WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rick Santorum is looking to capitalize on a string of stunning victories that has snapped his four-state losing streak and raised new questions about front-runner Mitt Romney’s clout with conservatives.
Romney is shrugging off his poor showing, but his losses in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado have laid bare his stubborn weakness just when it looked as if his party was beginning to embrace him.
Bringing up the rear of the Santorum surge: Newt Gingrich. The former House speaker mostly skipped the contests and finished at or near the back of the pack in all three states.
Santorum is casting the results as a victory for a purer form of conservatism. He says his message is heard more clearly by voters without the deafening TV ad war Romney has dominated.
