Santorum Delivers a GOP Stunner [Shoe-String Budget: Clean Sweep: Hat-Trick: Wins MN; MO, and CO!]

Wall St. J ^ | February 07, 2012 | NEIL KING JR. And DANNY YADRON

[Steelfish]

Santorum Delivers a GOP Stunner Former Senator Wins in Minnesota, Missouri; Romney Campaign Plays Down Nonbinding Contests

By NEIL KING JR. And DANNY YADRON

DENVER—Rick Santorum jolted the Republican presidential race Tuesday by winning nominating contests in Missouri and Minnesota, puncturing Mitt Romney's claim to be the unstoppable front-runner.

Mr. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, was running neck and neck with Mr. Romney in preliminary returns from Colorado, a state Mr. Romney won by a wide margin in 2008.

With about 70% of the Colorado vote counted, Mr. Santorum had 38%, to 36% for Mr. Romney. Four years ago, Mr. Romney carried Colorado with 60% of the vote.

Mr. Santorum's twin victories in the Midwest will give his campaign a much-needed burst of momentum and may stir doubt about Mr. Romney's abilities to woo conservatives to his side in important electoral states such as Missouri. So far, Mr. Romney has won in states where he has devoted significant campaign time and advertising dollars.

Mr. Santorum won 55% of the Missouri vote, while Mr. Romney followed with 25%. Texas Rep. Ron Paul was trailing with 12%. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich wasn't on the Missouri ballot.

Mr. Santorum's Missouri victory margin of almost 75,000 votes over Mr. Romney was nearly 29,000 more than Mr. Romney's combined Iowa and Nevada total.

While the Tuesday results didn't directly award any of the delegates needed to claim the GOP nomination, they showed voters rejecting Mr. Romney even in states where he had performed well four years ago.

Mr. Romney had carried Minnesota in 2008 but placed third there on Tuesday. With 85% of precincts in, Mr. Santorum had 45% of the vote, while Mr. Paul had 27%. Mr. Romney had 17% of the vote and Mr. Gingrich claimed 11%.

[Steelfish]

Go Rick Go! Clear "electable" alternative to Romney. Wins CO with 5% vote margin.

[Downinthedixie]

Santorum is not a great choice against 0.

This seems to support the idea of a brokered convention.

[Jeff Winston]

A hat trick!

[TJA]

Wow! Yeah!

[Defiant]

Time for the elites to tear down another one.

[freeangel]

I’m not a Santorum gal, but God Bless him over romney tonight!

[moonhawk]

I’m a Newt guy, but congrats to Rick. A well deserved drubbing for Mittens, and I’ll take that to the bank.

Inevitable my ass!

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

good stuff

Watching Fox News until they called it in CO, I was reminded of how fun close elections are and why I love politics so much.

[Steelfish]

Rick S trounced Mitt R by 30 points in MO!!!!! Unprecedented.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

I still gotta believe that being the religious candidate at the time that the Marxist-Alinsky radicals (spoiled brats actually) opened fire on Christians helped attract a lot of votes for Santorum -- and those attacks on Christians are going get a lot of people out to vote in November.

[P-Marlowe]

Go Rick Go! Clear "electable" alternative to Romney. Wins CO with 5% vote margin.

If Romney can't win Colorado with it's significant Mormon population, then he ain't gonna win in the Bible Belt or the corn belt.

This is just great news.

[Gumdrop]

The revenge of fly-over country! So there!

I was part of the MN caucuses. There was a large Catholic vote tonight. Surprisingly we had nearly a 20% higher turnout than in 2008! I think if was because of the the sum total of issues plus the interest locally in the Obamacare mandate. People are really venting their anger here. Santorum did not even have to bring the subject up, but I think it had some influence on the vote in MN.

[Steelfish]

Yes and the 9th Circus decision may have also scared people of a runaway judiciary, the radical gay agenda etc.

[WilliamofCarmichael]

Santorum won by 316 votes in each of the three states. :)

[rissole]

Yessss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

But remember, Rick’s DONE!!! LOL.

[bigbob]

Santorum has not stunned me with his charisma, granted, but he’s a solid conservative, and is immune to Obama’s class warfare attack strategy (just mentally compare his vulnerability vs. Romney or even Newt...) Staunchly pro-life and family values will play big in flyover country where guys with a past like Newts are snickered about and guys like Romney are spotted as phonies a mile away.

I sure like what I’ve heard from Santorum lately. For sure he would be a contrast against Obama, not just “Obama-lite”.

[jwalsh07]

You don’t think a conservative can beat the prince?

[Major Matt Mason]

If Romney has lost 22% in CO since the last primary in that state, in no way is he inevitable. CO is a state that you would think would go in his column fairly handily, but not this time.

[Downinthedixie]

“Santorum won by 316 votes in each of the three states. :) “

Um...no he didn’t. Not even one...

[Downinthedixie]

A conservative, yes. Santorum, no.

But hey, he had a good night
I’d rather a wild card come through at the convention.