Rick Grimaldi: Decision 2012

2/21/12 - by Rick Grimaldi

Just when you thought Mitt Romney was finally on his way to solidifying himself as the clear leader of the Republican primary pack following convincing wins in New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada - along comes the man who has done more than anyone for sweater vests since Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air  - Senator Rick Santorum.

First came the clarification in the Iowa primary which gave Santorum his first victory over Romney by 34 votes.  Then, much like a Phillies weekend domination of the NY Mets, Santorum demonstrably asserted his presence as a contender, and swept the caucuses and primary in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri (where Santorum garnered a healthy 55% of the votes cast).

It would appear that the socially and fiscally conservative Santorum has not only unseated Speaker Gingrich as the conservative movement's choice in this election (as many still refuse to believe Romney is conservative enough), but has also become a real challenge to Romney's seeming lock for the nomination.   Throwing more confusion into the mix, however, was Romney's victory in Maine, and this past weekend's CPAC straw poll which anointed none other than Romney as the choice of conservatives beating Santorum 38% to 31%!

So the only thing we know for sure at this point, is that we have no clue who the Republican's choice for President is as of Valentine's Day.  However, heading into Super Tuesday, that could all change in the matter of weeks!  (my guess is that Romney's CPA straw poll victory and his millions of dollars will solidify his position as top dog for the Republicans in the near future).