Sure enough, Romney supporters in the Washington, D.C., audience were stunned to learn he was suspending his candidacy.

Craig Hodges of Anchorage, Alaska, said he was sad to see Romney drop out of the race, but if he had to do it, CPAC was the right place. Hodges said conservatives would "have felt short-changed" if Romney had picked a different venue.

Utahns, who claim Romney as a "favorite-son" candidate, may have been the most disappointed. Besides running the '02 Olympics, Romney is, like a majority of Utahns, a member of The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints.

Just how beloved Romney is in Utah was clear Tuesday, when he won the state's Republican primary with 90 percent of the vote. Utahns, who gave $5.2 million last year to Romney, are among the biggest contributors to his campaign, second only to California.

"I think there is some pride that comes with those of the LDS faith who see one of their own having this kind of success," said Utah Lt. Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican and a Mormon who backed Romney.

Herbert said Romney started the race with little national name recognition but still managed to come "very close to becoming the party's nominee. ... A lot of people a year ago would have said it was impossible."

Another Romney supporter, Utah Senate President John Valentine, R-Orem, said, "Obviously, we're all disappointed that Mitt Romney would withdraw from the presidential race" and credited him with putting "to bed the Mormon issue."

Utahns were especially interested in following Romney's campaign to see how he was being treated as a Mormon candidate. Although he is not the first LDS Church member to run for the presidency, he appeared to have the best chance of winning.

"It was a factor, but I don't think it was the overriding, decisive factor," said Nathan Oman, a law professor at William & Mary in Virginia who researches Mormon issues. "I think a different Mormon candidate might be able to win."

Oman said the bigger problem Romney faced was an inability to connect with voters. "Something about his demeanor didn't connect with people. I have a friend who calls him the 'CEO robot from Jupiter,"' Oman said, suggesting Romney came across as too stiff.

Kelly Patterson, head of Brigham Young University's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, said Romney was hurt by having an evangelical in the race, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister.

"That was an issue," Patterson said. "Part of the enthusiasm for Huckabee is that he was evangelical and (Romney) was not. It's not the same thing as actually voting against a Mormon."