Having effectively won through attrition weeks ago, Mitt Romney officially wrapped up the Republican nomination for president last night with a win in the Texas primary.
Romney's win put an end to the GOP primary as the former Massachusetts Governor began to ramp up his general election message against President Obama.
Just after 9 p.m., he Tweeted: "#1144. Thank You. Whatever challenges lie ahead, we will settle for nothing less than getting America back on the path to prosperity."
Despite surpassing the 1,144 delegate threshold, it was just a token evening for the presumptive nominee, whose rivals exited one by one over a month ago.
Only Ron Paul is still fighting for delegates. With the White House out of reach, he seeks a prominent role at the party's convention and in shaping its future.
Romney didn’t make a speech last night, but the win was nonetheless symbolic, making him the first Mormon to be a major-party candidate for the presidency.
The timing couldn’t have been better, as he is now being treated as an equal to Obama by the national media in what is sure to be a very close 2012 election.
He’s pulled almost even with the president in voter surveys, currently trailing by just two percentage points in aggregated national polls, 45.6 to 43.6 percent.
Romney probably has a 50-50 chance of being the 45th President of the United States. He'll distance himself from Donald Trump if he's smart. Just saying.
If the election were held today, for whom would you vote?