After winning three for three in last Tuesday's primary and caucuses, Rick Santorum has surged into the lead position in national polling, according to Public Policy Polling (PPP).
Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll. He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.
Whether this surge is lasting or simply a bounce that will level out remains to be seen, but the Tuesday wins should guarantee that Santorum has the campaign donations to be competitive up until at least Super Tuesday which is on March 6, 2012.
Sean Trende over at Real Clear Politics, who has been adamant that the GOP race would not conclude with a brokered convention is saying that now he sees a "viable path to a brokered convention is beginning to emerge," as he breaks down the demographic and geographic splits among candidates and details how it is possible that no one candidate will obtain the 1,144 delegates needed to to take the Republican nomination, before the 2012 GOP Convention August 27-30th, 2012, in Tampa, Florida.
For conservative voters unhappy with a possible Mitt Romney nomination, this is good news. Newt Gingrich has consistently said Romney cannot reach the delegates needed before convention and with Santorum's wins, the Anti-Romney crowds, and Gingrich's lead in Georgia and focusing on the Southern states, he may be right.
Romney cannot connect with conservatives, especially when they laugh at his calling himself "severely conservative."
Romney's previous record has shown he is more a tax and spend liberal hiding in Republican clothing.
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