"(Reuters) - Rick Santorum has put his Catholic faith front and center as he courts religious conservatives in his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. That may be hurting his chances with a crucial group of voters: his fellow Catholics.
Santorum has lost the Catholic vote consistently in states that have held nominating contests so far, exit polls show.
The pattern underscores Santorum's continued inability to broaden his appeal beyond a core of voters, mostly evangelical Protestants, who place social issues like abortion and gay marriage at the top of the agenda...."
-end snip-
That will not be the case in the general. Romney won by a squeaker of 1% because (1) He won large urban areas that are generally moderate-liberal (2) he was outspent by more than 3 to 1 by Romney and (3) because Gingrich played the role of spoiler and siphoned off a paltry but decisive 15% of the vote.