Mitt Romney closer to Republican nomination after winning two primaries

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney won the Republican primaries in Kentucky and Arkansas on Tuesday, which puts him inches away from conquering the Republican presidential nomination. With nearly all the precincts reporting in Kentucky, Romney had 67 percent of the vote. In Arkansas, with nearly all the precincts reporting, he had 68 percent of the vote.

On the Democratic side of the vote, the race was closer. In Kentucky, President Barack Obama’s only rival on the ballot was “uncommitted.” The president received 58 percent of the vote, while “uncommitted” received 42 percent of the vote, a result that reportedly reflects President Obama’s deep unpopularity in southern states. With almost all precincts reporting in Arkansas, President Obama faced a primary challenge from John Wolfe, who had 41 percent of the vote. According to CBS News estimates, Romney now holds 1,073 delegates after the two victories. He needs 71 more delegates to reach the threshold of the 1,144 required electoral votes to claim the GOP nomination. Romney could possibly achieve this on Tuesday of next week when Texas holds its primary with 152 delegates at stake.