Mitt Romney won presidential primaries in at least three states on Tuesday, a signal that the former Massachusetts governor is steadily capturing the Republican Party’s delegates, even as he struggles to capture its heart.

Romney’s victories came in Massachusetts, Vermont and Virginia, and he had a comfortable lead in late returns from Idaho.

But his rivals also won victories among the 10 states voting on Super Tuesday. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich won Georgia, the state he represented in Congress for 20 years. That seemed to ensure that he will remain in the race, despite defeats in other states.

Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania captured Tennessee and deep-red Oklahoma, underscoring his support among the GOP’s most conservative voters.

The night’s biggest prize, Ohio, remained too close to call Tuesday evening. Romney and Santorum fought hard for the state, which will be key to the Republican nominee’s chances in November’s general election.

Tuesday’s results did not end the chaotic GOP primary, but they provided more clues about how it could conclude.

Romney is building a commanding lead in the number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination. His victories on Tuesday underscored his advantage, as he added to his total even in states he lost while his opponents, were unable to qualify to be on the ballot in some states.

But winning the math is not the same as winning the party. Romney’s losses underscore that he is having trouble building the party-wide fervor that usually flows to the nominee.

Tuesday was the most important day of the 2012 campaign so far, with primaries and caucuses stretching from the Bering Sea to Massachusetts Bay. Results from three other Super Tuesday states — Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota — were not available Tuesday evening.

For Gingrich, the meaning of his home-state win was simple: survival. His momentum had bled away in the weeks after he won South Carolina on Jan. 21, and he had indicated that he would drop out if he could not secure Georgia.

Tuesday’s results pointed to a drawn-out, mud-flinging primary fight, lasting through this month and possibly beyond. That’s probably not good news for the candidates. Already, a Washington Post-ABC News poll showed that none of the GOP contenders is viewed favorably by more than 40 percent of voters.

Can Romney’s rivals close the delegate gap?

Though Mitt Romney’s rivals continue to insist that there is a road ahead to the GOP nomination for them after Super Tuesday’s contests, the arithmetic suggests otherwise.

But there are several reasons that candidates this year may not have to reckon with the inevitable for weeks or even months.

The GOP primary was designed to play out more slowly than in the past. Through the end of this month, states are required to allocate their delegates in proportion to the vote that each candidate receives. That means just about everyone comes away from just about every contest with something to show for it and a rationale for continuing.

And where the emptying of a campaign’s bank account used to spell the end, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have been kept on life support by billionaire supporters who have taken advantage of changes in campaign law to pour millions into the super PACs that support the candidates.

At the same time, party leaders and rank-and-file Republicans are growing increasingly anxious to bring the process to a conclusion, to spare their eventual nominee further attacks from within the party fold.

It is becoming more apparent that a lengthy primary could have a corrosive effect on the GOP’s prospects in the fall against the Democratic incumbent, President Barack Obama.

— The Washington Post