MN: AP, CNN Project Romney Win

By Christopher Lee
The Associated Press and CNN are projecting Mitt Romney as the winner over John McCain, Mike Huckabee, Ron Paul and Alan Keyes in Minnesota, giving an important lift to the former Massachusetts governor's struggling campaign.

The victory for Romney showed the limited power of endorsements to sway the state's voters. Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty had backed McCain, as had Sen. Norm Coleman and Rep. Jim Ramstad.

The vote in the GOP caucuses was nonbinding. The state will send 41 delegates to the Republican National Convention, but who gets them will not be determined until the state party convention in May. Still, interest in the caucuses was higher than usual this year, if for no other reason than that the Republican National Convention will be in St. Paul this summer.

Both Romney and Paul made campaign stops in the Minneapolis area over the last few days, but GOP hopefuls generally shied away from spending money on TV ads in the state.