2012
For the first time in modern Republican primary history, three different candidates won the three key early contests: Rick Santorum in the Iowa caucuses, Mitt Romney in the New Hampshire primary and Newt Gingrich in the South Carolina primary. But only Romney and Santorum seemed to project national strength, as Gingrich's only win after South Carolina would be his home state of Georgia. Ron Paul, who had been expected to perform much better than he did in 2008, only scored second-place finishes in contests such as New Hampshire and Virginia (where only he and Romney were on the ballot), and a narrow win in the popular vote in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Romney maintained the upper hand throughout the primaries, winning most of the Super Tuesday contests and holding on to a wide lead in delegates. But Santorum managed to embarrass him in contests such as the Colorado caucuses, which Romney was expected to win, and in Michigan and Ohio, where Romney nearly lost. Santorum dropped out of the presidential race on April 10, leaving Romney nearly undisputed in his drive for the party's nomination.
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