Except that there is no Evangelical running, so logically they take the most expressly religious option that most closely matches their own. Does noone remember 2008 and Mike Huckabee? Certain individuals obviously will vote along their policy beliefs, however, as a large voting block, evangelicals tend to vote for the religious choice. To then come out and complain that Mormons vote for a Mormon is very ironic in my objective opinion, given that I am not Mormon, nor Protestant, nor Catholic nor supporting Romney nor Santorum. I find the whole thing very humorous, like a bunch of kettles in a circle.
Obviously Santorum is playing the Huckabee of 2012. He’s weaker in some areas, stronger in others (electorally speaking), but in large measure, Huckabee’s strongest supporters are now Santorum’s strongest supporters.
What you have to consider with Evangelicals is that our policy beliefs are strongly influenced by our religious beliefs. That’s why Evangelicals vote as a bloc for the most part. Trying to put up a bifurcation between “religion” and “politics” in the way many do simply does not make sense in the majority of Evangelical minds. It’s not because they have an additional “religion test” that candidates must pass. We vote for Santorum, not on religious grounds, but on policy grounds. Huckabee got the vote on policy grounds as well, he just had the added benefit of being a Baptist pastor at one point.