If losing something along the way invalidated a candidacy, there’d be darned few left from which to choose!
What was the margin of defeat, vs. the probable margin of fraud?
Santorum lost his seat by 18 points to Bob Casey. Not much of a calling card for seeking higher office. He would have done his state and the nation more good by seeking a rematch with Casey. Had he prevailed against Casey in a rematch, he may have then had a premise for seeking higher office. Instead, he engaged in a futile effort for higher office that ended up gumming up the GOP nominating process.