Romney wins Wash. state caucuses

Mitt Romney rolled to a double-digit victory in Washington state's Republican presidential caucuses last night, his fourth campaign triumph in a row and a fresh show of strength in the run-up to 10 Super Tuesday contests in all regions of the country.

Rick Santorum and Ron Paul battled for second place, while Newt Gingrich ran a distant fourth.

Romney said in a statement 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."

Romney's West Coast victory came on the heels of twin primary triumphs over Santorum earlier in the week in hard-fought Michigan and lightly contested Arizona, as well as a narrow win over Paul in Maine caucuses earlier in February.

There were 40 delegates at stake in Washington.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, had 173 delegates at the beginning of the day, according to an Associated Press count that includes party officials who will vote on the selection of a nominee, but are not selected at primaries or caucuses.

Santorum had 87, Gingrich 33 and Paul 20. It takes 1,144 delegates to win the nomination at the Republican National Convention this summer in Tampa.

Romney wrapped up his Washington campaigning on Friday night, where he told a large crowd he would focus on creating jobs if he wins the White House.

Santorum spent the day in Ohio, where he touted his plan to improve the nation's manufacturing base and said part of the effort must include a reduction in the number of children born out of wedlock.

Gingrich also campaigned in Ohio and drew laughs when he recalled what a voter in Tennessee had told him recently about rising gasoline prices. He said the man had said Obama has his own version of former candidate Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan. "He wants us to pay $9.99 a gallon," he said.

Ron Paul was meeting voters in Washington, where he hoped to rack up his first win.

While the "winner" of yesterday's caucuses will be reported based on the nonbinding straw poll, it's the delegate elections that will matter more in the end.

Delegates picked Saturday will be winnowed down later at county and legislative-district conventions. Ultimately, Washington's 40 delegates to the Republican National Convention won't be bound to any presidential candidate until the state GOP convention in June.

With The Seattle Times