Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is poised to officially become the Republican nominee Tuesday, as he is expected to gain enough delegates in the Texas primary to push him over the 1,144 threshold.
Although the presumptive nominee for over a month, Romney was noticeably relieved Monday as the moment for his official nomination drew closer.
"It'll be a big day tomorrow," the former Massachusetts governor told reporters on his campaign plane. "I'm looking forward to the good news."
Romney currently holds 1,086 delegates, just 58 shy of a nomination. This will inevitably be triggered Tuesday, as he stands largely unchallenged in Texas, a state with 155 available delegated. Fellow Republican presidential hopeful and Texas son Ron Paul announced this month he would not run in any further primaries, focusing instead on August's convention.
But Romney will not be in the state determining his nomination today.
Instead, he will split his time between Colorado and Nevada, where he will hold an event in the small town of Craig before heading to Las Vegas for a fundraiser with former House speaker and presidential rival Newt Gingrich and real estate mogul Donald Trump.
The Trump event has garnered some criticism among both Republicans and Democrats, as pundits question Trump's appropriateness as a Republican ally for Romney and whether Romney agrees with Trump on issues such as President Barack Obama's birth status.
When asked about his views on Trump's birther stance Monday, Romney told reporters, "You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me, and my guess is that they don't all agree with everything I believe in...But I need to get to 50.1 percent or more, and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."
Texas is the second to largest primary based on delegate count. California's primary, the largest at 172 delegates up for grabs, will take place on June 5.
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