If Santorum stays in GOP race, Ron Paul benefits

I support Ron Paul and have done everything in my power to help his campaign. However, I want Rick Santorum to stay in the GOP presidential nomination race for as long as possible.

Let’s be real: Santorum has absolutely no chance of winning the GOP nomination. According to RealClearPolitics, he is polling at around 16% nationally and he has not done notably well in any states since Iowa. Most Ron Paul supporters claim that they can’t wait for Santorum to drop out of the race. Fewer candidates competing against Paul means that he has a better shot at the nomination, right? Not exactly. In fact, if Santorum does decide to stay in this race after Florida, it may be the best news the Paul campaign has had in weeks.

You see, Rick Santorum and Ron Paul have very different followers. Santorum’s followers are largely “establishment Republicans” who are pro-war social conservatives. Most of these folks will never go for Paul if Santorum were to drop out of the race; Paul’s anti-drug war and anti-intervention foreign policy ideas are particularly frightening to them. If Santorum drops out after Florida, nearly all of his votes will go directly to Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. It is in Ron Paul’s best interest to have Santorum, who has no chance at winning anyways, stay in the race and take votes away from the two current frontrunners. Santorum, Gingrich, and Romney all represent the establishment Republican party. Paul does not. And frankly, I would rather have the establishment Republican vote split three ways against Paul than have them all align with one candidate against him.

Ron Paul Revolution design
Image via Wikipedia

5 thoughts on “If Santorum stays in GOP race, Ron Paul benefits

  1. Buster T. says:

    Santorum is hanging in there, because if anything were to happen to Mitt (heart attack, huge blunder, scandal, etc) Santorum would likely become the new front runner among the Republican establishment. I hope Ron Paul kicks butt in Nevada! I love that man!!!

  2. keimh3regpeh2umeg says:

    No kidding. If that Neocon drops out, his support goes straight to Gingrich or Romney. there will be a few principled conservatives that say no to those two and settle, reluctantly, for Paul.

Comments are closed.