After Iowa, Santorum suddenly at the top of the GOP race

Just a few weeks ago, Rick Santorum was the earnest campaigner in Iowa with the trademark sweater vest.

The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania was the first candidate to visit all 99 counties, and he held 381 town-hall meetings and speeches -- not counting stops at diners and other one-on-one retail politicking opportunities.

Far down in the polls, he was regarded as an afterthought.

But after surging in polls just days before the Iowa caucuses and finishing in a virtual dead heat with presumptive front-runner Mitt Romney -- losing by just eight votes -- Santorum has jumped to the forefront of the GOP political discussion.

After Iowa, the Big Three aren't Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. They're Romney, Santorum and Texas Congressman Ron Paul, who finished third.

The next test is only days away -- Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Santorum did well in Iowa because he ran an old-fashioned campaign, traveling throughout the state, shaking hands and meeting with small groups of people, said Michael Federici, a political-science professor at Mercyhurst College.

And conservative Iowans, particularly evangelicals, were looking for an alternative to the more moderate Romney, Federici said.

After Michele Bachmann, who dropped out of the race Wednesday, and Perry and Gingrich all rose and fell in the Hawkeye State, many voters were looking for someone to galvanize around, and they decided on Santorum, Federici said.

Federici said the others had the chance to challenge Romney, and now it's Santorum's turn. But with that rise in standing will come scrutiny from the other candidates and the media, he said.

Even so, Federici said one candidate will emerge as "the conservative favorite, and right now, that's Rick Santorum.''

After Iowa, Santorum got a polling bump in New Hampshire, where Romney is still leading by a wide margin.

But Federici said that Santorum doesn't need to win New Hampshire to remain a viable candidate. "He needs to finish in the top 3,'' he said.

Federici said Romney is now in the position to win both Iowa and New Hampshire, which would be a remarkable start in his bid for the GOP nomination. That will bring more money to the campaign and momentum heading into the rest of the nominating season, he said.

"New Hampshire has this habit of not following Iowa. ... They could change their minds, but right now it looks like New Hampshire is going to go to Romney,'' Federici said.

Four years ago, Mike Huckabee won the Iowa caucuses, but John McCain won New Hampshire to begin his march to the nomination.

The remaining GOP field doesn't want a quick victory for Romney, so there will be "a concerted effort on the part of the other candidates to tear him down,'' Federici said.

Federici said Paul's devoted group of campaign workers helped his cause in Iowa. "That one-to-one contact with caucus participants is so important and has a big payoff,'' he said.

"It's not as well suited to a primary state, especially with a large voting population,'' he said.

Comments from one of Paul's local supporters, Joe Salorino, were indicative of a third-place finish.

"I could be happier, but I could be a lot unhappier as well,'' said Salorino, 54, of Springfield Township, an assistant organizer of the Erie branch of the Ron Paul group.

"I think the fact that he's in the top tier, if you will, is really important. Iowa is important to establish that you have a good ground game and a good campaign,'' he said.

"It's not crucial to win Iowa, but it is important to place well, and he did,'' he said.

"It confirms his legitimacy as a candidate, and I think it will propel him to fight. This thing is so fluid, it's hard to say what's going to happen,'' said Salorino, who e-mailed elected officials in Iowa urging support for Paul.

This much is certain: New Hampshire is next, followed by the South Carolina primary. The field could be narrower by then, but expect the new top tier to remain in the thick of the race.

JOHN GUERRIERO can be reached at 870-1690 or by e-mail.

Read the Campaign '12 blog at GoErie.com/blogs/campaign and post comments.

Source: http://www.goerie.com/article/20120105/NEWS02/301049890/After-Iowa-Santorum-suddenly-at-the-top-of-the-GOP-race

bradley cooper elisabeth hasselbeck roger craig roger craig cadillac xts rambus rambus