Mitt Romney Wins Virginia Republican Primary 2012 in (Unsurprising) Landslide

By Sara Dover | March 06 2012 7:32 PM

Mitt Romney won the Virginia Republican primary by a landslide on Tuesday and will likely be winning most of the state's 49 delegates.

REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Mitt Romney is expected to overwhelmingly dominate the Republican primary races in Maryland and Washington, D.C. on Tuesday.

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It was an unsurprising win for the former Massachusetts governor, who was the only GOP hopeful on the ballot with Texas Congressman Ron Paul. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, Romney already had a significant lead with 59.2 percent of the vote. Paul had won 40.8 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum were unable to gather the 10,000 signatures needed in time to qualify for the Virginia contest. They sued the state, but were unsuccessful in getting their name on the ballot.

The signature snafu has made Virginia a less significant state on Super Tuesday, as it was a sure win for Romney. Although the state was not as closely watched as other states with much closer competition, like Ohio and Tennessee, Virginia will put the former Massachusetts governor way ahead of his biggest rival, Santorum.

Also, the Virginia results could be a symbolic boost for Ron Paul. TheTexas libertarian earned his highest percentage win in the Republican primary so far and even won one district. That may be enough to earn him a few delegates.