Rick Santorum Sweeps Three GOP Primaries in Missouri, Colorado, and Minnesota

Just as it was starting to look inevitable that America would soon be under the tutelage of its first Mormon leader, Rick Santorum surprised the GOP by winning three primary victories yesterday in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado. Even though none of these states carry much weight toward the party nomination, Santorum had a strong showing in each, winning 55 percent of the vote in Missouri and 45 percent in Minnesota.

However, there's a catch (isn't there always a catch?), and Santorum's valued wins might have just been a fluke. That's because Newt Gingrich had chosen not to actively campaign at all in this week's races, in order to focus his limited resources on next week's Super Tuesday polls. (Yes, there are still more primaries to go. It's not even March yet, don't tell me you're already tired of this!) With Newt not even on the ballot in Missouri, there's no telling for sure what these wins really mean. Politics! Isn't it great?

Santorum used his victory speech to deliver a rousing condemnation of President Obama, telling crowds that the president, "thinks he's smarter than you," and
"thought he just knew better ... he and his friends on Wall Street just knew better," all of which is supremely ironic considering the Republican role in Wall Street bailouts. But hey -- what's a little revisionist history among friends?

Reporters and voters across the country have been focusing their attention on Mitt Romney for the past few weeks, after huge primary wins in Florida propelled him to the forefront of the race. However, there is still much internal resistance against Romney, particularly because, if chosen, he would be the GOP's first Mormon candidate, and many worry he doesn't have the charisma necessary to effectively challenge Obama.

[keyana.stevens | @keyanastevens]

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