Posted on 02/07/2012 8:12:03 PM PST by SeekAndFind
DENVER — Rick Santorum had a breakthrough night on Tuesday by winning the Missouri primary and the Minnesota caucuses, breathing life into his struggling campaign and slowing Mitt Romney’s march to the Republican presidential nomination.
Early returns had Santorum running two-to-one over Romney in Missouri, and the Associated Press projected he would win the state’s “beauty contest” primary, which awards no delegates but provides fresh momentum to the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign.
Romney was hoping to extend his winning streak as he tried to strengthen his claim to the mantle of the presumptive nominee, but he was bracing for a loss in one or more states as Santorum made an aggressive run in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri.
Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.), who has yet to secure a win in the 2012 sweepstakes, mobilized his loyal support networks in the three states, banking on low turnout in the non-binding contests to give him a win.
Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich did not compete in Missouri, which was holding a “beauty contest” primary that awarded no delegates. The former House speaker looked past Tuesday’s contests and instead campaigned in Ohio, one of several delegate-rich states voting March 6 on “Super Tuesday,” when he hopes to jump-start his struggling candidacy.
The Colorado and Minnesota caucuses are not binding and would not award convention delegates, but at stake Tuesday night was the prestige of winning.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
He’s giving a great speech right now.
Romney just browned his pants.
Personally, I am very worried that neither Gingrich nor Romney can defeat obama. I think Santorum actually could....maybe it is time to get behind Santorum!
Went to mine. Voted Newt. He came in 3rd. Willard a distant 4th. Volunteered for BPOU delegate for March 10th.
President Santorum? Liberals would commit mass suicide if that happened..... I can support Rick Santorum.
If Thomas Jefferson trusted "the People," once they were informed, then why can't you?
No more Doles or McCains, please. Rethink your position on Romney. Clearly, the ideas of America's Founders don't come to him naturally. He is, no doubt, a good family man and provider. He has had amazing success in making money within the Founders' system, but that does not mean that he understands and can implement the principles which made that success possible.
Voters need a clear choice in November. They need someone who can make known to them the underlying ideas of their liberty. They need someone who can clearly outline the false ideas of the current President--ideas which have led to tyranny in every society where they have dominated.
Perhaps Divine Providence is, today, sending you a message. Santorum is now outlining in his speech the very ideas people need to have in order to win this election in November.
Listen to your fellow Republicans. The liberty of future generations is at stake, and Romney is no match for Obama. Ideas won independence and liberty in 1776 and 1787. Ideas can win them back in 2012.
After my caucus, I quickly drove to two other caucuses, and each one told me Santorum won! How cool! A message has been sent to the GOP!
RE: He’s giving a great speech right now.
Yes, hit hard on Obama’s HHS FORCING Catholic hospitals and health providers to provide sterilization, morning after abortion pills and birth control...
THAT is what’s needed.
If Roman Catholics can’t get behind this guy and still vote for Obama, I would be uncertain how many voters who call themselves Catholic really are...
Time for Newt to pull out and endorse Santorum. What? No? Wasn’t that what everyone was saying Santorum should do last week?
Romney just browned his pants.
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I really did LOL at that.
Only Presidential candidate to ever receive money from me. Wish him the best.
Look for a 3-State Sweep tonight by Santorum. I look for him to win Colorado also.
Look for a 3-State Sweep tonight by Santorum. I look for him to win Colorado also.
Minnesota? DO you do steampunk? Are you going to the Michigan Steampunk convention over Memorial Day?
Have you heard of the band "Steam Powered Giraffe"?
RE: Look for a 3-State Sweep tonight by Santorum. I look for him to win Colorado also.
I’m not so sure of Colorado, but I’m crossing my fingers.
The CO number finally moved. Santorum ut front with 16% in. 41-31 Go Rick!!!
CO 22% in...Santorum 42 Romney 31
This is good news.
The win in Missouri is key. As a battleground state, the fact that Romney finished so far back should be weaken his ‘electability’ arguement.
RE: This is good news.
Not to Santorum haters in this forum ( and there’s quite a number ). His nickname given by these group of posters is — TRICKY RICKY.
I’m up for any solution that gets us a good conservative nominee who can beat Obama, and that by definition excludes Romney!
