30 percentage points. Oh if only he'd had a couple more years.
9.47pm: The full text of Mitt Romney's totally awesome speech is online here. Memorise it now and surprise your co-workers tomorrow by reciting it at lunch break.
9.52pm: The New York Times has its take on Romney's victory lap tonight, saying that he "laid out a succinct argument for his economic leadership and urged Americans to consider whether they are better off now than when Mr Obama took office three years ago".
But the question remains about the lack of enthusiasm for Romney among Republicans:
The Republican primary campaign, which was defined by the acrimony among Mr Romney, Mr Santorum and their rivals over the party's direction, is drawing to a close in an anticlimactic fashion. Some Republicans have done little to mask their tepid response to Mr Romney, but several party leaders said Tuesday that they did not worry about getting conservatives to rally behind him.
"It's Obama that's going to get Republicans jazzed up," said Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who has expressed support for Mr Romney.
10pm: Oh yeah and AP predicts that Barack Obama wins the Democratic nomination as of tonight, taking enough delegates. So there's that.
10.04pm: My Guardian colleague Ewen MacAskill is working on his report on tonight's events, but he has these thoughts on Mitt Romney's speech:
Almost any president or politician aspiring to office could have said these words. Looks like he is going to fight just on Obama's record and make himself as small a target as possible.
10.15pm: Say what you like about Michele Bachmann – actually don't, it would take too long and probably get shouty – she has a fantastic political antennae:
Bachmann: "becoming very apparent" Romney will be GOP nominee. @gretawire
Talk about going out on a limb. Or going out on a limp.
10.20pm: Exciting news – if you're living in Pennsylvania – is that two centrist Democratic members of Congress have lost their primaries. Tim Holden and Jason Altmire have both gone down in flames.
Coincidentally (or not), both Holden and Altmire voted against Obama's healthcare reforms back in the day. Then came redistricting, and now they won't be voting against anything any more.
10.32pm: AP says that in Pennsylvania, Tom Smith has won the Republican nomination to challenge the Democratic party's Bob Casey for the US Senate seat he currently occupies.
Smith is a coal magnate, which has a pleasantly 19th century ring to it.
10.51pm: Mitt Romney "finally declared the Republican presidential race over Tuesday night after sweeping victories in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island," writes the Guardian's Ewen MacAskill:
Romney aimed his speech at a general election audience rather the core Republican voters who make up the electorate in most of the primaries and caucuses.
"Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change, but after we came down to earth, after all the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?," Romney said.
"Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?"
Most of his speech was an attack on Obama's record rather than an account of what Romney planned to do if he won office, a hint of how he might fight the campaign, keeping the focus on Obama and making himself as small a target as possible.
11.10pm: Goodness me, Ron Paul got 24% of the vote in plucky little Rhode Island's primary. That is only 3,500 actual live votes, though. Newt Gingrich got 6%.
Here's Politico's Ginger Gibson on Gingrich's threadbare campaign:
Following his five-state shutout Tuesday night, Newt Gingrich sent the strongest signal yet that he's nearing the end of his tottering campaign.
"We're going to look realistically at where we're at," Gingrich said at an election-night rally in North Carolina. "We are going to think carefully about how we can be the most helpful to this country."
But the former House speaker — who is deep in debt and recently radically slashed his staff — once again stopped short of actually quitting. In fact, he made a point of saying that he's not hopping off the campaign trail just yet, even once again talking about the summer convention in Tampa.
11.30pm: To end our coverage, here's a summary of the night's events.
• Mitt Romney convincingly swept the board of the five states holding primaries on Tuesday, winning more than 55% of the Republican vote in each of New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island and cementing his place as the GOP's presidential nominee
• Turning his attention to the coming presidential campaign, Romney told supporters in New Hampshire: "I have a simple message: Hold on a little longer. A better America begins tonight," and foreshadowed a campaign theme of "fairness"
• Newt Gingrich failed in his long-shot bid to win Delaware's primary but pulled back from ending his presidential campaign, although he offered clear hints that he will probably exit the contest early next week
• Barack Obama easily won the remaining delegates he needed to officially retain the Democratic nomination