Resentment lingers in Penn. after Santorum’s loss
Rick Santorum is as unpopular in Pennsylvania today as he was six years ago when home-state voters kicked him out of the Senate in a rout. That sour public perception may doom his fading chances of sticking around in the GOP presidential race, along with other hurdles that dot his path to a possible, and needed, victory in the April 24 primary.
He failed to heal a rift with fiscal conservatives who had lost confidence in him or reassure party leaders that he could temper his hard-line positions on social issues that repel the moderate and independent voters who are crucial to success in statewide elections in this diverse state. Even some who know Santorum say flat out he isn’t the best candidate.