In a move that all but singled the end of his campaign, Rick Santorum "suspended" his campaign today.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...-out-2012-race_n_1415372.html?ref=mostpopular
Over the past month, Mitt Romney's lead over Senator Santorum had become virtually insurmountable, and Santorum's three year old daughter Bella was hospitalized over this past weekend. It was during this time, according to Santorum, that he decided to end his campaign after much "prayer and thought." Santorum held a 14 minute press conference today, in which he announced his departure from the race.
Santorum's announcement came as somewhat of a surprise to me. Pennsylvania, Santorum's home state, is holding their primary in two weeks, and I assumed he would stay in at least until then. With Santorum out of the way, Mitt Romney is seemingly a lock to win the Republican nomination for President. While Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul both have indicated that they will remain in the race until the Republican convention in August. However, there is a very real possibility that Romney may earn the nomination by virtue of delegates. It takes 1144 delegates to win the nomination, and the current breakdown is as follows:
Mitt Romney: 661
Rick Santorum(withdrawn): 285
Newt Gingrich: 136
Ron Paul: 51
It's an obvious apparent that Gingrich and Paul will not be able to catch Romney. As for Santorum, he won states that the "experts" considered locks for Romney. What you have to consider is that Santorum came out of nowhere. When primaries began, he was seen as being behind not only Romney, Gingrich, Paul and Perry, but Bachman and Cain as well. So when he overtook them, and won states that seemed locks for other candidates, the chances of him winning seemed very real. Santorum isn't the case of a Jon Huntsman who truly had no chance to win.
Agree with him or not, and I certainly don't, there's no denying Santorum was impressive and seemed like a very real possibility to win this thing. He was never the favorite, but he had much of the country believing it was very possible. I don't respect his policies or ideology, but I do respect the showing he put forth in virtually coming out of nowhere. Mitt Romney's camp released the following statement after Santorum officially withdrew from the race:
So the focus now shifts to Obama vs Romney, nevermind Newt Gingrich's words that indicate otherwise. Even Santorum's camp has indicated as much, as a spokesman for his camp noted today that the GOP needed Gingrich to step out "a long time ago." But what's most telling is the delegates, and Romney's insurmountable lead over both Gingrich and Paul. Obama and his camp realize this, as they released the following statement:
I know it's early, but there's no harm in speculating!
If the election were held tomorrow, would it be Romney or Obama for you? Why?
What role do you see Newt Gingrich playing from here on out?
Would you have preferred Romney or Santorum as the Republican candidate? Why?
If you have any other thoughts on Santorum dropping out, and the landscape of the election from here on out, voice them here!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/...-out-2012-race_n_1415372.html?ref=mostpopular
Over the past month, Mitt Romney's lead over Senator Santorum had become virtually insurmountable, and Santorum's three year old daughter Bella was hospitalized over this past weekend. It was during this time, according to Santorum, that he decided to end his campaign after much "prayer and thought." Santorum held a 14 minute press conference today, in which he announced his departure from the race.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we made the decision to get into this race around our kitchen table, against all the odds, We made a decision over the weekend that while the presidential race for us is over, and I will suspend my campaign effective today, we are not done fighting."
Santorum's announcement came as somewhat of a surprise to me. Pennsylvania, Santorum's home state, is holding their primary in two weeks, and I assumed he would stay in at least until then. With Santorum out of the way, Mitt Romney is seemingly a lock to win the Republican nomination for President. While Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul both have indicated that they will remain in the race until the Republican convention in August. However, there is a very real possibility that Romney may earn the nomination by virtue of delegates. It takes 1144 delegates to win the nomination, and the current breakdown is as follows:
Mitt Romney: 661
Rick Santorum(withdrawn): 285
Newt Gingrich: 136
Ron Paul: 51
It's an obvious apparent that Gingrich and Paul will not be able to catch Romney. As for Santorum, he won states that the "experts" considered locks for Romney. What you have to consider is that Santorum came out of nowhere. When primaries began, he was seen as being behind not only Romney, Gingrich, Paul and Perry, but Bachman and Cain as well. So when he overtook them, and won states that seemed locks for other candidates, the chances of him winning seemed very real. Santorum isn't the case of a Jon Huntsman who truly had no chance to win.
Agree with him or not, and I certainly don't, there's no denying Santorum was impressive and seemed like a very real possibility to win this thing. He was never the favorite, but he had much of the country believing it was very possible. I don't respect his policies or ideology, but I do respect the showing he put forth in virtually coming out of nowhere. Mitt Romney's camp released the following statement after Santorum officially withdrew from the race:
"Senator Santorum is an able and worthy competitor, and I congratulate him on the campaign he ran. He has proven himself to be an important voice in our party and in the nation. We both recognize that what is most important is putting the failures of the last three years behind us and setting America back on the path to prosperity."
So the focus now shifts to Obama vs Romney, nevermind Newt Gingrich's words that indicate otherwise. Even Santorum's camp has indicated as much, as a spokesman for his camp noted today that the GOP needed Gingrich to step out "a long time ago." But what's most telling is the delegates, and Romney's insurmountable lead over both Gingrich and Paul. Obama and his camp realize this, as they released the following statement:
"It’s no surprise that Mitt Romney finally was able to grind down his opponents under an avalanche of negative ads. But neither he nor his special interest allies will be able to buy the presidency with their negative attacks. The more the American people see of Mitt Romney, the less they like him and the less they trust him. While calling himself the ‘ideal candidate’ for the Tea Party, he has promised to return to the same policies that created the economic crisis and has alienated women, middle class families, and Hispanic Americans. Americans value a President who will fight every day to rebuild an economy in which hard work will pay, responsibility is rewarded and everyone plays by the same rules. And that President is Barack Obama.”
I know it's early, but there's no harm in speculating!
If the election were held tomorrow, would it be Romney or Obama for you? Why?
What role do you see Newt Gingrich playing from here on out?
Would you have preferred Romney or Santorum as the Republican candidate? Why?
If you have any other thoughts on Santorum dropping out, and the landscape of the election from here on out, voice them here!