Florida Election Results: Winners And Losers Of The Sunshine State Primary

Another week, another GOP presidential primary in the bag, this one perhaps set to resonate more than the contests before it.

Florida broke the presidential primary rules by scheduling its winner-take-all contest for the last Tuesday of January. As a consequence, the state's delegates were halved by the RNC, leaving it with a total of 50 to give to the winner.

The state's decision to push the primary forward undoubtedly increased the Sunshine State's significance, but it simultaneously shifted the candidates' calculations about campaigning there, as both Rick Santorum and Ron Paul dedicated little time to a competition they knew they couldn't win outright. Gingrich, however, hit the state hard with a renewed confidence after an overwhelming victory in South Carolina. But Mitt Romney, who led in Florida polls early, maintained his advantage and won a resounding victory on Tuesday.

It's a tough loss for Gingrich, whose campaign had already risen from the ashes multiple times this cycle just to remain in contention. Now he'll need to do so again, facing even longer odds against a resurgent Romney. Whether or not he's actually likely to rebound, Gingrich has promised to remain in the race until the Republican national convention, or until his opponents drop out. While some have predicted that this is a campaign season bluff, The Huffington Post's Sam Stein reports that he could indeed be serious about the decision. If he is, it would make for a long and acrimonious war of attrition, evidenced by the increasingly nasty tone of political rhetoric in Florida coming from both candidates and super PACs.

Until Republicans pick a nominee, President Barack Obama is left to watch the carnage play out, all the while preparing for his re-election by fundraising and honing his campaign message.

Below is a list of winners and losers from the Florida primary. Make your pick for the biggest in each category.

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Comments

[rgilley]

12:36 PM on 02/02/2012

Negative adds, race baiting and hate mongering always play well in the GOP/TP.

[Barbara DeZan]

11:29 AM on 02/02/2012

The only Winner in this ridiculous Republican "mess" is President Obama.

[cameron d]

11:04 AM on 02/02/2012

Wait, that's what Newt Gingrich's only friend looks like? That's the perfect embodiment of the Republican Party right there. Rich, white, old, looks completely out of touch with the 21st Century. Amazing.

[invmartyc]

10:21 AM on 02/02/2012

Governor Scott, AKA "I plead the 5th", is the worse governor Florida has ever had! And we have had some stinkers! This guy is so two face that he won't even back one candidate. I guess he wants to be considered for VP or a cabinet post. Maybe the Secretary of BS!

[eenp718]

07:44 PM on 02/02/2012

ALL of these new repub. gov's should be recalled like Walker in Wisconsin. It was their plan to ruin this country, now "We the People" need to expose them, and then banish them from politics forever. Ed

[Scurvydog74]

10:19 AM on 02/02/2012

He proved that even a "Loser" with a record of massive Medicaid fraud can BUY an election...

[hank101]

09:25 AM on 02/02/2012

Florida is the prime example of the study by the Univ. of Neb, a Canadia Univ. and confirmed by
the Univ of Va. That republicans and consertatives are dumb. This hardly comes as a suprise
to the rest of us in Fl. as we always knew thier level of intelligence was close to plant life. There
may be a light at the end of the tunnell though. The total people who voted tuesday was less
that 1/3 of the population of the Jacksonville, and less than 1/3 of the people who voted for Obama last election. Unfortunately Our Hero Rick is eligable to get thrown out this year. But
all his buddies in Tallahassee is...VOTE

[Scurvydog74]

10:22 AM on 02/02/2012

Did not need that study to confirm what we all knew. Hard right conservatism is also a function of genetics and self domestication. They are not only stupid, they are violent and have been bred that way.

[vicla1942]

06:28 AM on 02/02/2012

• Over the last five years (Fiscal Years 2007-08 and 2011-12), total annual funding for public
education declined by $4.4 billion, or 18.4 percent. General revenue funding by the state fell by $3.0
billion, or 20 percent.20
• In the last year (between 2010-11 and 2011-12), total public education funding was cut by
$2.7 billion, or 11.9 percent. General revenue funding declined by $609 million, or 4.9 percent.21
Even in 2007-08, before five years of cuts, Florida ranked at the bottom of the states in
expenditures for education:22
• 50th in per capita state government expenditures for all education
• 50th in state government expenditures for all education per $1,000 of personal income
Rick likes dumb people.He can fool them with attack ads and they will vote
against their own self interests and the interests of their children.The unemployment
is very high because a lot of residents have no marketable skills or education.

[Pollytiques]

01:36 AM on 02/02/2012

I can't look at him and not start imagining him and Ann coulter together. Gives me the shivers, can you imagine their child.. Physically, mentally and morally?

[Larry Lambert]

09:15 PM on 02/01/2012

Is this when he kept saying he was innocent when 14 felony convictions came down?

[mjredder]

08:46 PM on 02/01/2012

The picture of Rick Scott that accompanies this story, does it remind anyone else of the stomach-popping larval exomorph from the movie 'Alien'?

[jsgaetano]

11:47 PM on 02/01/2012

Makes sense- conservatives are parasites bursting out of America's stomach, feasting on our blood.

[songoftherushes]

02:45 AM on 02/02/2012

Dark City.

[mjredder]

06:24 PM on 02/02/2012

Nah, those Dark City guys were less creepy. :-)

[chuckd1951]

07:35 PM on 02/01/2012

Down with Governor Voldemort !

[Scoppertop]

07:06 PM on 02/01/2012

Stats: Roughly 1.5 million repubs voted with a registered GOP voter total of 4 million..... out of 11.2 million registered voters in Florida, 65+% of which disapprove of GOP Gov. Rick Scott.

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/nvra/affiliation.asp

[JustJoy7]

06:25 PM on 02/01/2012

Rick Scott missed his calling. Look at that pic, folks, he should be in movies playing the role of a ghost.

[edtheengineer]

01:18 PM on 02/02/2012

True! His paternal Grandpapa is rumored to have starred in a movie called Nostersomething.

[jumpingjohnny]

06:20 PM on 02/01/2012

Florida republicans gave up 50% of its delegates to deliver reults that Newt will choose to ignore. The reality is, Florida made no difference last night and would have been in a better position, if it remained in its original time slot....Arrogance of the Florida GOP is amazing.

38% of the Florida Repbulicans who voted want different GOP candidates...I think most of America would agree...

[jd3rdnoah]

05:35 PM on 02/01/2012

By the Florida vote the on;y loosers are we the People of The United States.