ON TO THE GENERAL

Let the general election campaign begin.  Mitt Romney's sweep yesterday should put an end to the Gingrich campaign and it now allows Romney to campaign exclusively against the President.  The polls show a tightening race, and I expect it will continue to get closer (and I am not alone in that expectation) as Romney is able to work on improving his image with the public, harden up the base of support, and remind voters that the economy is not improving on Obama's watch (at least not improving enough).

IT'S OVER

It's over. Despite the fact that Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul remain in the race, after yesterday's sweep of D.C., Maryland and Wisconsin Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee for President of the United States. Romney is more than halfway to the 1144 delegates he needs to clinch the nomination with 655, and his opponents are already seeing their poll numbers drop and their funds diminish. Romney has the momentum and the money to win most of the remaining contests. At some point within the next few weeks the other candidates will be convinced to suspend or discontinue their campaigns, but whether they do so or not, I expect Romney will now focus his speeches, his energy, and his ad budget on President Obama.

One game is over, the next has begun.