Breaking a record for the modern political era, Mitt Romney tonight became the first (non-incumbent) Republican Presidential primary contender to take top spot in both the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire primary. With almost 60% reporting, per the AP, Romney leads with 37.5%, Ron Paul is in second with 23.5% and Jon "Love Letter to Obama" Huntsman trails in third with 17%.
The victories in IA and NH alone would be enough to give Romney a healthy dose of momentum, but coupled with the increasingly strident left-wing rhetoric coming from Newt Gingrich and the lack of momentum from Rick Santorum, Romney is generating nearly unstoppable Big Mo'.
He is far from our favorite Republican — a common refrain from conservatives — but he and his campaign have built a machine that, at this point, looks like it will march to the nomination without breaking a sweat.
It truly baffles our mind that Romney has become the presumptive nominee only two and a half years since the Tea Party roared onto the scene. For that he can thank a field of political dunces — Romney had not one negative ad run against him in Iowa — and one of the best teams in politics, including Colorado's own Rich Beeson.
But conservative self-loathing aside, Romney is on an electoral tear this last week, winning the Hawkeye Cauci and now the Granite State first in the nation primary.
Next week it's the Palmetto State, with South Carolina's notoriously vicious political scene perhaps the place where Romney wraps up this race.
Candidates, especially Ron Paul, will stay in this race past South Carolina, but if Romney wins there it's basically all over but for the Fat Lady.