Newt Gingrich stands to gain more than 50 delegates in the Republican presidential race, thanks to his overwhelming victory in Tuesday’s Georgia primary.
The former U.S. House speaker and Georgia congressman, easily won the state with more than 47 percent, according to the latest tally of the vote, which is nearly final. Only a handful of precincts statewide had not reported by late Wednesday.
If the totals hold, Rick Santorum would fall about 3,500 ballots shy of reaching 20 percent of the statewide vote. Failing to meet that threshold means Santorum was shut out of a share of 34 delegates awarded based on the statewide vote. Only Gingrich and Romney met that minimum percentage.
Based on his vote total alone, Gingrich stands to win 16 statewide delegates; Romney 8. Under the state GOP rules, the remaining 10 statewide delegates are awarded one-by-one to both Gingrich and Romney, which would give Gingrich a total of 21 statewide delegates and Romney 13.
The other 42 state delegates are awarded by the result in each of the state’s 14 congressional districts. By winning a majority of the vote in the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 13th and 14th districts, Gingrich wins all three delegates in each. He also finished first, but without a majority, in six other districts, each of which gains him two delegates. Romney finished first in the 5th and 6th and second in three others. A second-place finish earns a candidate one delegate.
Based on the delegate allocation rules written by the Georgia Republican Party, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution estimates that Gingrich will win 53 of the state’s 76 delegates, Romney 20 and Santorum 3.
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