Like Ed Morrissey, who endorsed Santorum over the weekeend, Quin Hillyer senses a “slow-mo surge”:
[B]ehold Rasmussen’s newest, which shows Rick Santorum as the only Republican to beat Obama head to head. This is the latest in a week-long series of polls, from pollsters left, right and center, showing Santorum doing better against Romney than Gingrich or Paul, or better against Obama than Gingrich or Paul and either better or about even with Romney when matched against Obama — or, having a significantly better favorable-to-unfavorable ratio (this IS a significant poll number this far out, unlike a horse-race match-up) than anybody in the GOP field.
The problem is that Santorum isn’t electable, though he is the only candidate other than Paul to even acknowledge voters who aren’t Republicans. Jim Geraghty adds:
If Rick Santorum surges in the the next few states (Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri’s nonbinding “beauty pageant” where Newt Gingrich will not appear on the ballot), it’s not that unthinkable that he could end up the premiere challenger to Romney. It’s a surprising thought, because since Iowa, Santorum has finished fourth, third, third and fourth. But for whatever it’s worth, Public Policy Polling has Santorum leading Romney slightly in Minnesota and eight percentage points ahead of Gingrich in Colorado for second place. And Romney isn’t competing in Missouri, dismissing the value of a nonbinding contest that amounts to a poll (albeit one that will cost the state $7 million to administer).
Via The Daily Dish.