TAMPA, Florida--Mitt Romney won the pivotal Republican primary in Florida, thrashing Newt Gingrich and taking a big step toward becoming his party's challenger to President Barack Obama.
With his win in Tuesday's primary, Romney has recovered the political momentum he had lost after Gingrich's victory in the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary.
Returns from 98 percent of Florida's precincts showed Romney with 46 percent of the vote to 32 percent for Gingrich.