Mitt Romney may have won the Illinois primary by a wide margin Tuesday night, but it was not a knockout, and Rick Santorum will live to fight another day. Even so, the conventional wisdom is that this contest was the beginning of the end.
The Illinois results underlined the clear trend emerging around Romney voters: They are less religious, they are college-educated and economically better off than the average Republican primary voter.
Romney won because there are more voters that fit this profile in Illinois than there were in the Southern states where Santorum prevailed. But those high-wealth voters have come with a high price tag.
On top of that, conservative kingmaker Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told reporters Thursday that he’s “excited” about the idea of Romney winning the Republican nod. That bodes well for the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign. The comment by DeMint – who hasn’t endorsed -- hasn’t gotten the kind of play that Etch A Sketch-gate has. But it’s arguably of greater importance in the GOP primary campaign.
For Rick Santorum, Louisiana represents the last chance until May of having a big win in a southern state.
Santorum’s camp itself acknowledges that April is not a great month for them – five northeastern states as well as D.C., Maryland and Wisconsin hold their contests. So if Santorum is looking to deflate Romney’s hopes, Louisiana would be the best place to do so.
For Newt Gingrich, who hasn’t had a good day in quite some time, Saturday’s primary will be an indication of whether things are going from bad to worse. The former House speaker’s campaign is $1.6 million in debt, and he was bested by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) for third place in this week’s Illinois primary. Will Louisiana give him a lift?
And for Paul, Louisiana is the latest chance to, well, not finish in last place. The Texas congressman faces the same problem here as elsewhere – namely, that the big crowds that come to support him at rallies are nowhere to be found when it comes time to vote.
Adding to Louisiana’s import is the fact that there’s a 10-day lull in the calendar after Saturday.
Stay tuned here at Election 2012 and at The Fix for the latest from Louisiana and elsewhere on the trail.
The Illinois results underlined the clear trend emerging around Romney voters: They are less religious, they are college-educated and economically better off than the average Republican primary voter.
Romney won because there are more voters that fit this profile in Illinois than there were in the Southern states where Santorum prevailed. But those high-wealth voters have come with a high price tag.
On top of that, conservative kingmaker Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) told reporters Thursday that he’s “excited” about the idea of Romney winning the Republican nod. That bodes well for the former Massachusetts governor’s campaign. The comment by DeMint – who hasn’t endorsed -- hasn’t gotten the kind of play that Etch A Sketch-gate has. But it’s arguably of greater importance in the GOP primary campaign.
For Rick Santorum, Louisiana represents the last chance until May of having a big win in a southern state.
Santorum’s camp itself acknowledges that April is not a great month for them – five northeastern states as well as D.C., Maryland and Wisconsin hold their contests. So if Santorum is looking to deflate Romney’s hopes, Louisiana would be the best place to do so.
For Newt Gingrich, who hasn’t had a good day in quite some time, Saturday’s primary will be an indication of whether things are going from bad to worse. The former House speaker’s campaign is $1.6 million in debt, and he was bested by Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) for third place in this week’s Illinois primary. Will Louisiana give him a lift?
And for Paul, Louisiana is the latest chance to, well, not finish in last place. The Texas congressman faces the same problem here as elsewhere – namely, that the big crowds that come to support him at rallies are nowhere to be found when it comes time to vote.
Adding to Louisiana’s import is the fact that there’s a 10-day lull in the calendar after Saturday.
Stay tuned here at Election 2012 and at The Fix for the latest from Louisiana and elsewhere on the trail.
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