Romney's Florida flush empowers him further With his crushing success in Florida voting, Mitt Romney appears to have delivered his Republican rival Newt Gingrich a serious setback. Romney's advantage now makes it more likely than ever that he could be the man going up against Barack Obama for the presidency in November, and he is relishing his prospects. Romney said: "As this primary unfolds, our opponents in the other party have been watching. They like to comfort themselves with the thought that a competitive campaign will leave us divided and weak. But I've got news for them: A competitive primary does not divide us; it prepares us. And will win. Romney counts on a well-oiled campaign to move along, spending massively to undermine his main competitor. The former Massachusetts governor's team has not held back with negative advertising. Nine out of ten of the ads on air in Florida recently have been negative. Though defeated in Florida, Gingrich vows to soldier on, even in the face of growing odds against him. The former speaker of the House of Representatives holds out hope that he may be redeemed after voting in the other 46 states yet to voice their preferences. He defies the naysayers. Newt Gingrich said: "And I'll give you the answer, it was stated at a historic moment in 1863 in dedicating our first, national, military cemetery by the President of the United States Abraham Lincoln, who said "we have government of the people, by the people, for the people" and we are going to have people power defeat money power in the next six months." Romney's camp vastly outspent Gingrich's in Florida. Among the most generous Romney contributors have been people with a similar, high-powered investment background. And he is not only lambasting his rival fellow Republican, but Obama as well. The financial gap between Romney's funding machine and others is expected to widen with the Florida win. His Political Action Committee goes by the slogan "Restore Our Future." His drive to unseat Obama, therefore, is meant to carry an uplifting message, and it is amplified with every check made out by Republicans who support Romney's White House ambitions. More about: Barack Obama, Electoral campaign, Florida, Mitt Romney, Republicans, USA presidential elections 2012