With the results from Tuesday’s Florida primary now in, it appears the Republican primary race is one step closer to being in the hands of former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.

Romney took all of the state’s 50 delegates in the winner-take-all primary, winning by a large margin of 15 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich fell short of a victory with a 2nd-place finish in the Sunshine State. This leads me to believe that last week’s South Carolina primary, which Gingrich won, was probably the high-water mark for the tenacious candidate, who’s leveled some outrageous attacks at Romney as of late.

Romney’s win in the state, the most diverse, largest and most expensive so far demonstrate to me some hopeful things. To begin, Romney is competitive and attractive in a must-win state for the Republicans in 2012. Secondly, Romney attracted support from female voters and minorities, thus providing further evidence that he will be competitive and able to beat Obama in key states.  Finally, his win may, with any hope or measure of luck, bring an end to the petty Republican infighting. Gingrich’s constant attacks will only serve to the detriment of the party in the long run.

Moving forward, with two states and a handful of delegates under his belt, it is Romney’s race to lose. He must adhere to his anti-Obama, pro-America message from here on out to avoid looking like a presumptuous frontrunner in a party that’s skeptical about his record and conservative credentials.  With Gingrich imploding in a fit of self-destructive fury, caucus-goers and voters are left with only two choices: libertarian-leaning, tough-talking Ron Paul of Texas and former Pennsylvania Senator and Iowa Caucus winner Rick Santorum. 

Santorum is campaigning hard in caucus states, like our home Colorado. He’s also visited Nevada in recent days; the Nevada caucus will be held this Saturday.

Romney is scheduled to hold numerous events in Colorado in the coming days, including a $2,500-per-person dinner in Denver, a whistlestop in Grand Junction, and a rally in Colorado Springs.  This nicely highlights the Republican politics and general electoral dynamics of Colorado in an election year: the money and power reside in Denver, the energy, passion and heart lie in Colorado Springs, while the Western Slope is considered “flyover country.”