Reacting to the result through a statement, Romney said he was honoured that Americans across the country had given their support to his candidacy, adding that he was humbled to have won enough delegates to become the party's 2012 presidential nominee. As the polls closed, the former Massachusetts Governor was already attending a fundraising ceremony in Las Vegas with real estate tycoon Donald Trump.
Mitt Romney has been the assumed nominee for the Republican Party for several weeks as his rivals either withdrew or suspended campaigning. Prior to the Texas primary, he only needed 58 delegates to add to 1,086 to attain the 1,144 mark. He is set to be officially anointed as the Republican nominee at the party convention in Florida in late August.
According to the Associated Press, AP, the former governor has reached the nomination milestone with a steady message of concern about the U.S. economy, a campaign organisation that dwarfed those of his Republican rivals and a fundraising operation second only to that of Obama, his Democratic opponent in the general election. Romney would be the first Mormon to be nominated for president by a major party. His religion has been less of an issue than it was during his failed bid four years ago. His father, George Romney, a former Michigan Governor, ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 1968.
Opinion polls suggest that Mitt Romney is currently locked in an extremely close race with President Obama. Experts say the outcome of November's election could depend on what happens in a handful of battleground states, including Colorado and Nevada, as the candidates vie for the support of independent voters. The next question of the campaign is who Romney will pick as his vice-presidential running mate.
