Mitt Romney Ohio Win on Super Tuesday Republicans Sacrifice Conservative Values For Electability

While winning Ohio doesn’t guarantee Romney the nomination, it certainly does put him a whole lot closer to running against President Barack Obama in the general election this fall.

Romney did well in Ohio not because he’s a principled conservative, but because of his economic know-how. As part of the infamous “Rust Belt,” Ohio voters are looking for a president who is finally able to bring the economic revitalization to the nation that they’ve been promised since the Great Recession began in 2007. Romney with his credentials and history of good business decisions seems most able to deliver the results that so many Ohioans have been hoping for, but the slim margin of victory makes it very clear that Ohioans aren’t quite ready to trust him just yet.

A GOP candidate cannot hope to accomplish much against Obama without the support of Ohio voters and those across the country like them. Ohioans are a litmus test for the rest of the nation because nearly every kind of demographic is present within the Buckeye State — evangelicals, factory workers, farmers, soccer moms, urban areas, rural areas, you name it, Ohio probably has at least some of it — which means that if a candidate can’t win Ohio in a primary election, then he’s probably not going to do all that well in the general election.

In choosing Romney (albeit barely), Ohio has made it clear that it cares more about winning elections than it does conservative principles. Additionally, the slim margin of victory in this particular state makes it clear exactly how divided the nation is going into this election — there is no clear frontrunner, and with that, no clear winner, either. Based on Ohio’s primary results and the incredibly close race found in the Buckeye State, we can be sure of one thing only: An even longer primary race and a torturous general election, regardless of who wins the Republican nomination.

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