Yes, it's a given that Santorum, a solid conservative, had a lot of detractors in a "blue" state like Pennsylvania, especially in a "Democratic" year like 2006.
As to who is playing "spoiler," perhaps it's Gingrich who is out to split the conservative vote and give Romney the nod.
Its not a GIVEN.. he didn’t lose PA, he was ROUTED, And I guarantee what you think you know about PA isn’t remotely accurate.
Santorum wasn’t tossed ny nearly 20 points because it was a democratic year, or he endorced spectre, or because his oponenet was named Casey.
Those are all nice trite sound bites for his camp to use, but they aren’t accurate, had Santorum lost by 5 or 7 points you could use those types of excuses, he didn’t he lost by 17!!! 17 points folks, to lose by nearly 3/4 of a Million Votes isn’t a culmination of a bad year for your part, a bad endorcment or an oponent with name recognition, its a FLAT OUT REJECTION OF YOU, FULLY and COMPLETELY. And you can keep dilluding yourself into thinking otherwise, but its absolutely not true.
Funny how this blue state sent santorum to Washington 2 times before as their Senator... yet somehow its the Blue States Fault??? Santorum is a milk toast folks, he lost in 06 because he was quite successfully painted as too radical and dangerous by his oponents, he had no answer for it, and wound up being routed. He also had undercut himself by alienating republican donors and support across the state through years of saying one thing and doing another. He’s a solid social conservative, of that I will give him, but he’s milk toast on most other areas.
I would like to be wrong about this, but I watched Santorum get crushed, mostly due to his own repeated misteps, and I don’t see any way this guy is going to be able to carry a national campaign.