Mitt Romney continued to forge ahead in the race for the Republican nomination Tuesday.
Romney, former governor of Massachusetts, swept the Maryland, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C. primaries, maintaining his frontrunner status for the Republican nomination against rival Rick Santorum, former Pennsylvania senator. This pushed Romney ahead, bolstering his delegate total to 655—more than half of the delegates necessary to solidify the nomination. Santorum’s showing at these primaries left him trailing with 278 delegates. But many are concerned that the drawn-out primaries could ultimately hurt Romney’s chances against President Barack Obama, said Pope McCorkle, visiting lecturer of public policy studies.
“It’s another big step for Romney to be framed as the inevitable nominee in this battle,” McCorkle said. “But it’s getting dicey for Romney.”
The extended time frame of the primaries is causing the GOP candidates to dedicate resources and time to fighting among one another rather than uniting against Obama, McCorkle said.
“There has been some unnecessary damage to the Republican brand and Romney, and that may prove to be the difference for Obama,” McCorkle said.
Even so, the nomination process could prove to be beneficial for Romney if he secures the nomination, as it pushes him to solidify his position on tough issues, said junior Will Reach, former chair of Duke College Republicans.
“He is refining his positions on a lot of issues so that he works out the kinks in his campaign,” Reach said.
Despite Romney’s recent victories, Santorum will not rescind his candidacy in the near future, McCorkle said, adding that Santorum’s home state, Pennsylvania, could earn him important delegates. A loss in the Pennsylvania primary, which takes place April 24, will be a major setback for Santorum, McCorkle said.
“Santorum isn’t really doing the math as much as he is holding onto the notion that as long as Romney doesn’t have the working majority, he is not the nominee,” McCorkle said.
A poll released Monday by USA Today and Gallup showed Obama beating Romney in national support. When asked to choose between the two candidates, 49 percent favored Obama, while 45 percent showed support for Romney. One month ago, voters were split evenly between Obama and Romney, as each received 47 percent of the respondents’ support.
The most recent poll reflects optimism about the economy, McCorkle noted. He added that there is also a trend in which women are moving their support away from Romney and Republicans toward Obama and Democrats.
Nearing the general election, Romney should continue sending a positive message about the nation’s economy, an issue at the forefront of voters’ minds, said sophomore Taylor Imperiale, chair of DCR.
“When voters go to make their choice, they will look at Romney’s [economic] record and see that it is by far better than Obama’s,” Imperiale noted. “Romney has a very detailed plan that, when put in place, could help boost the economy.”
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