Former senator's three-state victory stalls Romney

NEW: Santorum wins Colorado, along with victories in Missouri and Minnesota NEW: Mitt Romney stresses party unity in congratulating Santorum "Conservatism is alive and well," Santorum tells supporters The delegate total of 70 in Colorado and Minnesota is the biggest so far of campaign (CNN) -- Rick Santorum swept the three Republican presidential contests Tuesday in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado, reshaping the race and raising questions about frontrunner Mitt Romney's ability to attract broad conservative support. More importantly, the former Pennsylvania senator's trifecta halted Romney's momentum after the former Massachusetts governor had won the previous two contests and three of the first five prior to Tuesday. Colorado was the most competitive state of the day, with Santorum winning 40% of the vote to 35% for Romney, 13% for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and 12% for Texas Rep. Ron Paul. var currExpandable="expand14"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/mn-caucus-bash-rick-santorum-wins.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120207065659-santorum-co-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand14Store=mObj; Rick Santorum wins Minnesota caucus var currExpandable="expand24"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/mn-caucus-ron-paul.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208020435-mn-caucus-ron-paul-00010530-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand24Store=mObj; Ron Paul: 'We've been too careless' var currExpandable="expand34"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/sot-romney-colorado-speech.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208045454-sot-romney-colorado-speech-00004711-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand34Store=mObj; Romney congratulates Santorum After a night of returns trickling in and the lead shifting between Santorum and Romney, Colorado Republican Party chairman Ryan Call announced that Santorum was the winner. In Minnesota, Santorum got 45% of the vote to 27% for Paul, 17% for Romney and 11% for Gingrich, with 85% of the total counted. The victory in a state Romney won in his unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid was a strong statement by Santorum that he represents a major cons
ervative challenge to both Romney and Gingrich, the former House speaker. However, a low turnout in all three races signaled possible dissatisfaction among Republican voters with the candidates. All the delegates available Tuesday came from the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses, while the Missouri primary was nonbinding with no delegates at stake. The two caucus states didn't officially award delegates Tuesday night -- that will happen down the road at district and state conventions -- but the news media, including CNN, will use them to make unofficial delegate count estimates. With 99% of the Missouri vote counted, Santorum had 55% to 25% for Romney and 12% for Paul. Gingrich didn't make the ballot in Missouri. Such a dominating victory by the conservative Santorum showed his appeal to Missouri's large blocs of evangelical and tea party supporters. "Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota," Santorum told cheering supporters outside St. Louis, Missouri, before the Colorado count had been completed. var currExpandable="expand113"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/co-caucus-romney-glitterbombed.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208050709-co-caucus-romney-glitterbombed-00002125-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand113Store=mObj; Secret Service thwarts 'glitter bomber' var currExpandable="expand213"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/ac-santorum-speech-analysis.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208043625-ac-santorum-speech-analysis-00014327-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand213Store=mObj; Analyst: Santorum speech not that good var currExpandable="expand313"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/piers-morgan-tim-pawlenty.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208043957-piers-morgan-tim-pawlenty-00002912-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand313Store=mObj; Tim Pawlenty on the MN caucus var currExpandable="expand413"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/exp-mn-caucus-paul-speech.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208041507-exp-mn-caucus-paul-speech-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand413Store=mObj; Paul touts second place finish in MN Wearing a presidential suit instead of his trademark sweater vest, Santorum boasted of his triumph over Romney, saying "we doubled him up" in both Missouri and Minnesota. He continued his criticism of Romney as a moderate who would be unable to defeat President Barack Obama in November. Santorum also unleashed a harsh assessment of Obama, engaging in a responsive exchange with the crowd that repeated how the president thinks he's smarter than the American people and tells them what to do instead of listening to them. In the GOP race, Santorum is competing with Gingrich for conservative support to try to slow the momentum of frontrunner Romney, who had won two straight contests and three of the five before Tuesday. His sweep of all three Tuesday contests bolstered Santorum's argument that he is the strongest conservative contender to challenge the more moderate Romney for the nomination