The North Mobile Post

    Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum won the Louisiana Primary on Saturday night. The win adds yet another southern state to Santorum’s growing collection of wins. Santorum won Tennesse on Super Tuesday, and picked up wins in Mississippi and Alabama on March 13. He still trails front runner Mitt Romney in the overall delegate count.

    Romney failed to seriously challenge Santorum in Louisiana despite winning a few primaries since Santorum’s last wins in the South. Romney picked up wins in Hawaii, Illinois, and Puerto Rico since Santorum took Alabama and Mississippi. Tonight’s primary shows that Romney has still not convinced southern conservatives that he is the right candidate for them.

    The next state up for grabs is Wisconsin. Pundits are saying this could be make or break for Santorum. If he wins that state he might have a chance at preventing Romney from reaching 1,144 delegates, the number needed to clinch the nomination. If that happens there will be a brokered convention, where anything is possible. Santorum has narrowly lost the previous big mid-western contests in Ohio and Michigan. If Santorum loses Wisconsin, the math may be to great for him to overcome.

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    The four remaining candidates for the GOP nomination took to the stage last night in yet another debate. The two front runners, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, sparred over health care and government bailouts. Santorum hit Romney for setting up a health care system in Massachusetts that is similar to the health care law President Obama signed into law in 2010. He also accused the former governor of supporting the bailout of Wall Street. Romney hit back at Santorum for supporting former Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter. Specter later went on to switch parties and voted for Obamacare.

    The Republican primary season is about to heat up in the coming weeks. This coming Tuesday there will be primaries in Arizona and Michigan. On March 6 Super Tuesday occurs, which is ten primaries in one day. The candidates were all in need of good press as all four are currently losing in the polls to President Obama. Voters are now more optimistic about the state of the economy and the direction of the country.

    Mitt Romney has long been the front runner in the campaign, but he has struggled to seal the deal. Several candidates have risen to challenge him for the top spot, including Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich. Rick Santorum is the latest to rise to the top with recent wins in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado. Santorum is known more as a social conservative while Romney is known for his corporate experience. Romney is currently leading comfortably in Arizona, but faces a stiff challenge from Santorum in Michigan.

    Alabama’s Republican primary is scheduled for March 13 along with Mississippi and Hawaii. The latest polls show a very tight race in Alabama. The Capital Survey Research Center in Montgomery had Romney leading with 27% of the vote in a survey conducted February 6-8. Santorum followed with 23% and Gingrich was right behind with 22%. Ron Paul came in last with 7%. Alabama has followed the national pattern of consistently changing front runners.

    The winner of the Republican nomination will likely not be of great significance in the fall. The 2012 presidential election is going to be a referendum on President Obama. If the economy continues to improve in the coming months the president will likely get reelected. If the economy falters and gas prices continue to rise he will likely lose. A key number to look at is the unemployment rate. If unemployment drops below 8% then President Obama is almost assured of winning the election.

    Who is your candidate of choice to run against President Obama? Leave a comment and vote in our poll to let us know what you think.

    Denny Hamlin picked up his first win of the year Sunday at Michigan in the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400. Hamlin won 8 races last year and contended for the cup title, but was struggling this year. He jumped from 12th to 9th in the standings with the win. Matt Kenseth came in second, and Kyle Busch, Hamlin’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, came in third.

    There was a bit of controversy on the Friday before the race. Hamlin, Busch and Joey Logano were told to change their oil pans because they were not submitted for approval by inspection time. The team could be looking at penalties later this week.

    Leroy Fick of Michigan struck it rich last June by winning $2 million on the “Make Me Rich!” state lottery show. Despite his good fortune and new found wealth Fick has continued to collect food stamps. A loop hole in federal law actually makes the situation legal. The ability to get food stamps is based on your income. Lottery winnings are considered liquid assets and are not counted as income. Officials at DHS said they are looking to close the loop hole.