If Mitt Romney proved anything last weekend with his victories in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands, it is that the Republican presidential nomination this year might not be won by high-profile triumphs in states such as Iowa and South Carolina, but rather by diligently and methodically amassing delegates in far-off contests. That makes Sunday’s primary in Puerto Rico more important than you might think. Twenty-three delegates will be up for grabs when voters in the island commonwealth head to the polls this weekend, nearly as many as there were in more publicized battles in Michigan – 30 – and Arizona – 29. It should come as no surprise, then, that Romney and rival Rick Santorum are set to campaign there only days before the primary. Newt Gingrich might soon follow.
… Of the commonwealth’s 23 delegates on offer, 20 will go to the candidate who wins more than 50 percent of Sunday’s vote. That leaves three super delegates left and two have already endorsed Romney, including Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuno, with the third one backing Gingrich. If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, the delegates will be allocated proportionally.
“All politics is local,” Ortiz noted. “Romney has Governor Fortuno’s endorsement and the impressive list of delegate candidates he lined up.”
Adolfo Krans, a political analyst who hosts a daily radio talk show on the island, predicted that the turnout in Sunday’s primary will be high – some projections hover around 400,000, which would be more than the first two primary states to vote – Iowa and New Hampshire – combined – and that Romney holds the upper hand.
Full Article: Puerto Rico Primary Could Pad Romney’s Delegate Lead or Spring Santorum Surprise – ABC News.