Newt staying in also acts as an “insurance policy” in case something unforseen causes Rick’s campaign to “tank.”
If both stay in, conservatives can cast a ballot for their favored candidate that isn’t Romney and deny him a coronation in Tampa.
I have been debating whether to switch to Santorum from Newt. I think these 2 points drive home my desire to support Newt full steam. Is a brokered convention a good thing? I don’t know. Would it lead to Obama being reelected? Possibly. Would Romney being President change anything? I say no.
No matter what permutations I run thru in my mind, I can't think of one where I believe that Newt staying in the race is a bad thing. By staying in Newt keeps the pressure on Romney to fight a dual front war and the more protracted the race becomes; the less viable the meme of Mitt's “inevitability” appears. That can only help Conservatives.
(According to news reports Mitt had a meeting w/his major financiers after losing Alabama and Mississippi because his campaign now feels they need another major cash infusion in order to win what they believe will be a long, drawn out campaign. I think cracks are already beginning to occur within Mitt's financial foundation.)
Because of 2/3rds of upcoming delegates coming from winner-take-all contests, we're more likely to get to a brokered convention (i.e. deny Mitt 1,144 delegates) with only one guy left in the race. Newt and Rick are currently causing a Bush/Perot style split in Illinois polls which is putting Romney in the lead. Since districts are winner-take-all there, he could walk away with all 69 delegates despite Rick and Newt's combined votes being higher than his.
The best thing you can do is vote for Rick in Missouri because Newt staying in is making it more likely Romney hits 1,144 delegates and we don't get to a brokered convention. Paradoxically, Newt needs to get out now so he can get back in later.