So the Republicans have let their voters in three states weigh in on who the party’s candidate should be, and what happened? Rick Santorum was the choice in Iowa, winning by a squeaker of a recount. Mitt Romney won by a handsome margin in New Hampshire, and Newt Gingrich more than returned the favor in South Carolina.
What impact have these races had on the candidates?
The results really haven’t impacted Ron Paul at all. As it stands today, he has no chance of being the party’s nominee, but then he had no chance a month ago, and when he wakes up tomorrow morning he still won’t have a chance.
It is fascinating to me that Santorum hasn’t been able to grow his support any better than he has. As a conservative without Gingrich’s personal baggage (or Gingrich’s occasional forays into liberal ideas), Santorum seemed poised to make a move, but he hasn’t. Maybe he still will.
Meanwhile Romney continues to move along, unruffled. It’s like he’s waiting for some Republicans to get tired of not liking him. Eventually they’ll come around, if he’s patient enough. It might make him less interesting than Gingrich, but one could argue that “steady” and “composed” are two good adjectives when talking about a President.
Finally, Gingrich continues to be everything Romney is not. Gingrich is emotional and unpredictable. He thinks fast on his feet, and that quality–like Romney’s composure–is good for a President.
It’s still early in the game, but if Santorum wants this to seriously be a three-man race, he’d better hurry.