Mitt Romney Wins Puerto Rico Primary
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney won Puerto Rico’s winner-take-all Republican primary on Sunday, the AP projected, taking the state’s 20 GOP convention delegates.
The AP called the race with only 11 percent reporting, with Romney taking an overwhelming 82 percent of the vote.
Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign stop in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday. (Ricardo Arduengo - AP)
Despite spending time campaigning on the island on Wednesday and Thursday, former senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania fell far behind Romney in returns.
Romney probably got a boost from his unqualified support for Puerto Rican statehood, the top issue in the race. Santorum, on the other hand, faced a backlash after suggesting that statehood be contingent on Puerto Rico making English its main language. (Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul largely ignored the territory and took a very small share of the vote.).
Romney also had the support of most of the state establishment, including Gov. Luis Fortuno (R).
In 2008 the state GOP held a caucus; only 208 people participated.