Live: Virginia Primary Results, Mitt Romney Wins

Impact

If you're in Virginia and have a live tip about the primary results and Super Tuesday mood, comment below or let us know.

See More Live Super Tuesday Updates here.

UPDATE: 7:26 p.m. The AP reports that Mitt Romeny Wins Virginia.

7:15 p.m. Romeny Ahead in Early Results. With 1% of polls reporting, Romney currently leads Paul 62% to 37%

Romney is expected to win. According to a Roanoke College poll, Romney has held a commanding 56% of the likely vote in the state, while Paul has only about 21% support.

2:30 p.m. Will Ron Paul Capitalize On Open Primary in VA? PolicyMic pundit Michael Bell, an ROTC Instructor at George Mason University, Fairfax, reports: "Virginia does not require a voter to register with a political affiliation. This means that any individual may vote in either primary. 

"There does not seem to be a push by left-leaning voters to try to sway this election, but there will assuredly be a small number of votes cast for Paul by non-Republican voters."

12:45 p.m. Romney and Paul also competed in the 2008 Republican primary in Virginia. Four years ago, Paul beat Romney, who came in fourth at 3.7% after suspending his campaign days before the vote. Paul had 4.5%, while John McCain won 50% and Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas, won 41%.

Diversity in Virigina Virginia is relatively diverse, with Caucasians making up about 69% of the population, African Americans 19%, Hispanics nearly 8% and Asians 5.5%. The economy is also diverse, ranging from federal government departments to tobacco and poultry production.

12:30 p.m. Gingrich won't vote in Virginia: Gingrich could have tipped his hat to Paul in VA by voting against Romney. Instead, though, Gingrich will remain on the sidelines in the state. 

“Newt and Callista are not casting a ballot in Virginia and they did not request an absentee one,” Gingrich campaign spokesman R.C. Hammond told NBC News.

The couple's decision to sit out the primary isn't just a pointed gesture toward Romney and Paul. Their vote would also conceivably remind voters of the fact that Gingrich makes his home in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and has for quite some time. Gingrich has spent the better part of the past week focusing on winning a primary on Tuesday in Georgia, the state he represented in Congress for two decades.

11:30 a.m. GOP strategist Ed Gillespie tweets hist support for Romney.

Tuesday: Not So Super in Virginia. According to PolicyMicer Chris Dreibelbis, "Super Tuesday in Virginia is not much different than any other Tuesday. People here were more excited about the little bit of snow many of us in Northern Virginia got yesterday than today’s primary.

The lack of choices is mostly to blame for the lack of excitement. Due to Virginia’s strict ballot access requirements, only Mitt Romney and Ron Paul qualified for the ballot. And there are no local candidates or issues on the ballot to get people to the polls.

The candidates have reciprocated by showing little interest in Virginia. The candidates have concentrated their efforts elsewhere and the airwaves have been mostly silent, which perhaps is a good thing.

Virginia may be a battleground in November, but for now all is quiet on this front."

Sunday 5 p.m. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virginia, officially threw his support behind Mitt Romney Sunday morning, becoming the highest ranking Member of Congress to endorse a GOP presidential candidate.

Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, said on NBC’s Meet the Press that with the economy being the top priority in this election, Romney was the candidate best suited to fix the country’s fiscal problems.  

1:30 p.m. Mitt Romney holds a commanding lead in Virginia, but a new poll also indicates that he's that not so popular among Republican primary voters in the Super Tuesday state.

According to a Roanoke College survey released Thursday, 56% of people likely to vote in Virginia's March 6 primary say they're backing the former Massachusetts governor, who's making his second bid for the GOP nomination. Twenty-one percent are supporting Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. The poll indicates Romney leads Paul among all demographics except younger voters.

Friday 4:15 p.m. Turnout is expected to be very light in this election. See more here.

The Background: Only two names will appear on the ballot in Virginia in next week's Super Tuesday primary: Ron Paul and Mitt Romney. Of the two, Romney holds a commanding lead, but a new poll revelas he's not that popular.

According to a Roanoke College survey, 56% they're backing Romney, and 21% are supporting Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. But if Santorum and Gingrich were on the ballot, the poll indicates it would be a much closer race, with Romney at 31%, Rick Santorum 27%, Newt Gingrich 13% and Paul 12%.

47% have a favorable rating of Santorum, 36% see Romney favorably, followed by Paul at 29% and Gingrich at 25%. Santorum is the only candidate to have a favorable rating higher than his unfavorable rating.

Santorum and Gingrich failed to get on the ballot in Virgina. In December 2011, when the GOP field also included Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman, the Virginia ballot requirements caused a controversy. Gingrich was furious at the time, saying, "Only a failed system excludes four out of the six major candidates seeking access to the ballot. Voters deserve the right to vote for any top contender, especially leading candidates."

Santorum's stance on abortion and birth control is popular with Virginia voters and the majority of state legislators.

Voters say they are disappointed that Santorum and Gingrich are not in the race. Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee said voters feel cheated: "The primary would have been more lively with more candidates on the GOP ballot."

PolicyMic will be updating this page with live updates on Virginia as they come in. Check back for more over the weekend.   

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