http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/03/mitt-romney-rick-santorum-washington-caucus-results-2012_n_1318528.htmlThe former Pennsylvania senator has a message that appeals to the base of the Republican Party. In many ways, he is the candidate that the grassroots want. But he is in danger of falling behind Mitt Romney -- in terms of momentum and delegates -- to a degree that will be hard to make up.
Santorum's rhetorical excesses took him off track in Michigan this past week. He lost that state's primary to Romney by three points in the popular vote, costing him a huge opportunity to build on the momentum he had gained with wins in three states on Feb. 7.
And on Saturday night, Santorum lost a symbolic vote to Romney when Washington Republicans voiced their support for the former Massachusetts governor in a straw poll at caucuses around the state.
New details also emerged Saturday about the extent to which Santorum's lack of campaign infrastructure will hurt him in Ohio on Tuesday. He will be ineligible for up to 18 of Ohio's 66 delegates. It had previously been reported that he could not compete for six delegates.
Santorum, meanwhile, continued to be tripped up by inflammatory comments he's made over the past few weeks. A college student, who was part of a three-person panel, asked Santorum why he had called Obama a "snob" for saying Americans should go to college and added that the comment "didn't really sit well with my campus."
I wouldn't be surprised to see him drop after Tuesday.
