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Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney’s primary contest wins on Tuesday in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Wisconsin have temporarily cut off insurgent Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum’s momentum and appear to simplify the Republican contest.
Dragging on incessantly since January, the GOP field has constantly shifted, inverted and driven pollsters and pundits crazy; it is unpredictable and fickle to many. However, it seems that the proverbial “tortoise” in this race, Romney, may finally be gaining enough grassroots support to become the party’s nominee. He has recently earned the endorsements of Florida Senator Marco Rubio and House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, two “Tea Party” leaders and important young figures on the modern American right.
In addition, Romney garnered the support of former Republican President George H.W. Bush. This endorsement from one of the party’s “senior statesmen” comes as no surprise, as both men are New England moderates.
The former governor’s wins in Maryland and Washington D.C. were no surprise, as most Republicans in these states tend to be more moderate and lean towards supporting the more centrist candidate. Santorum, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas congressman Ron Paul found little support in these East Coast bulwarks.
Romney’s crucial win in Wisconsin, earning 42.5 percent to Santorum’s 37.7 percent means that he received the support of the working class, average Republican who makes all the difference in the general election; Romney has, up until now, had a serious problem connecting with these voters, who Santorum swooped into his camp with the increasingly desolate rhetoric of populism.
Romney’s victory across the board, in all demographic groups, proves what I have suggested for a while now: he will be a stronger nominee by the end of this process to go up against President Obama. Through the drudgery of fighting his rivals in the trenches of early states all throughout the nation, Romney has earned the respect of the party and proven himself worthy, electable and palatable to conservatives, who will help drive his effort to victory by volunteering time and donating money. When any observer looks down the road to the next contests, the end appears dire for Santorum, as there are few states left for him to pick up delegates and support for the convention in Tampa in August.
The next states, which will hold contests on April 24, are Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island. Santorum has a fading chance to win in his home state, Pennsylvania, and little hope of winning any place else, especially in the New England coastal states that have been Romney’s home for years. The next news this race will make will be a man – or two – dropping out, all we can do is speculate whom it may be and when he might withdraw.
