Rick Santorum holds his conservative principles deeply, he's a warrior, and he lost.
There are many reasons why Santorum lost. I don't think he deserved to lose but he did and it's not because of his conservative principles.
1. The GOP ran a non-candidate for Gov against Rendell.
Most people in PA didn't even know who Swann was and what office he was running for.
Philly pulled out the vote for their homeboy Rendell and those votes carried over for Casey too.
2. Casey ran as a conservative pro-life/pro-gun candidate.
To be truthful most people here in PA probably thinks he's the former Governor Casey with no idea that he died. He really was conservative and when Pennsylvanians hear the name Casey that's what they think of.
3. The RNC should have never had Santorum endorse Spector.
That really turned off a lot of the voters in PA. Even the ones who are not politically active.
I'm hoping by the time 2010 rolls around PA will be ready to swing back to the Republicans. I also hope that Santorum doesn't go away for ever. Still this election loss was not a repudiation of conservatism and I sorely wish folks on FR would stop trying to cast it in that light.