ATLANTA (AP) — Newt Gingrich has won the Georgia Republican primary, claiming victory in his former home state as he looks to revive his bid for the White House.
The Associated Press called the race Tuesday based on interviews with voters as they left their polling places.
Gingrich had fought hard for Georgia, devoting much of his time on the state to shore up his support. His chief rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum also fought for votes, spending time and resources in Georgia.
It wasn't clear how many of Georgia's 76 delegates Gingrich would claim, but the victory could come with a price. Gingrich spent most of the week in Georgia rather than campaigning in the other nine states holding Super Tuesday votes where results are still pending.
Gingrich was winning around three-fourths of the votes of Georgia Republicans saying his relationship to the state affected their vote.
Around 6 in 10 said that mattered little to them. Those voters were divided roughly evenly among Gingrich, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.
In Vermont, Romney was doing strongly among rank-and-file Republicans. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was doing well among the 4 in 10 independent voters.
In Virginia, where only Romney and Paul were on the ballot, Romney was doing strongly across many categories of voters.
