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Romney: A 'New Campaign' Begins

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann celebrated Tuesday night in Manchester, N.H.
Chip Somodevilla
/
Getty Images
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his wife Ann celebrated Tuesday night in Manchester, N.H.

After sweeping all five of Tuesday's Republican presidential primaries, already presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney declared that the 2012 presidential campaign is now really on.

It's "the start of a new campaign to unite every American who knows in their heart that we can do better," he told supporters in New Hampshire.

"The last few years have been the best that Barack Obama can do, but it's not the best America can do," the former Massachusetts governor added.

As Eyder reported over on It's All Politics, Romney won in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. He doesn't yet have the 1,144 delegates needed for the nomination, but has an insurmountable lead.

Still, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, officially remain in the race for the nomination.

Some of the morning-after conclusions:

-- Romney's wins Tuesday "end once and for all to any hopes for a comeback by his beleaguered GOP primary opponents." ( Politico)

-- Romney "effectively assumed the helm of the Republican Party on Tuesday." ( The New York Times)

-- Tuesday night Romney, "gave what amounted to an acceptance speech for the nomination." ( The Wall Street Journal)

-- "Romney launched his general election campaign Tuesday in New Hampshire, telling supporters in a primary night victory speech that 'a better America begins tonight.' " ( The Hill)

-- "Romney, who for weeks has been turning his campaign's focus toward the general election, continued to refine his pitch for ending Obama's presidency after one term." ( Fox News)

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Mark Memmott is NPR's supervising senior editor for Standards & Practices. In that role, he's a resource for NPR's journalists – helping them raise the right questions as they do their work and uphold the organization's standards.
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