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Brian Snyder / REUTERS
Supporters cheer as they wait for a speech by Mitt Romney in Manchester, N.H. on April 24, 2012.
Updated 9:33 p.m. ET - Mitt Romney declared victory in his quest to become the Republican presidential nominee on Tuesday and kicked off his general election campaign against President Obama in earnest folliowing a clean sweep of primaries in the Northeast.
Romney's performance in five primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island allowed him to tie up loose ends in the waning GOP contest, where his march toward the 1,144 delegates to secure the nomination appeared at this point to be all but a formality.
And, eager to begin prosecuting his case against Obama, Romney took a victory lap in the general election swing state of New Hampshire -- rather than any of the states hosting contests tonight in the future -- to launch his general election effort and declare, "a better America begins tonight."
While President Barack Obama went after the college vote Tuesday, presidential candidate Mitt Romney was prepping for another primary night. NBC's Chuck Todd reports.
Updated 8:45 p.m. ET - Mitt Romney won the primaries in Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island on Tuesday, granting the candidate an opportunity to handle unfinished business as he pivots his attention toward the general election.
The former Massachusetts governor faced no meaningful opposition in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, or Rhode Island and is expected to win the vast majority, if not all, of the 222 delegates up for grabs in his bid to formalize the GOP nomination.
He started the evening with wins in three of the five states, including Delaware, where former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had pinned the future of his candidacy.
Romney has faced only token opposition from Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul since winning the the last slate of primaries in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin. Two weeks ago, Romney’s principle conservative rival, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, suspended his White House bid.
Romney planned to finish the night with a speech in New Hampshire, an event dubbed, "A Better America Begins Tonight."
"After 43 primaries and caucuses, many long days and not a few long nights, I can say with confidence -- and gratitude -- that you have given me a great honor and solemn responsibility," Romney said in prepared remarks. "And, together, we will win on November 6th!"
The fact that Romney was spending the evening in New Hampshire -- a swing state in November -- and not any of the states hosting primaries tonight or the near future portended the shift to the general election season.
Major Republican figures have begun to rally around Romney and offer their endorsements, but he must still work toward winning the 1,144 delegates needed to formally secure the nomination.
According to Associated Press projections, heading into Tuesday's contests, Romney has already secured 698 delegates -- putting him on pace toward crossing the threshold in late May or early June.
Romney has continued to heed primary voters’ concerns, appearing in Pennsylvania on Monday alongside Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a conservative darling, before the Keystone State’s Tuesday primary.
But the former Massachusetts governor has also begun the work of pivoting in style and substance toward the general election, where a grueling matchup against President Barack Obama looms.
The president’s re-election team has been eager to reuse fodder from the primary season against Romney in the context of the general election, underscoring the urgency for Romney to put the GOP contest to bed.
Another symbolic moment at stake Tuesday included Obama's own renomination. Despite facing no meaningful primary opposition, the president is likely to secure the delegates he needs to become the Democratic nominee versus Romney this fall.
But the top-billed contest is the GOP primary, and Romney must still tie loose ends with Republicans. While Santorum dropped out two weeks ago, he’s among the conservatives who are yet to have thrown their support to Romney. That Romney had not yet won an endorsement before the primary in the state that Santorum had represented in Congress suggests that the rift between conservatives and the presumptive nominee has not yet fully healed.
Romney is all but certain to win Pennsylvania’s primary, with or without Santorum’s support, but extant work remains to paper over differences between Romney and the Republican base.
For his part, Gingrich has pinned the future of his campaign to his success in Delaware’s primary, where he and his wife have campaigned most aggressively and courted the state’s Republican officials.
A loss could mean that Gingrich would finally end his campaign – in spite of his longstanding vow to fight on with his campaign through the Republican National Convention this summer in Tampa.
Paul is also promising to forge ahead with his own campaign, perhaps through the late May primary in his native Texas. But Romney might have won the delegates he needs by that point.
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