Romney Wins Florida Primary

Romney thanked Florida supporters for a "great victory'' and declared, "I stand ready to lead this party and lead this nation.''

"My leadership will end the Obama era and begin a new era of American prosperity,'' he said in a victory speech here, where Republicans will hold their nominating convention in late August.

With a quarter of the vote still to be counted, Romney was getting close to half the total vote in the Sunshine state, where TV ads by Romney's campaign and supporting groups swamped the spending of Gingrich and his supporters by 5-to-1. The victory propelled Romney back to the head of the field following his double-digit loss in South Carolina's primary less than two weeks ago.

Gingrich, the former House speaker, was running a distant second. Even before the votes were all cast, he vowed to continue his campaign on to the Republican convention this August regardless of the Florida outcome. Two other candidates, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul, were looking ahead to upcoming caucus contests in smaller states such as Colorado and Nevada.

Just over half of Florida primary voters said they thought Romney was the candidate most likely to defeat President Obama in the general election. . In a state with unemployment at 10%, voters overhelmingly listed the economy as their top issue, and many pointed to housing foreclosures as a major problem.

Exit polls showed Romney dominating the race with nearly all types of voters. He ran particularly well with women, a closely watched indicator after Gingrich's second former wife charged in a TV interview two weeks ago that he had said he wanted an "open marriage." Gingrich, whose third wife has campaigned by his side, denied the allegation. Romney was supported by all ideological groups except those calling themselves "very conservative, '' who went for Gingrich.

At stake are 50 delegates to the Republican National Convention and a big leg up in momentum heading into February caucuses and primaries.

In claiming his victory, Romney noted the tough nature of the Florida campaign but said it should not be viewed as damaging the party or his own chances in the general election.

"A competitive primary does not divide us. It prepares us, and we will win,'' Romney said.

He took aim at Obama and tried to set the stage for what he hopes will be a fall showdown with the Democratic president. Romney vowed to

"Under this president, more Americans have lost their jobs and more foreclosures have occured than under the administration of any other president in history,'' Romney said.

Without explaining how he would achieve such savings, Romney declared that as president, "Without raising taxes I will finally get America to a balanced budget.''

GOP officials in Florida were anticipating a big turnout Tuesday, more than 2 million voters, up from a record 1.9 million in the 2008 Republican primary. More than 605,000 Floridians voted earlier, either by visiting early-voting stations or by mailing absentee ballots - more than the early vote in the GOP primary four years ago.

Without predicting a winner or endorsing a candidate, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., told CNN on Tuesday afternoon, "The winner of Florida is in all likelihood going to be the nominee of our party."

TV ads in Florida were heavily skewed in Romney's favor. Restore our Future, an outside group supporting Romney, accounted for about $8.8 million in the ad wars, and the candidate and the "super PAC" combined outspent Gingrich and Winning The Future, the organization backing him, by about $15.5 million to $3.3 million.

In Lake County early Tuesday, Sam Chesser, 78, a retired jeweler, declined to say whom he voted for but said the negative ads almost caused him to stay home.

"It is the same as it has been for the last few years, it's just nasty, nasty," he said. "I was tempted to stay away this morning."

Still, Chesser said, he made the trip, anyway. "If I don't vote, I don't have a right to gripe," he said.

In Palm Beach, Julian Stoopler, a 68-year-old investment adviser, said Tuesday he has always liked Gingrich but ultimately decided to give his vote to former business leader Romney. "The condition of the country has deteriorated so badly that we need a CEO to turn it around," Stoopler said.

In Miami's Little Havana, car salesman Osvaldo Mitat, 69, favored Gingrich. He's impressed by the former House speaker's "commitment to the Cuban community," Mitat said, and Gingrich's past personal life doesn't bother him - Mitat has been divorced four times himself.

"Romney also has a past," he said. "Everyone has a past."

At a voting precinct in North Naples, Conrad Reinhard, 71, said he voted for Romney.

"I like Gingrich and his energy, but Romney is more stable, more level-headed," Reinhard said.

Romney's stability is also why they chose him over Gingrich, said Ginny Jones, 68, and her husband, Norm Jones, 73.

"Newt is a renegade. He's just not liked. It's his attitude. He's so cocky," Ginny Jones said.

Contributing: Catalina Camia in Washington, D.C.; The News-Press, Fort Myers, Fla.; Carolyn Pesce in McLean, Va.; the Associated Press