After the South Carolina Republican primary, the Republican nomination for President never felt further from former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. He lost by over 12 percent to a fiery former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has vowed to remain in the race until the very end.

But Mr. Romney came back with vengeance on Tuesday, Jan. 31, beating Mr. Gingrich by over 14 percent in the Florida primary.

"A competitive primary does not divide us," said a thrilled Romney in Florida Tuesday evening. "It prepares us. And we will win."

His sunny disposition is good news for his supporters, who will be facing a fiery Gingrich potentially until the early summer.

"It is now clear that this will be a two-person race between the conservative leader Newt Gingrich and the Massachusetts moderate," Gingrich said in his speech Tuesday night. "I just want to reassure them tonight, we are going to contest every place and we are going to win."

Texas Representative Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum might not agree with Gingrich, who insists the race is down to Gingrich and Romney, as they continue to contend for the nomination themselves. Without any major victories for either of them (although Mr. Santorum won Iowa and Mr. Paul took second place in New Hampshire), the staying-power of their campaigns is questionable at best.

Romney has regained his stature as front-runner, even as he faces an upward battle for the nomination. Here are some things to watch for:

Rick Santorum's departure

Just days before the Florida primary, Santorum's 3-year-old daughter Bella was admitted to a hospital with a dangerous case of pneumonia. She has a rare genetic disorder with a high mortality rate, so Santorum's time on the trail could be limited, as it was leading up to Florida. He did return to the trail Monday, but he has moved his focus primarily to Missouri, where he is expected to place third.

With only one state under his belt, a third place finish might earn him a few lines in an electoral history book, but it won't win him the nomination. The bigger question will be, whom will Santorum endorse?

Ron Paul nipping at the heels of the establishment

Never has this Texan commanded more attention and respect than this year. He faces serious contention in the campaign, especially some old pamphlets bearing his name with questionable content, including some statements that seem overtly racist. But he remains a threat to the establishment, even as major media outlets skate over his campaign, sometimes not mentioning him at all.

His second-place finish in New Hampshire was commendable, but he struggled in South Carolina and placed third, just ahead of Santorum, in Florida. There is a good chance that he will take the podium at the Republican National Convention, as long as he doesn't run for a third party, which frightens traditional Republicans, who are often at the receiving end of his criticism.

How many punches can Romney take from Gingrich?

Gingrich's campaign has been an interesting one. Earlier in the season, he didn't spend a lot of time on the trail. Leading up to the earliest primaries, he struck a positive note, extending criticism to his opponents for their own negative campaigning. Shortly after that, he started firing at his opponents with painful punches, questioning both their capacities as leaders and their personal lives.

Gingrich beat Romney in North Carolina, which can partly be attributed to poor debate performance on Romney's part leading up to the primary. In one memorable moment, Romney stumbled over the topic of releasing his tax returns, urged on by Gingrich, which won him some boos from the crowd. When Romney finally released his returns, however, Gingrich seemed bruised when CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer asked him a follow-up question in a pre-Florida debate.

"This is a nonsense question," said Gingrich. "How about if the four of us agree for the rest of the evening we'll actually talk about issues that relate to governing America."

"Mr. Speaker, you made an issue of this this week, when you said, ‘he lives in a world of Swiss Bank and Cayman Island bank accounts," shot back Blitzer.

But Gingrich would not back down, arguing that despite bringing it up himself in interviews and in debates, the topic was inappropriate for a national debate.

In the short term it seemed to hurt Romney, but Gingrich must not have been prepared for Romney's release and lost a lot of momentum on that issue alone.

The condition of the Gingrich and Romney campaigns will be up in the air largely until the Mar. 6 Super Tuesday primary, during which ten states will vote for their candidate.