While the final official count is not yet in, aides to Rick Santorum told reporters on Wednesday that their own analysis shows it’s “highly likely” they will end up tying Mitt Romney in the delegate count despite losing the popular vote, with each candidate securing 15.
“The reason that’s so important is strategically we were targeting delegates more than anything else,” Santorum strategist Jon Brabender said on a conference call. “Based on those premises you can only look at Michigan and move it from a win for Romney to a tie race.”
Brabender said that given that Romney and his super PAC allies outspent Santorum and his own supporters about 2-to-1 and Romney’s hometown ties, the result is “certainly somewhat of a disaster for Mitt Romney.”
