SALT LAKE CITY -- Mitt Romney crushed Newt Gingrich Tuesday in Florida's Republican primary, in the eyes of some recapturing the mantle of inevitability that seemed lost as recently as last week.

Is Romney the "all but certain nominee," as ABC's George Stephanopoulos said Tuesday night?

Not according to the other candidates, who have all confirmed they will continue to fight for the GOP nomination. While Gingrich maintains a slight advantage over Romney in national polls and Santorum keeps his firm hold on third place, Ron Paul looks to re-energize his campaign before Super Tuesday by focusing on the host of caucus states that will hold races before the famed March 6 day of reckoning.

Their best efforts may not be good enough, though. Romney's 14-point victory reestablished him as the frontrunner in what promises to be a long, nasty campaign, and within hours of Tuesday's primary, signs could be seen that Romney's candidacy has once again become a foregone conclusion.

"(T)onight, word will come down from the executive suites," BuzzFeed's John Ellis wrote. "Florida is definitive! Romney wins! Coverage of the campaign will adjust accordingly... No more man-to-man coverage of Santorum. No more man-to-man coverage of Paul. No more man-to-man coverage of Gingrich. Only Romney gets the full treatment."

Ellis seems to have pegged the approach of Fox News Channel, at least. The channel's spokesperson, Dana Klinghoffer, said future contests will be broadcast from New York, instead of on site. Both CNN and MSNBC said a decision has not yet been made.

Increased attention from major networks is not the only thing Romney may gain as Super Tuesday nears. It was announced Tuesday that Romney would begin receiving Secret Service protection, largely due to the large amount of people typically present at his campaign events.

Federal law requires that presidential candidates who meet certain fundraising and polling requirements request Secret Service protection. Romney is the second candidate this election cycle to do so, after Herman Cain began receiving protection last fall.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and congressional leaders approved the Romney campaign's request and set the protection to begin Wednesday evening.

The additional attention comes as Romney attempts to gain the advantage in the polls over former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, who maintains a marginal lead nationwide. After crushing Gingrich in Tuesday's primary, though, Romney may have provided the former speaker with ammunition for a new attack ad.

During an interview Wednesday morning with CNN, Romney told host Soledad O'Brien he was not concerned with the poor, but rather with the middle class, who make up the majority of those impacted by a sluggish economy.

"I'm not concerned about the very poor," he said. "We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. I'm not concerned about the very rich, they're doing just fine. I'm concerned about the very heart of the America, the 90 percent, 95 percent of Americans who right now are struggling."

The statement may add fuel to the fire under Romney, whose finances have been a topic of discussion for much of the cycle. The candidate's polling numbers fell after being portrayed as a detached millionaire who cannot relate to the majority of Americans, and he has defended his fortune, saying he will not apologize for being successful.

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Romney: Not focused on poor, they have safety net

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he's "not concerned about the very poor" because they have an "ample safety net" and he's focused instead on relieving the suffering of middle-class people hit hard by the bad economy.

His latest comment, though, threatens to undermine the success he had in defending his financial situation to Republicans, who seem to have moved beyond potential financial qualms to focus on their most pressing priority: nominating a candidate who can beat President Obama come November.

And Republicans could have one more choice come election time: real estate mogul and reality star Donald Trump recently changed his party affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated in order to keep the door open for a presidential run.

Trump would not likely beat out a Republican nominee, but if he enters the race he would likely throw a wrench into the GOP candidates' plans, forcing them to portray themselves as more conservative in order to differentiate themselves from the billionaire.

Romney, especially, stands to lose from Trump entering the race. Romney, who polls better with independents and moderates than with conservatives, could lose the votes of the very people keeping him at the top if he begins to take a more conservative stance on the issues.

Trump said Sunday on CBS' "Face the Nation," though, that his candidacy would be a threat only if the Republican Party fails to coalesce around one nominee.

"I love my business, I love what I'm doing," he told CBS' Bob Schieffer. "I love this whole thing of what Donald Trump does. It's not something I want to do; I'd love to see a candidate come along who's going to go up but if I don't see a person that, number one, is going to win, that's tantamount."

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