Mitt Romney Wins: Illinois Primary Results 2012

Mitt Romney was projected the winner of the Illinois primary on Tuesday night by Fox News .

The former Massachusetts governor went into the contest running ahead of rival contenders Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul, according to the latest polls .

Illinois has 69 delegates, 54 of which were up for grabs in the primary.

The AP reports that the economy was the top issue in the minds of Illinois voters as they cast ballots in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, according to exit polls. HuffPost's Jason Linkins reports :

One of the more eye-popping catches from tonight's Illinois exit polls involves how Illinois voters registered support for the candidate they chose. According to the polls, 48 percent of Illinois voters "strongly favored" the candidate they chose. But an impressively high amount -- 39 percent -- told pollsters that they had "reservations" about the candidate they ultimately selected.

Of the 39 percent who expressed reservations, 47 percent voted for Mitt Romney, and 40 percent voted for Rick Santorum.

The Republican race for the White House will now turn to Louisiana ahead of the state's primary, which will take place this Saturday.

From delegates to endorsements, click here for a rundown on who's running ahead in the race.

Below, a live blog of the latest developments to unfold in Illinois.