Romney claims victory in Washington

WASHINGTON: Mitt Romney rolled to a double-digit victory in Washington state’s Republican presidential caucuses, his fourth triumph in a row and a fresh show of strength in the run-up to 10 campaign contests being held all across America.

The 10 primaries and caucuses coming up on so-called Super Tuesday should shape the Republican race to find a challenger to President Barack Obama.

Romney said in a statement on Saturday that his win meant Washington state’s voters “do not want a Washington insider in the White House. They want a conservative businessman who understands the private sector and knows how to get the federal government out of the way so that the economy can once again grow vigorously”.

Former Pennsylvania Sen Rick Santorum and Texas Rep Ron Paul battled for second place on Saturday in Washington state, while the former speaker of the House of Representatives, Newt Gingrich, ran a distant fourth.

Returns from caucuses in 60% of Washington state’s precincts showed Romney with 37% of the vote, while Paul and Santorum each had 24%. Gingrich was drawing 11%.

Romney’s win was worth 30 of the 40 Republican convention delegates in Washington. Santorum and Paul each won five. Romney, Santorum and Gingrich were all campaigning in Ohio – the most intensely contested of the states holding nominating contests tomorrow – as the first caucus returns were reported from Washington state.