Rick Santorum's supporters are probably dismayed, and understandably so, at the repetition of a particular pattern: When Mitt Romney wins a race during this Republican presidential primary season, even if narrowly, it is reported as a big deal, a significant achievement. When Rick Santorum wins, even if by a wide margin, as this past Saturday, it is barely discussed, not taken very seriously by the media or by most pundits as a measure of the man's electability or importance.
But there's the problem with that superficial view.
Of Santorum's 11 wins so far, only five have been in binding primary elections. His other victories have all been in caucuses and Missouri's strange non-binding primary.
Like it or not, caucuses are viewed as less representative of how voters actually feel, and how a general election will play out. Five of Santorum's wins are considered important from that standpoint, despite a valid argument being available to suggest that caucus wins suggest stronger intensity for a candidate.
Read more: http://spectator.org/archives/2012/03/26/santorums-sagging-significance
But there's the problem with that superficial view.
Of Santorum's 11 wins so far, only five have been in binding primary elections. His other victories have all been in caucuses and Missouri's strange non-binding primary.
Like it or not, caucuses are viewed as less representative of how voters actually feel, and how a general election will play out. Five of Santorum's wins are considered important from that standpoint, despite a valid argument being available to suggest that caucus wins suggest stronger intensity for a candidate.
Read more: http://spectator.org/archives/2012/03/26/santorums-sagging-significance
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