WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitt Romney added to his lead in the race for convention delegates Saturday with a win in Washington state’s Republican presidential caucuses.
The former Massachusetts governor won 30 delegates in Washington. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Rep. Ron Paul each won five.
In the overall race for delegates, Romney leads with 203, including endorsements from Republican National Committee members who automatically attend the convention and can support any candidate they choose.
Santorum has 92, Paul has 25 and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has 33. It will take 1,144 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.
So far, Romney has won 55 percent of the delegates at stake in the first 12 contests; Santorum has won 27 percent.
Next up: voters go to the polls in 10 states Tuesday, with 419 delegates at stake, in this year’s version of Super Tuesday.
Washington Republicans use a multi-step process to award delegates, and Saturday’s caucuses were just the first step. The Associated Press projects the number of delegates each candidate would win if there are no changes in their support throughout the process, which culminates in the party’s state convention at the end of May.