Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum’s string of successes continues to grow. The former Pennsylvania Senator defeated former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in an American Research Group poll of likely voters in the Tennessee Republican primary Friday.
Mr. Santorum pulled in 34 percent of the votes in the Volunteer State. Mr. Romney garnered 27 percent of the votes and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich earned 16 percent of the votes. Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) grabbed 13 percent of the votes.
Mr. Santorum has become the talk of the Republican Party after pulling off a hat trick Tuesday night. The Pennsylvania Republican took first place in the Missouri Republican primary and the Minnesota Republican caucuses. He also bested Mr. Romney in the Colorado Republican caucuses.
During the 2008 presidential race Mr. Romney campaigned as the conservative alternative to Senator John McCain (R-AZ), but the tides have turned in the 2012 presidential race. Mr. Santorum, who is winning support among Republican voters as the conservative alternative to Mr. Romney, surprised political pundits by winning the Iowa Republican caucuses in January.
“Conservatism did not fail our country, conservatives failed conservatism, we lost heart,” Mr. Santorum told an enthusiastic crowd at CPAC 2012 Friday. “We will no longer abandon policies and principles that made this country great, for a hollow victory in November,” Mr. Santorum added.
Although Mr. Santorum is a favorite among Republican voters in Tennessee with 36 percent of the votes, Mr. Paul leads the GOP pack among Independents with 31 percent of the votes.
While Mr. Paul and Mr. Romney have better fundraising bases than Mr. Santorum, the Pennsylvania Republican’s recent victories will help funnel money his way.
In less than three weeks, Mr. Santorum and the rest of the Republican field will be battling for delegates in Arizona and Michigan.
