Consult the soothsayers again, and rewrite the forecasts: the race for the Republican nomination has taken yet another turn. No-one much talked about Rick Santorum after he was retroactively awarded victory in January’s Iowa caucus, as most pundits’ attention had already moved on to Romney and Gingrich. But last night this disregarded politician triumphed in all three votes: the caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota, and a primary in Missouri. The Colorado victory was a particular shock, given how easily Romney won there in 2008.
Team Romney might be tempted to dismiss last night’s results, not least because the Missouri primary is ‘non-binding’ (the awarding of delegates will be determined at conventions later this year) and because of the overwhelming financial firepower their man can bring to bear on the next round of votes, including ‘Super Tuesday’ on 6 March.
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