North Andover to GOP: We Want Mitt

As predicted by polls and analysts, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won the Massachusetts Republican presidential primary Monday night.

Romney waked away with a projected 72 percent of the vote, followed by Rick Santorum at 12.3 percent, Ron Paul at 9.3 percent and Newt Gingrich at 4.8 percent.

In North Andover, Romney won a staggering 79 percent of the vote. Rick Santorum ran a very distant second, with just over 8 percent. There were several votes for candidates who are no longer running -- Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry. And there were also several votes cast for "No Preference."

Romney had always been expected to win the state's primary, but his opponents were each hoping to win enough votes (15 percent or more) to grab some of the state's 41 delegates. That did not happen.

On the Democratic side, only 644 votes were cast and President Barack Obama received 77 percent of the votes, with the remaining votes going to "No Preference" and write-ins.

A total of 3,725 residents voted -- about 20 percent of all registered voters in the town. Considering it was a primary election and the Democratic primary was not contested, that number was unexpected.

"The turnout is surprising, and pleasantly surprising," said Town Clerk Joyce Bradshaw. "Especially given the change of location, and the logistics of it all."

The polling location had to be moved from the high school to due to a damaged floor in the high school gym.