Romney loses ground as Santorum picks up speed...
Romney loses ground as Santorum picks up speed...
Mitt Romney has lost his vital advantage. It is no longer evident that he is the Republican with the best chance of defeating President Obama. Romney has never been completely trusted or liked by the GOP right. But until now, there was enough of them willing to look past their doubts and consider Romney because he was the one candidate who had the best shot at beating President Obama. This isn’t true anymore. With each primary and caucus Romney’s image has suffered damage. And, while he is running little better than Rick Santorum in matchups with the president, both of them are losing.
As long as Newt Gingrich was his main competitor, Romney had was clearly the most electable. But Santorum is considered closer to the convictions of many Republicans and say that since he is more or less equally strong against the president, many conservatives are swinging his way. Romney is probably praying for a partial Gingrich comeback with hopes that Gingrich will start concentrating his negativity on Santorum. Romney must also hope that the Obama campaign will unload on Santorum.
The inevitability of a Romney candidacy is starting to dissipate. Yet, even if the pendulum swings back in his direction, Mitt Romney must still face Obama and that will be a tough road as the economy continues to slowly improve.