Romney leaves Republican rivals trailing in his wake

Mitt Romney swept to victory in the New Hampshire primary today to confirm his place as the Republican frontrunner to take on President Barack Obama for the White House.

The victories in New Hampshire and in Iowa last week left his rivals far behind. The former governor of Massachusetts became the first Republican since 1976 to do the double and triumph in the opening rounds of the election.

But it was a disappointing result for Rick Santorum, who polled just eight votes behind Mr Romney in Iowa and appeared to be a serious challenger.

The Republican winner in New Hampshire has gone on to be the party's eventual nominee in four out of the last six contests.

As the result came in, Mr Romney could barely contain his delight as he appeared before cheering supporters. He has now set his sights on the South Carolina primary next week where he is again favourite to win.

He said: "The president has run out of ideas and now he's running out of excuses. Tonight we're asking the people of South Carolina to join the good people of New Hampshire and make 2012 the year he ran out of time."

Mr Romney won 40 per cent of the vote with Ron Paul second on 23 per cent. Former Utah governor John Huntsman came third followed by Newt Gingrich and Mr Santorum. Political experts believe Mr Romney will have the nomination wrapped up by "Super Tuesday" in March when there are seven primaries and six caucuses.

Vice-president Joe Biden said Mr Romney would side with the wealthy, while he and Mr Obama "have one overarching commitment - to give the middle class a fighting chance".