THE SANTORUM CAMPAIGN DRAWS TO A CLOSE
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanSomewhat expected and yet disappointing to many supporters, Rick Santorum has dropped out of the GOP Presidential race.
There were many factors swaying him to make the final decision that he positively stands by. His young, 3-year-old daughter, Bella, suffers from a rare genetic disorder and he was at her side as she was admitted to the hospital last Friday. It was the second time that this has happened in the course of his campaign. Funding was another key issue. There is much that goes into making a campaign successful and it doesn’t stop. Trying to acquire supporters and votes can be draining financially, physically and mentally and it was beginning to take a toll. A glimmer of hope persisted as Santorum went on to gain votes and take the win in a handful of states. But as the Pennsylvania primaries draw closer, it appears that Mitt Romney may have been pulling out ahead and that certainly was discouraging to a man with so much conviction towards his home state.
As the campaign was suspended, Santorum called Romney personally to deliver the news. However, he is not done fighting. He will assist Romney with trying to secure a Republican win in November for the next four years.
Standing on the stage in Gettysburg, Pa. to make the announcement, his wife and four of his children stood by his side. Tears welled up in their eyes but Rick Santorum himself stood strong.
Now our focus will center on Mitt Romney although Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul have not given up the fight just yet.
Romney still needs to win the hearts of his party’s grass roots operations. At this point, they may turn away from the Presidential race and lean towards placing the Senate in GOP hands. Romney needs to try and reach out and appeal to the evangelical and female voters, an area where he seems to be weak at this point in time.
Analysts feel that it might be a crucial step to announce his Vice-Presidential running mate as soon as possible, perhaps as early as June. This can only help his efforts to take the win away from President Obama.
We are now in for a challenging two man race – Obama vs. Romney. And the battle begins!
PHOTO CREDITS: A/P and Getty Images
Comments are closed.