Romney Takes Aim At Obama After Nevada Win

(NewsCore) - Mitt Romney cemented his position as the Republican presidential candidate to beat after being called as winner of the Nevada caucuses Saturday night, just four days after his victory in the Florida primary.

With results still coming in Sunday morning even after the former Massachusetts governor was projected victor by FOX News Channel, Romney was comfortably beating his closest rival Newt Gingrich.

And while Gingrich sniped at Romney in a late-night press conference, by contrast the winner was aiming a direct challenge at the current inhabitant of the White House.

Taking to the stage before a roaring crowd at his campaign headquarters in Las Vegas, Romney thanked Nevadans then delivered a number of broadsides at President Barack Obama, at the same time promising to "restore the soul of America" in a bid to make the 21st century "an American century."

Slamming the administration's record on unemployment -- and what he portrayed as Obama's failed attempts to reduce it -- he told the president that Nevadans, and Americans, "have had enough of your kind of help."

He also told the crowd that if elected "my priority will not be protecting my job, it will be saving yours."

Pledging to be guided by the US Constitution as president, Romney slammed Obama's health care reforms -- vowed to repeal "Obamacare" -- and promised to defend religious liberty, in a reference to a controversial contraception-related insurance mandate that has infuriated many Roman Catholics.

Romney barely mentioned his GOP presidential rivals, other than a brief quip while on the subject of restoring America's economy, when he said, "Unlike the other people running for president, I know just how to do that."

In the Nevada GOP's official tally Sunday morning, with 70.4 percent of precincts reporting, Romney was leading with 47.6 percent. Former House Speaker Gingrich had 22.6 percent, Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 18.6 percent and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum was on 11.1 percent.

Nevada is friendly territory for Romney, having overwhelmingly supported him in 2008.

Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri hold non-binding elections Tuesday, but the next delegates will not be divvied up until Arizona and Michigan host primaries Feb. 28. The three-week lull could prove a tenuous stretch for Romney's rivals as they try to raise money and convince Republican voters they have a real shot at the nomination.

Gingrich failed to reboot his insurgent campaign in Nevada after he surrendered a big lead in Florida, and his Nevada bid was plagued by disorganization.

In his press conference Saturday night -- arranged at the last minute -- he was at pains to squash speculation that he might pull out of the competition, saying, "We intend to compete in every state" and predicting that come Super Tuesday on March 6 he expected to be running level with Romney.

He also slammed his rival for negative campaigning and being "substantially dishonest" in debates, while refusing to commit to an entirely positive campaign himself, in a speech that was described as rambling by some pundits.

Romney's victory gives the former venture capitalist his third victory out of five nominating contests so far. Romney won the New Hampshire primary last month and Tuesday's Florida primary, while Gingrich won South Carolina. Romney initially thought he had won the lead-off contest in Iowa, but the state's GOP later called that race for Santorum.

Santorum was campaigning Saturday in Colorado, where he said he was "optimistic" of winning one of this week's contests.

Urging Republican voters to reconsider the conventional wisdom that the nomination battle is a two-man race between Romney and Gingrich, he said, "We are not going to win this election if either of these two guys is nominated. Let me assure you. We will not win."

Paul, meanwhile, was campaigning in Minnesota, after having put a lot of work into the Nevada caucus contest.

Speaking after a rally there Saturday evening, Paul said preliminary reports received by the campaign suggest a second-place finish in Nevada, according to The Wall Street Journal. The goal, he added, "is getting some delegates, and we are planning on getting some delegates out of Nevada."

Read more: FOX News