On Wisconsin!

by Jason Tolbert ([email protected]) 79 views 

The Republican Primary continues along today after a ten-day break since Louisiana voted giving Rick Santorum nearly 50 percent of the vote to Romney’s 27 percent.  However, today’s primaries promise to be friendlier ground for frontrunner Romney with voting in Maryland, the District of Columbia, and Wisconsin.  Romney should easily win Maryland and D.C. with Wisconsin as Santorum’s only chance to pick up delegates and an outside shot at a win.

Polls last month showed Santorum leading Romney by double digits, which is consistent with his performance in neighboring midwestern states such as Minnesota and Iowa.  However as Romney begun investing funds in the state and as the idea of his inevitable nomination has gained traction, that lead has evaporated.  Most polls now show Romney up around 7 points over Santorum.

In spite of this, Santorum shows every sign of continuing his campaign long after tonight.  The voting takes place in three weeks where five states vote, including his home state of Pennsylvania which becomes a must-win for him especially with a loss in Wisconsin.

May, however, promises to be much friendlier to Santorum — if he can survive until then and remain a viable alternative to Romney. Indiana, West Virginia, and North Carolina vote on May 8; Oregon votes on May 15; Arkansas and Kentucky vote on May 22; and Texas votes on May 29.

Here in Arkansas, Santorum is already laying the groundwork for his campaign.  He will be the guest speaker on May 11 at the Benton County Lincoln Day Dinner in Springdale. More information and tickets here.  And his campaign has hinted that more events will likely be scheduled in central Arkansas as well.

Josh Duggar is heading up Santorum’s campaign in Arkansas. You can keep up with his efforts on @JoshDuggar on Twitter.