As polls closed across the country on Super Tuesday, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum all pulled off expected victories.
But with all eyes on Ohio, Romney pulled out a win that gave him some much-needed momentum going forward.
A Romney aide cited on Fox News described the Ohio showdown between the two candidates as “a knife fight in a phone booth.”
Gingrich, the former speaker of the House, was declared the victor in Georgia’s Republican presidential primary, a state he represented in Congress.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, won the Bay State and the Buckeye State, along with the Virginia, Vermont, Idaho and Alaska contests.
Meanwhile, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum picked up a big wins in Oklahoma, Tennessee and North Dakota. (RELATED: Full Super Tuesday results)
Texas Rep. Ron Paul, who won no states Tuesday, held out hope for a victory in the Alaska caucuses but came in third behind Romney and the second-place Santorum.
The ten states holding Super Tuesday contests were Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Virginia and Vermont.
Before Tuesday, Romney had won 203 delegates. Santorum had won 92 delegates, Gingrich had won 33 delegates and Paul had won 25 delegates, according to a count by the Associated Press.
A candidate must win 1,144 to earn the GOP nomination.