Mitt Romney won nine delegates each from Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands after Republicans there met Saturday at their state conventions and supported the former Massachusetts governor in unanimous shows of hands.
Later in the day, Romney also picked up seven delegates from his victory in the U.S. Virgin Islands caucus, GOP Chairman Herb Schoenbaum told The Associated Press. Ron Paul got one delegate there, while one delegate remains uncommitted.
The vote in Guam and Northern Mariana came after Romney's son, Matt, visited the Pacific islands seeking the party's support for his father.
“I am grateful to have won all nine delegates in Guam, and I am pleased that my son Matt was able to visit the island on my behalf and be there for the caucuses," Romney said in a statement.
In a later statement, Romney thanked the voters of the Northern Mariana Islands.
"Now the voters of the Northern Mariana Islands—nearly 8,000 miles from Washington, D.C.—have spoken," he said. "And what they’ve said today is that they want to bring change to their beautiful islands by bringing change to our nation’s capital."
In 2008, Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Republicans backed eventual GOP nominee John McCain in votes after Romney had dropped out of the race. Virgin Islands Republicans did not caucus until after McCain already had locked up the nomination.
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