Mitt Romney has regained the unqualified title of Republican front runner after Tuesday night’s dual victories in Arizona and Michigan.

The final tally in Michigan with 99.9 percent of precincts reporting:

Mitt Romney: 41 percent

Rick Santorum 38 percent

Ron Paul: 12 percent

Newt Gingrich: 7 percent

The final tally in Arizona with 100 percent of precincts reporting:

Mitt Romney: 47 percent

Rick Santorum: 27 percent

Newt Gingrich: 16 percent

Ron Paul: 8 percent

In Arizona, Romney won every county and a near majority of the popular vote. The winner-take-all state was not contested by his fellow Republican candidates and, though the Republican National Committee docked the Grand Canyon State’s final delegates, its 29 delegates represent a decent haul for Romney.

In Michigan, Romney generally outperformed his 2008 totals (when he won the state) in nearly every demographic group other than those who self-identify as “very conservative.” In 2008, running as the conservative alternative to Sen. John McCain, this was Romney’s core constituency; given the prevalence of open primaries in this cycle, Romney is in a far better position to win the nomination this time around with his appeal to a broader segment of the electorate.

AS Jay Cost puts it succinctly in the Weekly Standard, Romney’s chief rivals, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, have the near-impossible task of cobbling together a coalition of the GOP’s most moderate and liberal voters with their most conservative voters if they want to present a credible challenge to Romney (something Santorum was nearly able to do with the help of Democratic voters in Michigan’s open primary).

“If you cannot win 50 percent of the vote outright, this is the best way to win – splinter your opposition onto two sides,” writes Cost. Following last night’s victory speech by Romney, which was warmly received among the commentariat on Twitter, it would seem that the conservative blogosphere is beginning to warm to the inevitability of a Romney nomination in the summer.

Now the run-up to the Super Tuesday primaries begins. Santorum’s polling support will face downward pressure and Romney’s polls will enjoy a boost following these wins. If Romney can secure a majority of the delegates at stake next Tuesday, the path to the nomination for all his competition becomes much more obtuse and unlikely.

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