Romney still can’t seal the deal

Poor old Mitt Romney. He just can’t win. Every time it looks as if he’s finally closing in on the Republican nomination, he slips again. Rick Santorum triumphed yesterday in the ‘dixie primary’, winning in Mississippi and Alabama. Romney finished third in both states. He wasn’t expected to win in the south, admittedly, but the extent of his defeat will trouble his campaign team.

Yesterday’s win was doubly good news for Santorum because he looks to have seen off Newt Gingrich, the other ‘authentic’ conservative. If Gingrich accepts defeat and pulls out — most right-wingers are now begging him to — Santorum should be able to mop up most of his support and pose a real threat to Romney in the run in to the Republican convention.

For his part, Mitt is turning a bit sour. Responding to Gingrich’s taunts last night, he said. ‘If I’m such a weak frontrunner, what does that make Newt Gingrich?’ Fair point.