Mr Santorum’s emergence, particularly in the all-important Midwestern states
such as Iowa and Ohio caught many pundits by surprise.
Only a month ago it was a resurgent Mr Gingrich who was publicly calling for
Mr Santorum to step aside to allow the conservative grassroots to unite
behind a single conservative candidacy.
However data from the PPP poll in Michigan now suggests that it is Mr Gingrich
who should step aside, with one analysis predicting that if the maverick
former speaker dropped out, it would translate into a nine-point lead for Mr
Santorum in Michigan.
Mr Gingrich, however, has shown no sign that he’s prepared to make way,
increasing the likelihood that the nomination fight will drag on long after “Super
Tuesday” on March 6, and possibly all the way to the Republican
convention in Tampa at the end of August.
Jeffrey Lord, a former Reagan aide and Republican party historian, said that
Mr Santorum’s poll numbers in Texas suggested that he was now starting to
win the battle to be the conservative contrast-candidate to Mr Romney.
He drew the historical parallel of the conservative Ronald Reagan, defeating
George Bush Snr in his home state of Texas as an indication of how crucial
the conservative vote can be in Texas which offers 155 delegates to the
convention.
“Rick now has the momentum, so religious Conservatives are swinging to
the person who has the momentum and stands for their beliefs,” he
added, “what we’re seeing is support starting to coalesce behind one of
the two conservatives in the race, and that is Rick.”
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