Super Tuesday: the Tuesday during presidential election year when the greatest number of state primary contests are held.

Super Tuesday: a day that can spell astonishing success or devastating failure for a presidential campaign.

Super Tuesday: arguably the most critical day of an election cycle.

Yet on Super Tuesday 2012, which was held on March 6 in nine states, the results were relatively lackluster and mixed.

Republican candidate frontrunner Mitt Romney won the majority of states that night, including Vermont, Virginia, Ohio, Idaho, Alaska and his home state, Massachusetts. However, his victory in Ohio came by less than a percentage point more than former senator Rick Santorum.

Ultimately, Romney garnered the majority of delegates available during the March 6 Super Tuesday contest, and currently remains the frontrunner in the race with a total of 415 delegates (1,144 delegates are needed to secure the Republican nomination).

Santorum, who saw victory in North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, remains in second place behind Romney, with 176 delegates.

For Doug Russ ’13, Romney and Santorum’s respective victories in the Super Tuesday contests both affirmed Romney’s lead in the election and Santorum’s main source of support.

“I think that the results give the firmest backing yet to Romney as the frontrunner, but at the same time, maintain Santorum’s position as a very strong candidate with his three victories in Evangelical states,” Russ said.

Kelly Cirillo ’13 echoed Russ’ sentiments.

“Romney, though not in the lead by much, was up for not only his home state’s primary, but also many neighboring states in the Northeast region,” Cirillo said. “Also, I expected Santorum to pick up some victories on Super Tuesday, given his recent success in other primaries.”

Former Speaker of the House Gingrich currently follows Santorum with 105 delegates; he only won the Super Tuesday contest in Georgia, his home state. Texas Rep. Ron Paul is still lingering in fourth place in the race with only 47 delegates; he secured no states that night.

The general sentiment held by most Staples students in the aftermath of Super Tuesday was one of indifference.

As Cirillo put it, “The results didn’t particularly surprise me.”

This was the same thought that Jacob Meisel ’13 had: “They were just about what I expected. I think we could reach the convention and there is a chance it may be brokered because Santorum, Gingrich, and Paul could keep Romney from a majority and have him only at a close plurality. But I expect Romney to be the eventual nominee.”

Exit polls conducted by the Edison Media Research for the National Election Pool and the Washington Post revealed that more Republican primary voters prioritize business over government experience in terms of which better prepares one for becoming President. This has recently been an important component of the election, as Romney is known for both his former CEO position at management consulting firm Bain & Company, and his Massachusetts governorship. His opponents, however, largely have government-based careers.

At the end of the day, Cirillo believes that the Super Tuesday results will somewhat play a role in the races left before the Republican National Convention in late August.

“I think many states will use Super Tuesday as a voting cue for upcoming primaries,” Cirillo said. “Romney seemed to spin Super Tuesday as if he won more than he actually had, and I think other states will take his six-state win on Super Tuesday into consideration when voting in the primaries.”

The Kansas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Northern Mariana Islands caucuses on March 10 are the next stop on the primary calendar, followed by Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi, and American Samoa on March 13. There are 186 delegates up for grabs on these two dates.