“to say he is ending his presidential campaign, Yahoo News has learned.
Santorum is scheduled to make an announcement at a press conference in Gettysburg, Pa., at 2 p.m. ET.” (Via Drudge.)
UPDATE: Calling Santorum’s concession speech “lovely” and “gracious”, Ed Morrissey blogged that the former Senator “made Mitt Romney work for the nomination“. He did do that. By becoming the voice of rank-and-file conservatives, longing for a clear expression of conservative principles, he did help the now-presumptive Republican nominee articulate a message in tune with the small government/pro-free enterprise ideals which have animated the GOP for, at least, the last 32 years.
UP-UPDATE: Jennifer Rubin offers a good post-mortem on the Santorum campaign, noting both the former Senator’s strengths as well as his weaknesses. “That”, she blogs, “he never mentioned Mitt Romney by name or offered congratulations is, well, sadly reflective of a smallness that he revealed from time to time.”
She added:
As is his habit, he spoke without notes and for too long, but this, after all, was his swan song. He talked about Iowa and his family values pitch and sweater vests and manufacturing. But he was not bitter nor angry, and that’s important for his future, if he has one in the party. Despite his sometimes vicious attacks on Mitt Romney, he insisted he ran a positive campaign. Better to recall the positive.
. . . .
Why didn’t he win it? Well, the real question may be how he did so well with virtually no name recognition or money or support at the get go. In part, he won by working his devoted base in Iowa and waiting for others to drop out until he was the the receptacle for the not-Romney voices in the party.
But ultimately his lack of organization, executive prowess (needed to organize a national campaign) and inability to stay on a blue-collar economic message doomed him. He is eloquent but excessively combative. He is well read but condescending toward fellow Americans. He was ultimately his own worst enemy.
An amazing sprint that ran on grit and determination. From my perspective, a campaign with very little chance from the beginning made the goliath sit up and take notice.
I suspect Santorum to fade into the background from whence he emerged.
Would that Romney could somehow understand how to connect with conservatives in some principled manner.
1 – “Would that Romney could somehow understand how to connect with conservatives in some principled manner.”
Not going to happen. The establishment republicans will pretend conservatives don’t exist rather than try to “connect”/”make the sale”. The establishment republicans are already calling for democrat light health care and are making those sounds of agreeing that taxes need to be raised on the “wealthy” to satisfy the moderate independents.
I am glad to see Santorum came to his senses and made the move that was expected. It was right to make this call and call it a day.
Now Romney can use his money to go after Obama instead of against fellow Republicans.
I heard parts of his concession speech, and he seems very bitter and ungrateful. He never mentioned Romney or Obamacare. His whininess and petulance will hopefully derail any chance that he will EVER get the GOP nod in future presidential primaries. This man is toxic, way too far right on social issues, too much for manufacturing at the expense of all other companies. If he gets the nod one day, look for a 57-43% loss.
I say good riddance to this childish, churlish, and undisciplined man.
Is that a cheshire cat grin you’re wearing today, davinci?
Yeah, right. That’ll happen.
So, now that Republicans have, for the second time in a row, chosen a moderate as their candidate; can we inter the meme that there are no moderates in the Republican party?
Meh.
Glad to see him finally out, although what’s left ain’t exactly a pretty sight…
Still, while I strongly opposed Santorum politically I wish him well in his private life (especially with his lil’ girl).
Now that Santorum’s out of the race Dan decides to speak well of him. Figures.
I am not a Romney shill as others have intimated. He was my third choice, so now I am left with a so-so candidate.
So-so Romney may be, but he’s better than he was at the outset of this campaign.
If it was up to me, I’d have had Gingrich drop out so Santorum would have a better chance of challenging Romney, but there’s so much bad blood between the Romney and Newt organizations that I doubt that would ever have happened.