US Politics / Maxliu / 21 March 2012 /

Republican front runner seals easy victory in the Midwest and now looks destined to contest Presidential election with Barack Obama...

Mitt Romney is in to [1.14] in the Republican nominee market following a comprehensive victory in the Illinois primary on Tuesday.

The former-Massachusetts governor earned around 45 percent of the vote and now looks almost certain to be the man to take on Barack Obama in November's Presidential election. Romney's closest rival Rick Santorum came a poor second and is now trading at [21.0].

Romney has pulled away from his rivals in recent weeks, fighting back after defeats in the south and staking his claim for the nomination with a reassurring performance on Super Tuesday. He is trading at [3.2] in the Next President market with Obama the firm favourite at [1.56].

Meanwhile, Santorum is soldiering on, telling Americans that his candidacy represents a once in a lifetime opportunity to put a social conservative agenda at the forefront of an election. He will be buoyed by being [1.06] favourite to win Saturday's primary in Louisiana but, after that, Romney will be confident of consolidating his position in California, New Jersey and New York.

The race for the Republication nomination still has some distance to run and, in a year that has fascinated and appalled in equal measure, is there room for another twist or two?

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