Romney wins Republican nomination

(Texas) – Mitt Romney has secured his place as the Republican challenger to Barack Obama in November’s US presidential election, following a primary in Texas. Results show he easily cleared the benchmark of 1,144 delegates to secure the nomination.
With 1,086 delegates secured as he entered the Texas race, Mr Romney only needed 58 to pass the 1,144 mark, and he won 69% of the vote. Texas awards 152 delegates proportionally. He is set to surpass his father, George Romney, a former Michigan governor who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in 1968.
Opinion polls suggest Mitt Romney is locked in an extremely close race with Mr Obama in November. “I am honoured that Americans across the country have given their support to my candidacy and I am humbled to have won enough delegates to become the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nominee,” Mr Romney said in statement.