Shortly after, in the opening sentences of his victory speech, Romney offered kind words to Gingrich and his two other opponents, saying they were “serious and able competitors” and congratulating them on a “hard-fought contest.”
He said Democrats might believe the primary tussle between him and Gingrich would leave the party divided and weak, “but I’ve got news for them. A competitive primary does not divide us, it prepares us. And we will win.”
Romney quickly pivoted to the general election, never mentioning Gingrich by name and focusing almost solely on Democratic President Barack Obama, blaming him for the struggling economy and warning that Obama wanted to “fundamentally transform” America.
“Together we will build an America where hope is a new job with a paycheck, not a faded word on an old bumper sticker,” Romney said, referring to a 2008 Obama campaign mantra, “Hope.”
“In another era of American crisis, Thomas Paine is reported to have said, ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way,’” Romney said. “Mr. President, you were elected to lead. You chose to follow. And now it’s time for you to get out of the way.”
After a disheartening loss to Gingrich 10 days ago in the South Carolina primary, Romney had been hoping for a victory that would give him major momentum as the race turns to the seven other states that vote during the next month.
A defiant Gingrich showed no signs of getting out of Romney’s way, vowing to continue his campaign. “We are going to contest every place and we are going to win and we will be in Tampa as the nominee in August,” he said in his speech to supporters.
“It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader Newt Gingrich and the Massachusetts moderate, and the voters of Florida really made that clear,” he said.
“There are folks over here in both parties who are quite comfortable in managing the decay,” he said. “We believe it is cheating our grandchildren to not insist on fundamental change in Washington, even if the establishment doesn’t like it.”
