US Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has strengthened his position in the Super Tuesday primaries, but not by enough to finally secure his party's nomination.

The Today programme's James Naughtie spoke to Matt Lewis, a conservative commentator with the Daily Caller, who said that despite this not being a "coup de gras... a win is a win" for Mitt Romney.

"He's never going to be loved like Ronald Reagan", he said, but Republicans will coalesce around him nonetheless when he eventually wins.

Ryan Lizza, Washington correspondent with the New Yorker, said that the big divide in the Republican candidate race is class.

"Romney is winning the upscale or wine-track voters while Santorum is winning the downscale or beer-track voters."

"Despite Romney's troubles… his party will find defeating Obama far more important than withholding support" when it comes to the head-to-head contest, he said.

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