and then Obama in the November election. "I don't stand here and claim to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney," Santorum declared. "I stand here to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama." In Denver, Romney congratulated Santorum for his good night before the Colorado result was known. Rather than continuing criticism of Santorum his campaign launched Monday, Romney sounded conciliatory in saying Republicans would unite behind the eventual nominee and that he expected to be that candidate. "We are going to stand united as a party to defeat Barack Obama and restore the values that make America the greatest country on Earth," Romney said. Perhaps in response to Santorum's success, Romney struck a populist note by telling the crowd how his father never graduated college but went on to head a business and become governor of Michigan. var currExpandable="expand122"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/politics-santorum-king-magic-wall.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208031901-politics-santorum-king-magic-wall-00010223-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand122Store=mObj; Santorum running strong in early results var currExpandable="expand222"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/exp-mn-prime-analysis-santorum-win.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208025352-exp-mn-prime-analysis-santorum-win-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand222Store=mObj; Santorum 'interrupts' Romney's march var currExpandable="expand322"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/ac-santorum-wins-mo-minnesota.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208035048-mo-santorum-victory-speech-2-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand322Store=mObj; Fleischer: Media will go after Santorum var currExpandable="expand422"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/07/piers-morgan-frank-rich.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120207023436-piers-morgan-frank-rich-00003312-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand422Store=mObj; 'GOP lacking sure bet for president' "For my dad, this was the land of opportunity," Romney said, later adding: "I refuse to believe America is just another place on earth with a map. We stand for freedom and hope and opportunity." Earlier, Romney's campaign spokesperson Andrea Saul responded to Santorum's Missouri victory by noting no delegates were at stake. Santorum had mounted the strongest campaign in the Show Me State. To Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chair from Florida, Tuesday's results showed an underlying weakness in Romney's candidacy. "What should have been a night where he began to consolidate Republican support instead has shown that Republicans are reluctant to get behind him," Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. "Republicans are giving the field of candidates another look, demonstrating that the more people get to know Mitt Romney, the less they like him. They know he'll say anything to get elected, and they don't want a candidate they can't trust." She also cited "the lack of enthusiasm and low turnout we're seeing in these contests," adding that "no candidate embodies that dissatisfaction more than Mitt Romney." Check up-to-the-minute numbers in Missouri In Missouri, a state official told CNN that the turnout would be "significantly lower than predicted." The secretary of state's office had estimated turnout would be 23%. Romney's campaign appeared to consider Colorado its best chance of victory Tuesday. He canceled stops in Minnesota scheduled for Monday to concentrate on Colorado, where he spent caucus night. Romney, who won big in the state's 2008 caucuses, has been working Colorado since last summer and arguably has the strongest structure in the state. However, his team tried to tamp down expectations Tuesday, releasing a memo acknowledging the possibility of a loss in one of the day's contests. "Of course, there is no way for any nominee to win first place in every single contest," wrote Romney's political director, Rich Beeson. "John McCain lost 19 states in 2008, and we expect our opponents to notch a few wins, too." Specifically, Romney's campaign signaled Monday that it considered Santorum as a major threat in Minnesota and Colorado. Look over the numbers in Minnesota var currExpandable="expand135"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/poll-candidates-vs-obama.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208125550-poll-candidates-vs-obama-00003222-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand135Store=mObj; Who would win if election were today? var currExpandable="expand235"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/mo-primary-white-house-santroum-win.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120207020717-obama-pac-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand235Store=mObj; White House reacts to Santorum win var currExpandable="expand335"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='bestoftv/2012/02/08/exp-jk-paul-keep-moving.