Of course, they've been saying "only Newt can stop Romney" before Newt had even won a single primary, so today's results will probably be cited as more "proof" that only Newt can win.
Perhaps one of the "Santorum should drop out to stop Romney" freepers can tell me which primary would have gone differently if Santorum hadn't been running? Certainly not Missouri, unless you're going to make a case Newt would have waged a massively successful and unprecedented write-in campaign that topped Storm Thurmond and Lisa Murkowski. Even in Florida, if Santorum had "dropped out", endorsed Romney, and gotten EVERY single one of his voters to support Newt (which certainly wouldn't have happened as some would have voted for Romney, Ron Paul, or stayed home)... but let's go with the statistically impossible scenario of ALL the Santorum's voters in FL switching en masse to Newt... it STILL wouldn't have changed the results.
How exactly does Santorum dropping out "stop Romney"? If this is the most (and only) important issue in the primary, let's hear some evidence how it works.
I am Catholic and have been pleasantly surprised to see how fired up my Catholic friends are about the HHS mandate. Also, Catholics I know who have always been conservative but silent are now being vocal. So maybe the Catholics in Name Only will start feeling the heat as well.
and I agree with you.....
I think Santorum could have a wide appeal once he gets his message out.
Colorado: Santorum 42, Romney 26, Gingrich 15, Paul 12 (28% in)
Toobad Santorum is a RINO, otherwise I’d be excited about this.
I’m watching Mittens speech. He looks shaken.
RE: Toobad Santorum is a RINO, otherwise I’d be excited about this.
Who among these 4 isn’t according to you?
Part of the problem is that Santorum lies about Newt’s record, though he just gets less press about it since he can’t afford the ads. As a result, it depresses turnout, and since Santorum doesn’t have much to offer, he doesn’t always gain any benefits.
Newt has to win, because, honestly, Santorum is an empty suit. A Romney vs Santorum would be pretty tedious, and I doubt Santorum would handle his own medicine from Romney, especially when Romney has more money.
Santorum is a bottom feeder. He should drop, as he’ll interfere in the real important states.
Yeah but this doesn’t count for anything Romney is still the big winner, yada, yada, yada. Has anyone noticed how many times the words non-binding are used in the headlines? If Romney had won what would the headlines be?
Hey GOP elite ... are you listening?????????
Outstanding evening for Conservatism!!!!!
wow, and I was constantly writing Santorum off as a good candidate but no chance to win. I was wrong, very wrong.
“Romney just browned his pants.”
You mean his magic underwear.
“Only Presidential candidate to ever receive money from me. Wish him the best.”
That makes three of us (my husband and I donated to Santorum last week).
“President Santorum” sounds so lovely and hopeful.
My first choice is Gingrich and my second is Santorum.
I am very happy Santorum has done so well tonight, if for no other reason than to smack Romney in that condescending smug face of his.
Mitt is...um...Mitt, and
Gingrich is something of a dissolute slob (not electable in today's glam election settings.)
No candidate is perfect, and Santorum has some flaws. But nothing comparable to Romney Care or Gingrich's lack of sustained focus, sustained allegiance to principle, and sustained allegiance to spouse.
I'll vote for whomever gets the GOP nomination (NO THIRD PARTY SPOILER!), but I believe that Santorum is our best candidate.
.
I think this is pretty awesome
Is Mitts beeber stuned?
Colorado: Santorum 42, Romney 30, Gingrich 15, Paul 12 (30% counted)
If Santorum won Colorado, I mean East Utah, it was hugh and series
OK, so perhaps Santorum and Newt should join forces. Make one or the other VP. Anything to stop Romney.
Willard gives me the Willies!
Results posted as they come in:
Missouri: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/missouri-primary-feb-7 (looks like Santorum is going carry every county in this state)
Minnesota: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/minnesota-caucuses-feb-7
Colorado: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2012/colorado-caucuses-feb-7
None of these states are awarding delegates yet I think
Big, actually very big winner tonight...Rick Santorum.
Losers tonight...Romney & Gingrich.
Paul....that is a story all by itself. He is immaterial.
“Santorum, of the conservatives remaining, is the one with the least baggage in terms of abandoning conservatism at times over his career” - Rush Limbaugh, 02/07/2012
http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2012/02/07/santorum_is_sneaking_up
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