The Fate of Rick Santorum’s Delegates

ABC News ^ | 4/10/2012 | Chris Good

[Taiowa]

Now that Rick Santorum is out of the race, what happens to his delegates? Santorum has 285 delegates, according to the latest ABC News delegate estimate, second to Mitt Romney’s 661...

...But some of those delegates were never really “his.” ABC estimates that 78 Santorum delegates, from his wins in states that don’t “award” their delegates – Iowa, Colorado, Minnesota, and North Dakota, would have been free to support any candidate at the Republican National Convention in Tampa...

Another two of Santorum’s delegates were Republican National Committee superdelegates, who will attend the convention by virtue of their positions in the party, and are also free to support whomever they choose in Tampa.

[order66.exe]

I still can’t understand this logic. Instead of supporting Gingrich, the conservative, I’m supposed to side with the union-snuggler to stop Romney? Why don’t we all just support the conservative?

Rudy Giuliani is pretty good on fiscal matters and foreign policy, but is horrible on social issues. Most conservatives agree that Rudy would be as unacceptable to us as Romney. So why is Rick Santorum, who is pretty good on social issues and foreign policy, but is horrible on fiscal matters, supposed to be acceptable to us?

Conservatives should not be called upon to betray our friends and allied constituencies. We shouldn’t be stabbing SoCons in the back, we shouldn’t be stabbing the Club for Growth guys in the back, and we shouldn’t be stabbing the foreign policy conservatives in the back. Everything is important, and compromising is what’s splitting conservatives. We shouldn’t be ranking issues! It’s not unreasonable to expect someone to be acceptably conservative on everything.

We stop RINOs when we stop fighting each other. And picking divisive candidates that isolate chunks of conservatives is responsible for the in-fighting - not failing to rally around a partial conservative to stop the RINO.

Knock this nonsense off.

[Taiowa]

I think the underlying issue in Florida was that Florida already lost half of its votes because they moved the primary up.

What the Florida GOP should have done is change to a WTA at the same time they moved it up, but they didn’t do it. Hindsight is 20/20

[Churchillspirit]

Welcome to Free Republic.

[HANG THE EXPENSE]

So,so true.

[balls]

“Anybody who supports Romney in ... the general election will be surrendering their conservative credentials once and for all.”

Evidently, you would rather 0 win four more years and stack the SCOTUS. What a dumb f**k you are!

[af_vet_rr]

Evidently, you would rather 0 win four more years and stack the SCOTUS. What a dumb f**k you are!

Jim Robinson isn't going to vote for Romney. Do you think he's a "dumb f**k" as well?

And based on Romney's actual record as Governor, not what he says during campaigning, but what he's actually done, I have every reason to believe that Romney would nominate liberal/moderate justices as well.

[af_vet_rr]

I’ll be shocked if Santorum supports Gingrich. Like you said though, he can’t maintain his conservative credibility if he backs Romney so that means he has to write off any future Presidential election campaigns if he backs Romney which means Romney will have to give him the VP spot to get his support. That’s probably been the plan ever since Florida.

Santorum says he's pro-life. If he is, he won't support Romney. No pro-lifer would ever support somebody with Romney's actual record.

[Jim Robinson]

Look, if you want to be a surrender monkey who kisses the asses of the GOP-e who purposely destroyed all of our conservative tea party candidates to advance their abortionist/socialist liberal be my guest. But I suggest you promote your liberal jackass elsewhere and lay off the insults to principled conservatives while here. Keep it up like you are and there will be a zot in your future.

[hocndoc]

af vet rr said, “Santorum says he’s pro-life. If he is, he won’t support Romney. No pro-lifer would ever support somebody with Romney’s actual record.”

So, a one man/one woman pro-marriage advocate can’t support Gingrich?

Let the first one who has never had a change of heart throw the first stone.

[katiedidit1]

The earlier election meant nothing in MO and NO delegates were awarded.

The caucus was a mess "Missouri’s 52 delegates are not yet included in that tally. That’s because the local caucuses that occurred this past weekend — as well as others scheduled for Saturday in Jackson County and St. Louis — did not bind delegates to particular presidential candidates. Rather, the county and township caucuses are choosing 2,123 people to advance to regional Republican conventions April 21 and a state party convention June 2. Springfield News-Leader

[katiedidit1]

Newt’s money was paid in Utah. It is not uncommon when a staffer moves or quits to close the account and remove their access. The issue has been resolved.
How hard is it for YOU to grasp the simple fact that NOONE gained any delegates from the early beauty contest primary in MO..that is NOT the way they select their delegates.
PS...are you aware that Santorum failed to register in several districts in Illinois and also in his home state of Virginia? there were other areas he did not get on the ballot..it wasn’t just Newt.

[magritte]

I don’t give a rats ass about a loser like Santorum. I was just giving my assessment based on the people I’ve talked to here in MO. Newt’s DOA here.

[balls]

Jim,

I Newt can get the nomination, great. But I don’t see anything principled about handing 0 another four years by not voting in the General I would vote for any repub to beat 0.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Dude
get the concept
RS did not release his delegates, so his bound delegates are still bound!

the delegates that are not bound: they will vote for whomever the hell they want to!

if he releases the bound delegates, they also will vote for whomever the hell they want to!

[campaignPete R-CT]

the MO caucuses on March 24 WERE NOT A BEAUTY CONTEST!!

The precinct delegates elected that day who support Santorum (which is probably over 40% of the delegates) ... will almost all support somebody else on 4/21.

very simple, but apparently confusing for some.

[Jim Robinson]

How you vote is your business, but if you continue posting like you are with profanity or insults and or attacking our conservative posters while pushing an abortionist liberal on this pro-life conservative site and you will no longer be welcome here. Read and heed my advice.

[katiedidit1]

I live in MO. Our election was a mess. The first election cost the taxpayers 7 million dollars and nothing was accomplished. We had another election on local issues a few weeks later and the caucus and now on the 21st they move on the delegates.
The states and the RNC need to get their act together not just in Missouri but nationwide. Look at what happened in Florida and Virginia

[katiedidit1]

Not confusing at all as far as the primary of non binding delegates went. It was a meaningless mess.

[magritte]

Our Primary was a huge waste of time. No reason in the world for it to be this way. Caucuses are a joke as well. Next time, let’s hope for just a straight vote and assign delegates by district or county or something. A total embarrassment.

[katiedidit1]

I agree with you magritte. Here is an article that explains what happened in MO. It even involved a dispute with our democrat Governor Nixon. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/02/why-missouri-is-holding-a-meaningless-primary/ The state party, meanwhile, didn’t even want the primary to happen. That’s because today’s vote won’t be the main event: Missouri will hold caucuses on March 17, where voters will begin the process of selecting and allocating delegates. Today’s primary is a vestige of state law that Missouri’s GOP-controlled legislature failed to change. State Sen. Engler noted that holding today’s primary will cost the state $7 million, according to the secretary of state’s office. “We’re cutting $500 million out of the budget, and we’re going to fire 4,000 workers,” Engler said of his colleagues’ opposition. “They knew we were wasting money.” But Democrats will hold their presidential primary today, too, and doing away with the primary entirely could have forced them to adopt a caucus system. All of Missouri’s eight Democratic senators voted against the bill; so did eight of its 26 Republicans. Missouri’s Republican lietenant governor, who casts the tie-breaking vote in the state senate, was not present. And here we are today, with Missouri holding a delegate-less primary, critics crying foul over the expense, and Santorum angling for a notch in the “W” column that could make his Tuesday night a bit more successful.