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208122712-exp-jk-paul-keep-moving-00002001-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand335Store=mObj; Paul: We'll keep moving forward var currExpandable="expand435"; if(typeof CNN.expandableMap==='object'){CNN.expandableMap.push(currExpandable);} var mObj={}; mObj.type='video'; mObj.contentId=''; mObj.source='politics/2012/02/08/intv-ohio-gingrich-blitzer-nationwide-campaigning.cnn'; mObj.lgImage="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/120208021350-newt-gingrich-columbus-ohio-story-body.jpg"; mObj.lgImageX=300; mObj.lgImageY=169; mObj.origImageX="214"; mObj.origImageY="120"; mObj.contentType='video'; CNN.expElements.expand435Store=mObj; Gingrich: We're in the race all the way Santorum needed victories or an overall strong showing to prove the viability of his campaign. "I think we need to win in the sense that we need to perform very well," he told CNN's John King earlier Tuesday. "I think we're going to run ahead of Speaker Gingrich, at least, obviously (in) Missouri (where) he's not on the ballot. We feel very comfortable that we can run ahead of him in one and maybe both the other states, even potentially win one of those states." Paul, meanwhile, predicted his focus on the caucus states would yield results. He spent the past week stumping in Colorado and Minnesota and spent Tuesday night in Minnesota. "We're gonna win some delegates. Whether we come in one or two or three, I don't know exactly that," Paul said on CNN's "John King USA." "But we feel positive about moving along and picking up more delegates. We'll have to wait and see." Paul stressed his strength in the upcoming Maine caucuses on Saturday. "Nobody else is about to at this point jump ahead of Romney," Paul said. "But we think we're going to keep doing. We have a very good chance on what's happening up in Maine." Gingrich fared poorly Tuesday after getting a late start in Colorado and Minnesota and failing to get on the ballot in Missouri. The former speaker is looking ahead to Super Tuesday on March 6 in what he hopes will be friendlier territory in his native Georgia and other conservative states. As part of that strategy, Gingrich spent Tuesday night in Ohio, one of the Super Tuesday states. See the primary/caucus schedule In an interview with KOA Radio in Denver, Colorado, Gingrich said Romney's multimillion-dollar attack campaign against him has paved the way for Santorum to do well on Tuesday. "The guy who hasn't been attacked has gained some ground and has done a good job, worked very hard and so my prediction is when tonight's over between Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri, the whole race will be muddled and Romney's role as the frontrunner will be deeply discounted as compared to where it was a week ago," said Gingrich, speaking from Ohio. After weeks of bitter campaigning in Florida and Nevada, the candidates have focused most of their focus on Obama in recent days. Romney, Gingrich and Santorum criticized the president over the administration's new rules requiring all hospitals -- including those run by the Catholic church -- to provide workers health insurance that covers contraception, including sterilization, which the church opposes. Obama's re-election campaign has pushed back on Romney's criticism, pointing to his refusal when governor of Massachusetts to exempt Catholic hospitals from providing emergency contraception to rape victims. "Mitt Romney continues to show that he will do or say anything to get elected," Obama campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith said. "He is even attacking the president for providing women with the same access to contraception and preventive health care services that he did as governor of Massachusetts. And now, in an effort to pander to the most conservative parts of the Republican base, he has embraced the extreme personhood amendment, which would ban many forms of birth control, including birth control pills. "This sends a clear message to women across America," Smith added. "Mitt Romney can't be trusted and his hypocrisy knows no bounds." Gingrich also pounced on Romney's stance Tuesday, telling an Ohio crowd: "The fact is Governor Romney insisted that Catholic hospitals give out abortion pills against their religious belief when he was governor. So you have a very similar pattern again. Over and over you get the same pattern. And I think a Massachusetts moderate finds it very hard to draw a sharp contrast with someone who is an Illinois radical." Keep tabs on the delegate race Whether Paul, Gingrich, or Santorum will have the financial resources to compete with Romney over the long haul remains an open question. Obama's campaign, however, remains well-financed. In a major development for the general election, the president's re-election team encouraged donors Monday night to start raising money for a Democratic super PAC -- a reversal of his previous stance on the issue. Obama has been an outspoken critic of current campaign financing laws, most notably the 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allowed the creation of super PACs. Until now he has kept his distance from the Democratic group, Priorities USA Action, which has lagged behind its Republican counterparts in fundraising. "The president's views ... haven't changed," White House spokesman Jay Carney said Tuesday. "He strongly opposed" the Supreme Court ruling in 2010 and "holds those views today." But "the rules are what they are," Carney added. The president's campaign "cannot compete effectively if there are two sets of rules," and the Democrats "cannot unilaterally disarm." if(typeof CNN.expElements==='object'){CNN.expElements.init();} CNN's Jim Acosta, John Helton, Kevin Liptak, Rachel Streitfeld, Alan Silverleib, Jessica Yellin and Peter Hamby contributed to this report

Former senator's three-state victory stalls Romney 2012-02-07T23:16:00-08:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Undercover 999