Mitt Romney: Winning smile? Photo credit: Gage Skidmore, http://flic.kr/p/9itVJF
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney romped to victory in the New Hampshire primary, with Texas Congressman Ron Paul a distant second and Utah’s Jon Huntsman in third place. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich edged Rick Santorum for fourth, while Texas governor Rick Perry, who didn’t compete in the state, managed a decisive last place.
This makes two wins in a row for the former Massachusetts governor, following his narrow victory over social conservative Santorum in the Iowa caucus. It was a disappointing result for Huntsman, who was relying on a second-place finish in the state.
Some commentators argued that the New Hampshire win means Romney is now a shoo-in for the Republican presidential nomination. However, others pointed to the fact that turn-out was relatively low, which implies Republicans are less than enthusiastic about Romney, and suggested his campaign may struggle in the next primary in the more conservative state of South Carolina.
Romney victory almost inevitable. “The only thing that can stop Romney now is Romney,” wrote Alex Spillius in The Telegraph, arguing that the former Massachusetts governor’s rivals are hardly strong contenders. Spillius said that Ron Paul lacks the mass appeal necessary for the GOP nomination and Jon Huntsman has spent little time in South Carolina, which means Romney’s chief rivals in the next primary will be Gingrich, Santorum and Perry, all of whom have serious flaws in their campaigns. Gingrich has a “poor campaign infrastructure” and a “provocative streak”; Santorum “lacks money and organisation”; and Perry – well, Perry finished with 0.7 percent in New Hampshire. Enough said.
After his New Hampshire win, Mitt Romney took aim at President Obama in an address to supporters: “When Barack Obama came to New Hampshire four years ago … he promised to bring people together, he promised to change the broken system in Washington, he promised to improve our nation… Today, we’re faced with the disappointing record of a failed president,” he said, reported Reuters.
Romney: Weak winner/strong winner. “Romney looks weak even when he wins,” said Paul Begala at The Daily Beast. Begala argued that the GOP field is so pathetic that Romney isn’t truly being tested: “It’s pretty easy to look bulletproof when your enemies are shooting blanks.” However, Jon Avlon, also at The Daily Beast, pointed out that “Romney won virtually every major demographic” in the New Hampshire primary, including Catholic, evangelical and Tea Party voters. “After his first decisive and broad-based win, Mitt Romney can start to credibly make the case that he can unite his party after all and take the fight into the fall,” said Avlon.
Despite media speculation that Jon Huntsman’s third place finish was a serious blow to his campaign, the former Utah governor remained upbeat:”Ladies and gentlemen, I think we’re in the hunt. I’d say third place is a ticket to ride,” he said, reported The Guardian.
Romney: More conservative than voters realize. “In reality, Romney is a remarkably reactionary candidate, camouflaged in corporate pinstripes,” wrote Katrina vanden Heuvel on a Washington Post blog, arguing that it suits Romney that Republicans and the media see him as less conservative than his rivals. Vanden Heuvel said that Romney’s conservatism is particularly obvious in his economic policies: “He is a champion for the 1 percent, peddling a program that will ensure that working Americans bear the cost for the mess left by Wall Street’s extremes.”
Republicans are losing coherence. The breakdown of the New Hampshire votes is highly significant, said Ana Marie Cox on The Guardian’s Comment Is Free, as it points to a lack of coherence among GOP voters. For example, most of second-placed Paul’s support came from independent and liberals, according to exit polls, but he also won over voters who declared that the most important quality in a Republican presidential candidate was “Is a true conservative”. “Something is wrong with this picture – unless you stop taking it for granted that the Republican party represents any coherent version of conservative ideology. That seems to be what voters are concluding,” wrote Cox.