Politics: Romney Cleans Up

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Politics Romney Cleans Up In Illinois, Mitt won the way a front-runner should. He might get the hang of this after all. By John Dickerson Posted Wednesday, Mar 21, 2012, at 04:54 AM ET Illinois primary day was a laundry day for Mitt Romney. He washed his shirt in the sink and then took Rick Santorum to the cleaners. The former Massachusetts governor beat his closest rival handily, 47 percent to 35 percent. It was the first no-caveat, everyone-is-watching, takes-place-in-a-location-you've-heard of contest that Romney has dominated since his victory in Florida two months ago. The Republican nominating contest could take a long time. So it's probably wise not to clutch the dashboard every time there's a bend in the road. Still, there was something different about Romney's win in Illinois. On recent primary days, he has been able to claim he won the most delegates, but Santorum has emerged from those nights with the energy and excitement. Tonight Romney can crow about having the excitement and winning the most delegates in a state where he didn't have a home field advantage like Michigan or a regional connection like New Hampshire. Even when he has won, Romney has had to say unsatisfying things like "a win is a win." After Illinois, he can just smile. Everyone gets it. The Republican race will continue, but the conversation may change. Can Romney turn the victory into the last piece of data necessary to get the party to finally rally around him as the eventual nominee? Romney will argue that he is "bringing the party together," a claim that rests on whether enough people believe that he is acceptable to conservatives. He got ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate French Police Surround Suspect in Jewish-School Shootings, Prepare To Storm His Apartment Lithwick: Will the Supreme Court Finally Stop Waffling on Juvenile Sentencing? Stop Calling Newt Gingrich "Mr. Speaker"	Advertisement
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