McCain Beats Romney in Florida

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The Candidates React-- John McCain

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) addresses his supporters after winning the Florida primary election.

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"Tonight, my friends, we celebrate," McCain continued. "Tomorrow it's back to work. We have a ways to go, but we are getting close."

Romney had tried to cast McCain as unprepared to confront the economic challenges in Florida and the nation as the stock market tumbled and the housing crisis escalated. But the former corporate chief executive's focus on the economy did not move enough voters to his side even though voters rated it as their top issue.

"Almost, but not quite," Romney declared to a crowded ballroom of supporters after his loss to McCain.

Network exit polls out of Florida showed the economy as the breakaway issue, with 45 percent of GOP voters and 55 percent of Democrats calling it the top concern.

Romney aides, while disappointed in the loss, said they would now enter a two-man race with McCain, where they can run as the conservative candidate against the at-times maverick senator. They said the divided field and the endorsement by Florida Gov. Charlie Crist had tipped this vote to McCain, but that they could upset him in some states and pick up delegates in states they don't win.

"The conservatives are starting to rally around Mitt," his wife, Ann, declared in brief remarks after her husband spoke.

The exit poll showed McCain with the edge among voters most concerned about the economy and a wide margin among those who said Iraq was the top issue. Romney won among those most concerned about immigration, while those who cited terrorism as the country's most important problem spread their votes nearly evenly among Romney, McCain and Giuliani.

McCain did well among Hispanics, winning 54 percent of their votes, and among self-described independents, who made up 17 percent of all GOP voters. Among self-identified Republicans, McCain and Romney ran evenly.

Huckabee trailed well behind after choosing not to campaign much in Florida.

The Florida primary became a critical test for the Republican candidates after an early voting schedule that did little to settle uncertainty about who should claim the mantle of leadership following eight years of President Bush. The candidates split the first set of contests before heading to Florida, where Giuliani sat waiting for his chance in the political spotlight.

But that chance never really came.

Giuliani largely skipped the first five contests, then saw once-sky-high poll numbers in Florida plunge when the others arrived. By primary day, surveys showed him fighting with Huckabee for third place.