Rick Santorum has won two of the three election contests tonight, and as of the time I write this is dead even with Mitt Romney in a state that had been all but conceded to Romney before this weekend. Â Santorum has now won three of the eight primaries/caucuses that have been held thus far, and possibly four. Â That puts him about even with Romney, and comfortably ahead of Gingrich and Paul in states won.
Admittedly he will be behind Romney in the delegate count, especially considering that no delegates were up for grabs in Missouri. Â But 200,000 people went to the polls in Missouri, and a majority of them voted for Santorum (and again, I’ll admit that Gingrich was not on the ballot there). Â He drubbed Romney in Minnesota as well.
This primary season has been a wild one, and who knows what will happen in the coming weeks. Â The Romney sleaze machine* is already out in full force hitting Santorum. Â Santorum is radically underfunded compared to Romney and even Newt, although that makes his victories thus far that much more impressive. Â Right now it is looking like a two-man race, but it’s not between Newt and Romney but rather Romney and Santorum.
*: I wrote a post a few weeks back in which I said that Newt was and perhaps still is a jerk.  For the record, Mitt is kind of a jerk, and over two election cycles has proven himself to be a rather despicable campaigner.  For those of you who would vote for Romney in the general election, I suppose the silver lining is that the man is willing to fight dirty.  So at least he’s got that going for him.  Which is nice.
For those of you who would vote for Romney in the general election, I suppose the silver lining is that the man is willing to fight dirty.
Nope. Romney fights dirty only against Republicans. If he gets the nomination, he won’t campaign that way against Obama.
Larry, I’m afraid you are probably right. The thing is you can fight hard without fighting dirty. Republicans just don’t seem to understand that.
Republicans just don’t seem to understand that.
Happens when objecting to dirty attacks is labeled fighting dirty. Get told something often enough and you’ll eventually believe it.
I’d love it if Santorum is the candidate. If it is Romney – that would not be much different than Obama.
In the cae of Newt, he seemed to have gotten genuinely shaken up by the attacks on him in iowa, and he never really recovered his momentum. He won South Carolina, but it almost seemed that was a spite vote by the South Carolina voters. Oddly Santorum, who was the attack dog in the early debates, is becoming the guy who has emerged above the fray. He’s doing what Newt did early: deliver a conservative message while focusing his fire on Obama and not the other candidates. The added bonus is that he’s a bit more genuine about it.
Because of the ups and downs of Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum, I think it’s crazy to say right now that it’s a two man race. Weren’t people saying it was a two man race after South Carolina between Romney and Gingrich? Weren’t people saying it was a two man race after the first caucus?
I think it’s just bad judgement and short-sighted to rule out anyone right now.
Also to Greg and Foxfier’s points, Santorum has been effective when he’s criticized the other candidates because he largely deals with legitimate policy differences from a conservative perspective. All of the others have tried to go after character issues, or have even attacked from the left. But when Santorum goes after one of the other candidates, the other candidates are left reeling because he’s not flinging absurd charges at them. He hits them at their weakest points, and he does so in a way that doesn’t discredit his cause (other than sounding a tad whiny at various moments).
Brett, I’m being just a bit tongue-in-cheek here as all the talk over the past month has made this sound like a two-man race between Newt and Romney. Just pointing out that actual election results would put that characterization in doubt.
If Rick Santorum can go from getting an 18 point drubbing as an incumbent senator. being a long shot for the GOP nomination to winning the nomination and the presidency, it will one of the most miraculous miracles in American political history. I’d love to see it, but it’s still a long shot.
Greg, as a friend of mine who is a Mother Superior of her order once said, “if it takes a miracle from God, I know him.” I’m going to keep praying and suffering for Santorum’s campaign.
The question is, how does Santorum make it a one-man race. I think the only way to do that is to bomb Tokyo. The not-Romneys have been calling for each other to drop out of the race for a long time now; Santorum needs to win Michigan and call for Romney to drop out of the race. Make the narrative going into Super Tuesday that the Republicans have rejected Romney. I think Santorum needs to win Michigan to make the case.
I really wish people would stop writing garbage like this and trying to sway peoples’ opinions. No, it’s not your job to do that.
Santorum cannot win the general election; not ever.
If you think he can, then that’s your opinion.
“I really wish people would stop writing garbage like this and trying to sway peoples’ opinions. No, it’s not your job to do that. ”
New to blogs are you?
“Santorum cannot win the general election; not ever.”
Polls are actually showing him 1-3 points behind Obama which is quite good for a challenger in February polls. Unless you have invented a time machine and seen the future, I will have to assume your opinion of an Obama-Santorum race is simply just that, your opinion.
“If you think he can, then that’s your opinion.”
That goes without saying, although you said it anyway.
Swaying people’s opinion in a democratic republic! Oh my stars and garters– what will happen next?!?!?
“I really wish people would stop writing garbage like this and trying to sway peoples’ opinions. No, it’s not your job to do that. ”
Now you’re not trying to sway our opinions, are you?
I will talk to my friends Marty McFly and Doc. I will see if Ken can borrow their car.
Ken,
Last poll I saw had Rick over pharaoh 45 to 44.
That was before Steve Urkell’s imbecile cousin pissed off the Pope.
Are you minimally brain damaged? Did you eat too many lead chips as a toddler?
Rick Santorum is on with Greta at the moment. Too bad Ken took off with the car.
Oddly enough I have a statistics and research oriented profession, so in some measure it is in fact my job to persuade people.
I have something I would like to persuade people to think about…. birth control /sexual responsibility is not a woman’s issue is it? Doesn’t it still take two to tango?