COMMENTARY | PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. -- The state of Florida handed a dominating victory to front-runner Mitt Romney in the Republican presidential primary. With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Romney was the choice for a little over 46 percent of voters. He garnered an impressive of 771,842 total votes in this critical first primary to be held by a large state.
As satisfying as Romney's results were for his supporters, the outcome was equally as disappointing for those backing Newt Gingrich, who had won the prior contest in South Carolina. Finishing a distant second, Gingrich only grabbed 31.9 percent of ballots, leaving him an nearly a quarter of a million votes behind his rival.
Rick Santorum and Ron Paul distantly rounded out the field, but those candidates largely avoided the state in efforts to devote resources to less costly contests later in the month.
Obviously, Romney is the big winner of the Florida primary. The former governor of Massachusetts earned the decisive victory that eluded him in prior elections. Not only does the win help with his delegate count and fund-raising efforts, but it improves public perception and adds a notion of strength.
For Gingrich, the loss represents missed opportunity. The one-time Speaker of the House devoted substantial resources to a state that many felt he could win. Indeed, Gingrich sat atop local polls barely a week ago, but was doomed by poor performances in debate and a barrage of effective television attack ads.
The campaign will continue and can still present unknown twists and turns. Yet, it is now apparent that the Republican nomination is Mitt Romney's to lose.
However, as a resident of Florida, I believe that the evening's biggest winner was the Sunshine State itself. For 10 days, Florida became the center of the American political world. Not only were nationally-televised debates held in Tampa and Jacksonville, but countless news reports put the spotlight on the region. For an area dependent on tourism, having these campaigns traveling the state in full force certainly helped business.
Beyond economic impact, the early primary further revealed the potential of this voting base to make or break presidential candidates. Unlike other contests, Florida is not a small sample of stereotypical type of voter. Instead, its population is fourth in the nation and encompasses a diversity of age, ethnic, economic, religious, and cultural backgrounds.
Simply put, by campaigning in Florida, a candidate can reach a representative group of just about every future audience that will be encountered during the 50 state campaign.
The GOP presidential race and its remaining 4 players, now head west for a series of smaller primaries during February. However, two weeks of hard campaigning in Florida left a powerful impact that will be felt throughout the rest of the campaign.
Jeff Briscoe, an attorney and freelance writer, is also a regular contributor on sports and more for Yahoo! Contributor Network.
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