Matthew Corrigan
Professor, Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, University of North Florida
Why did Romney win the Florida Republican Presidential Preference Primary?
Romney won all demographic and political groups except the very conservative. It was a sweeping victory in Florida. He neutralized Gingrich with a coordinated negative attack.
Will Romney win the Republican nomination?
Romney becomes the huge favorite to win the nomination. He has the money and staff support to win the most delegates. Gingrich and Santorum will have a chance to regain momentum in other Southern primaries in March. However those campaigns need money to continue and it will be a huge challenge to raise money if you are not Mitt Romney.
Can Romney beat President Barack Obama in November?
Yes, but the incumbent president will be formidable. Romney will make the economic argument. If the economy stays in neutral, then this will be a close election. If the economy improves, advantage President Obama. Turnout is also crucial. One problem for Republicans from last night’s results was Republican turnout was down from the Republican primary of four years ago. In a state like Florida that has elected President Barack Obama, a Democrat, and Republican Gov. Rick Scott, the party with the better turnout operation will determine the outcome.
What is Romney’s primary challenge against Obama?
The biggest challenge for Romney versus Obama is taking on an incumbent president. Romney had the financial advantage in Florida. He will not have the money advantage versus Obama.
What is Romney’s primary advantage against Obama?
The largest advantage for Romney is his focus on the economy. If the economy does not improve, the race in November will be close.
Stephen Baker
Professor of Political Science, Jacksonville University
Why did Romney win the Florida Republican Presidential Preference Primary?
Mitt Romney poured more resources into the Florida primary than anyone else. In terms of campaign money (and allied super PACs) he clearly led and had well-developed field staff.
Will Romney win the Republican nomination? Can he beat President Barack Obama in November?
While many in the GOP are not thrilled, they think he is the most likely Republican to defeat Obama.
What is Romney’s primary challenge and primary advantage against Obama?
The challenge to the most likely candidate in both major parties is to excite their respective bases.
Anne Hopkins
Professor of Political Science, University of North Florida
Why did Romney win the Florida Republican Presidential Preference Primary?
Caution – we have been in this presidential contest within the Republican Party, only in several states. The largest of these state, Florida, provided a very strong margin for Romney, and he has also won several other states. But we are way too early in this overall race to the top to have much confidence that what happened (Tuesday night)will continue to occur in other states. But Romney is in a strong position and likely to continue in this position.
Will Romney win the Republican nomination?
Romney won the Republican primary in Florida by a large margin over his competitors and the immediate consequence is to have earned a number of additional delegates for the Republican convention. But there is a very long way to go before delegate counts are critical. The lack of Gingrich congratulating Romney on his victory when contrasted with the responses of the other two Republican candidates to each other is somewhat troublesome.
Can Romney beat President Barack Obama in November?
It is too early to know if Romney can run strongly against Obama in November. The focus of the campaigns to date has been among Republicans. Yet speculation makes it seem that Romney may be able to pull together a fairly broad range of the voters — and beat Obama. But also consider that though many of the vote margins seem fairly broad, the base sizes involved are still very small compared to the total electorate for the Presidential election.
What is Romney’s primary challenge against Obama?
I think it is way too early to try to know the likely outcome of Obama versus Romney. First we need to have more confidence about who can win the Republican nomination. It is of course important to believe it is possible that Romney could beat Obama and I agree with that fully.
What is Romney’s primary advantage against Obama?
As time and more campaigning occurs, I have become more confident that Romney is a very likely candidate to win the Republican nomination. I am concerned, however, about how much enthusiasm his running generates or does not. Time will provide much guidance. There are 46 states left.
Marcella Washington
Professor of Political Science, Florida State College at Jacksonville
Why did Romney win the Florida Republican Presidential Preference Primary?
This was really a two-man race. Gov. Romney won because he was well organized, had the backing of the party establishment and totally outfoxed Speaker Gingrich, especially in the Jacksonville debate. I think that debate was critical for Romney. He had to score big points with the audience and the voters, and I think that he did that. He also had the money to blanket the Florida markets with negative ads aimed at Gingrich. Outgunned in the media by Romney, Gingrich was left to depend on endorsements from tea party activists such as Sarah Palin and Herman Cain. In the end, Gingrich could not beat back the Romney onslaught.
Will Romney win the Republican nomination?
There is a very high probability that Romney will be the Republican nominee. But there is dissatisfaction among the party’s base which makes it difficult for him to completely solidify Republicans behind him and his campaign. So far, Gov. Romney has been unable to capture a majority of Republican primary voters. Unless he consolidates and holds on to the various factions within the Republican Party, his ability to have a strong and meaningful nomination is in jeopardy.
Can Romney beat President Barack Obama in November?
The Republican nominee has a chance to beat President Obama, especially if the economy worsens. The electorate will be looking for someone to blame. That blame will be placed on the shoulders of the president.
What is Romney’s primary challenge against Obama?
President Obama has the advantage of incumbency. That is still a formidable brand of armor. He has shown strength and stability in foreign policy and national security matters. Obama is personable and connects well with the American public. Moreover, the base of the Democratic Party is not as fractured as that of the Republican Party base.
What is Romney’s primary advantage against Obama?
Romney’s advantage is that as a former governor he can lay claim to executive experience while running as a Washington outsider. For many voters in this election, running against Washington while running for the highest office in Washington is a popular and trendy political gambit.