In the race for the GOP presidential nomination, there is Mitt Romney, and there is the anti-Romney. The anti-Romney has changed throughout the months. First appearing as Rep. Michele Bachmann, the anti-Romney gave conservatives hope. Voters who were looking for a conservative standard bearer, certainly did not want to support Romney, and they threw their support to Bachmann. Times certainly have changed…
With Bachmann surging in the polls, Romney kept plugging away at anywhere from 20 to 25% support. When Bachmann faded, Gov. Rick Perry rose to take her place. At one point he lead all candidates in the polls, with Romney in second. But, like Bachmann before him, he faded, mainly due to his poor debate performances.
Did Romney vault back into the lead? Not quite. Instead, Herman Cain took the top spot with Romney in second. From Romney’s view, he saw a familiar site, Cain crashed and burned, and conservatives turned their attention to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Gingrich surged nationally and in Iowa particularly. Romney was… in second.
Guess what? At least in Iowa — a state which will convene its caucuses on Tuesday — it looks like there might be yet another shift by conservatives. Former Sen. Rick Santorum has gone from last place to being a top-tier candidate. Has the bruising that Gingrich has been taking since he emerged as the frontrunner taken its toll?
As Fox News reports:
“I’ve always said that the people of Iowa are going to give me the spark, and that’s what I believe is happening right now,” Santorum told Fox News.
After a poll Wednesday showed Santorum suddenly moving into third position in Iowa, a Rasmussen Reports survey released Thursday showed the same line-up. The poll showed Mitt Romney and Ron Paul in a dead heat, with 23 and 22 percent respectively, and Santorum in third with 16 percent.
In a troubling sign for Newt Gingrich, the same survey showed the ex-House speaker tied for fourth with Rick Perry.
Can Santorum do it? Is he for real… or just the next anti-Romney? In a few days, we’ll know the answers. If Santorum does pull out a victory, what will it mean for New Hampshire which votes the following week?
The problem for anti-Romney is that he/she is always changing, while the real Romney just keeps plugging along. Unless conservatives unite behind a single candidate, the nominee will certainly be Mitt Romney, and he can already start preparing his campaign to take on Barack Obama.
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