Mitt Romney has swept the Kentucky and Arkansas Republican presidential primaries, inching closer to the GOP nomination he is certain to win.
With no serious opposition left, the former Massachusetts governor easily won both contests.
Romney is within 110 delegates of winning the nomination, a threshold he should reach next week, when voters go to the polls in Texas.
Romney has 1,024 delegates, leaving him 120 shy of the 1,144 delegates needed to win the GOP nomination for president. If he continues to dominate, he will reach the magic number next week, when voters in Texas go to the polls.
Virtually assured of the party nod, Romney has been in general election mode for weeks. He’s been spending much of his time fundraising and focusing on Democratic President Barack Obama.
As voters in the two Southern states weighed in, Romney planned to spend Tuesday evening at a campaign fundraiser in New York before an appearance Wednesday in Washington to deliver a speech.
He is in the midst of a three-day swing through the Northeast that is expected to bring in at least $10 million.
Romney has struggled in some previous Southern contests, when former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were in the race. With them on the sidelines, Romney has an opportunity to display solid support in two states he should win in November.
Even though they have left the race, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul were on the ballot in Kentucky and Arkansas.
Article source: http://www.npr.org/2012/05/22/153319367/win-in-kentucky-adds-to-romneys-delegate-lead?ft=1&f=1001