Put another way:
Santorum lost his last reelection badly:
* In a state that leans Democrat
* To a pro-life moderate (supposedly)
* To the scion and namesake of the sainted Ex-Gov Bob Casey
* In a landslide Democrat year
Casey would have beaten any Republican candidate in any political environment. The race was over the minute the Dem machine let him run. The only question was the margin, and it was a bloodbath across the country.
Rick has lost fewer elections than Richard Nixon had lost.