Mitt Romney Wins the Vermont Primary

Mitt Romney, from neighboring Massachusetts, was declared the winner of the Vermont Republican presidential primary on Super Tuesday. There were 17 delegates on the line in the Green Mountain State.

Vermont used to be a strong Republican state. It was one of six states that Herbert Hoover carried when he was buried in a landslide by FDR back in 1932. It was one of two -- yes, two -- states that Alf Landon carried in 1936 against FDR. And it produced one of the most conservative American presidents inCalvin Coolidge.

But it has not been friendly territory for Republican presidential candidates for years in the general elections, nor has it been that important a primary. Richard Lugar focused on it during his bid for the GOP nomination in 1996 but still lost to Bob Dole. The last time the Vermont Republican primary was important was 1980, when Ronald Reagan beat out John Anderson (who would leave the GOP to run as an independent in that election cycle) by less than 700 votes. Still, a win's a win, and Romney now has his second win of the night.