Thursday, January 5, 2012

Santorum’s Iowa: Does It Matter?

Rick Santorum came within eight votes of pulling off the greatest political upset of my lifetime on Tuesday night. What does Santorum’s last moment surge in Iowa ultimately mean going forward?

Ultimately, not much. Romney holds a commanding lead in New Hampshire and Santorum doesn’t have the nationwide organization to compete in other states. Santorum's message worked well among the large evangelical population in Iowa. Santorum will ultimately struggle in states where the evangelical vote isn’t as strong.

I think Santorum’s record will ultimately be a concern. In trying to appear moderate as a Senator seeking re-election in Pennsylvania, he created inconsistencies that will be hard to explain away to a conservative primary audience.

Santorum had a great night, but will ultimately have little impact on the race at large.

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