My comments on Politico's The Arena question of the day

Politico's The Arena

Rick Santorum is back with a bang after winning both Minnesota and Missouri by healthy margins last night. He is currently in a dead heat with Mitt Romney in Colorado, according to recent results.
Is Santorum’s success a sign that the GOP base is not ready to embrace its national frontrunner? Should Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich be worried about serious competition from Santorum?



While last night was a disappointment for Romney and a big boost for Santorum, it was a blow for Newt. This makes it harder for Newt to make it a two man race, because these wins not only give Santorum hope, but they probably help his fundraising.
I know Romney would have liked to win, but it may be a blessing in disguise. Newt seems to be staying in till the end, and as long as Romney has two opponents splitting his opposition he will continue to pick up delegates.
Unless these wins can bring a huge influx of cash into the Santorum campaign I do not think they propel him to victory over Romney. Again, it shows Romney's weakness with the base, but this only makes him a better general election candidate. The margin of victory for Santorum in very concerning, but I still don't believe Santorum is ready to pull away and take the nomination from Romney. The bigger question is how last night’s results effect Newt.