Mitt Romney won in Massachusetts. He won in Utah and in Michigan.
But the presidential candidate, who has tried to paint himself as the true voice of American conservatism, never saw the national success he had hoped for during his campaign for the Republican nomination.
So the former Massachusetts governor suspended his campaign yesterday, putting an effective end to his run for the presidency during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.
"I entered this race because I love America," Romney said. "And because I love America, in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside, for our party and for our country."
The move comes on the heels of a disappointing Super Tuesday for Romney and virtually crowns Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as the Republican nominee.
Romney won six states to McCain's nine during the Feb. 5 battle for Republican delegates, and McCain took each of the most delegate-heavy states, including California, where Romney had fought hard for a win.
After Super Tuesday, Romney found himself practically incapable of winning the nomination. McCain has 707 delegates, more than half of the 1,191 needed to win. Romney has 294, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has 195.
In yesterday's speech, Romney painted his withdrawal as an altruistic one. He said that in good conscience he could not continue a campaign that might contribute to the election of a Democratic, anti-war president.
"If I fight on in my campaign, all the way to the convention ... I'd forestall the launch of a national campaign and make it more likely that Senator [Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama] would win, frankly," he said. "And in this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror."
Romney's campaign once appeared strong, as he held a sizeable lead in state polls leading up to the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus. But he lost to Huckabee, starting what would become a string of second-place finishes in critical races. He finished second in New Hampshire, Florida and - most recently and most importantly - California.
Huckabee, a former pastor who has become the darling of many evangelical Christian voters, frequently split the conservative vote with Romney, who had sought to shrug his more liberal past as governor of Massachusetts and lay claim to the right-wing base.
In the campaign, Romney declared that he had bought a lifetime membership to the National Rifle Association. But during a run for the Senate in 1994, Romney had supported an assault-rifle ban and the Brady gun-control law. In his presidential campaign, Romney labeled himself "firmly pro-life." But during his years in Massachusetts state politics, he had painted a different picture, saying, "abortion should be safe and legal in this country."
Professor of Political Science Richard Eichenberg agreed that Romney's past helped to cripple his campaign. "Mitt Romney had a consistent problem establishing his authenticity," he said.
Huckabee capitalized on this problem, Eichenberg said. "Huckabee appeals more strongly to the evangelical wing of the Republican Party. He's a Baptist minister after all," Eichenberg said. "To secure the nomination, he had to win the evangelicals, but he is less attractive in that regard than Huckabee."
Romney will not officially drop out, instead opting to hold onto his delegates until the convention.
MCT reports contributed to this article.
