Rick Santorum’s victories in Tennessee, North Dakota and Oklahoma — and a nail-biting loss to Mitt Romney in Ohio — mean the already-prolonged GOP dogfight is far from over, pundits told the Herald.
Santorum kept it close in Ohio, preventing a potentially catastrophic Romney landslide in the battleground state, despite what his supporters called a well-organized, heavily financed Romney machine.
Santorum needed something to celebrate after two big losses last week in Michigan and Arizona, which effectively zapped his onetime front-runner status.
But GOP strategist Ford O’Connell said Santorum continues to suffer from a stubborn Newt Gingrich, who’s peeling off conservative votes otherwise headed for Santorum.
“As long as Gingrich is in the race, that benefits Romney,” O’Connell said.
