TAMPA, Fla. — When Republicans nominated former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney for president, their vote brought to an end a long primary fight and set the stage for a close contest against President Barack Obama.

In a roll call of states Tuesday, New Jersey put Romney over the top, giving him the prize that eluded him four years ago. Romney is scheduled to accept his party’s nomination in a speech Thursday night.

Additional Photos

Texas delegates cheer as Mitt Romney is nominated for the Office of the President of the United States at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla., on Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

In this Monday, Aug. 13, 2012 file photo, Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at a campaign event in Miami, Fla. Republicans officially nominated Romney for president on Tuesday, Aug. 28. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

Republican voters flirted with a carousel of GOP rivals before settling on Romney, who effectively clinched the nomination in May. All of Romney’s former GOP competitors have endorsed him, with the exception of Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Paul did not have enough support to have his name placed in nomination, but he got 190 votes in the roll call. Romney finished with 2,061, well over the 1,144 needed to claim the nomination.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum got nine votes while former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Rep. Michelle Bachmann and former Louisiana Gov. Charles “Buddy” Roemer each got one each.

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