Santorum swept all three contests Tuesday. Here are ten things you need to know today.
- Santorum upsets Romney, wins Colorado: Rick Santorum not only won in Missouri and Minnesota where polls showed him ahead, but he won in Colorado as well. In Colorado, Santorum took 40.3%, Mitt Romney took 34.9%. Newt Gingrich beat Ron Paul by a point, 12.8% to 11.8%. In 2008, Romney won the Colorado caucuses with 60% of the vote, followed by McCain at 18%, Mike Huckabee 13%, and Ron Paul 9%.
- Santorum is about to feel full force of Romney machine: On Tuesday, a Romney senior staffer said what is already obvious: Romney will ramp up his attacks on Santorum. Stuart Stevens, a senior Romney advisor, said that Romney would begin to focus more aggressively on his opponent on the campaign trail.
- Ron Paul beat Romney in Minnesota: Mitt Romney’s bad night was punctuated by the fact that he took third place in Minnesota, with 17% to Ron Paul’s 27%. Paul’s next big test is Maine, where he has invested more time than any other candidate. Those results from their week-long caucuses will be announced Saturday.
- The candidates pile on Prop 8 decision: After the 9th Circuit Appeals Court ruled California’s Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage, was was unconstitutional, Romney and Gingrich decried the ruling as a “radical takeover.” Romney said unelected judges invalidated the will of the people.
- New poll shows buyers’ remorse in Ohio: A survey from Public Policy Polling shows that Ohio Gov. and anti-union crusader John Kasich is deeply unpopular in his state. In a hypothetical rematch with Gov. Ted Strickland, he would lose by 20 points.
- Democrats pour salt on Romney’s wounds: DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz commented on Romney’s losses Tuesday: “Tonight was a bad night for Mitt Romney, plain and simple. What should have been a night where he began to consolidate Republican support instead has shown that Republicans are reluctant to get behind him.”
- Republican contests characterized by low turnout: In each contest, turnout is lower than it was in 2008. On Twitter, comments flew about the thousands of voters who came out in 2008 and stayed home in 2012. Democrats are eager to paint this as showing a lack of enthusiasm; the DNC chair saying: “In state after state, turnout among Republican voters is lower than it was in 2008, and they are increasingly dissatisfied with their choice of candidates.”
- Rep. Becerra critiques Romney’s embrace of Pete Wilson: Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-IL) issued a statement on the Romney campaign’s embrace of former California governor Pete Wilson, who is very unpopular among Latino voters: “The announcement that former Governor Pete Wilson endorsed Mitt Romney for President and will serve as an honorary co-chair of his campaign in California seals the deal: Mitt Romney is locked into his far-right positions and would be the most extreme presidential nominee of our time on immigration.”
- First In The TPM Tip Sheet — EMILY’s List endorses 3 more women in House races: EMILY’s List is announcing that it will support 3 more women candidates for Congress, bringing the total in House races to 19 as well as a record number 11 Senate candidates. Candidates Kyrsten Sinema, Lori Saldaña, and Kathy Boockvar are now “On the List” — meaning they have access to EMILY’s List’s base of supporters in the early stages of their campaigns.
- Candidates have a light schedule after contests: Gingrich is holding one event in Cleveland, Ohio while Romney heads to Atlanta, Georgia, for an event and a fundraiser. Santorum moves South to Texas to campaign.
