She noted that Romney made a personal appeal to the West Virginia GOP this morning and led on the first ballot. "Sadly, Sen. McCain cut a Washington backroom deal in a way that once again underscores his legacy of working against Republicans who are interested in championing conservative policies and rebuilding the party," Myers said.

Romney's win in Utah was expected but helped brighten the mood at the Boston gathering. Before the Beehive State was called for Romney, he had won only a single state tonight, Massachusetts, where he served a term as governor.

Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said it was no surprise Romney won in Utah.

"Given the fact that they are so familiar with his leadership style, so familiar with his ability to turn things around and so familiar with his ability to deliver success to every endeavor he has ever encountered, I think it is not a surprise that he would do well in Utah," Madden said.

Not only is Romney known in Utah for heading up the Olympics, he is also a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, like the majority of Utahns. He still has a vacation home in Deer Valley and is considered a "favorite son" in Utah.

When Romney's victory in Massachusetts was announced at his Boston party, Bradley H. Jones Jr., a Massachusetts legislator, thanked the crowd for their support and reminded them it would be a long night.

Jones, the GOP leader in the Massachusetts House, said had Romney not won his home state, other campaigns could have said that sent the message that his own constituents didn't support him.

"But it's quite the contrary," Jones told the Deseret Morning News. He said the early win in Massachusetts "shows that those who know him best are supportive."

Before Tuesday, Romney had scored wins in Wyoming, Michigan and Nevada but lost in higher-profile races in Iowa to Huckabee, and in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida to McCain.

Madden also said Tuesday that Romney has no plans to drop out of the race.

"We were competitive across the board," he said. "We still have a lot of states out there, it's going to be a long night, so we'll have to wait and see. We are doing well with conservatives everywhere, so that's an important sign for our campaign."

Romney had not been expected to do well outside of the West except in Massachusetts, where he amassed a personal fortune estimated at $350 million as a venture capitalist and served a term as governor.

Romney had no events scheduled Wednesday but planned to be in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for the Conservative Political Action Conference, a major gathering of conservatives.

Both President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney are scheduled to speak at the conference, as well as McCain and another GOP presidential candidate, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a one-time Libertarian candidate for president who has won no states.

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