Rick Santorum lasted longer in the GOP race than anyone predicted

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Analysis

Rick Santorum ended his campaign at least three months later than any pundit could have predicted at any point last year. He also ended it with having accomplished more than anyone would have imagined and he did so at a time putting family first. In other words, Rick Santorum went out on top.

He didn't drop out after failing to win a particular state, or have a top finish in another. And he left the race before having to drain his coffers and his energy trying to win his home state of Pennsylvania - while facing a multi-million barrage of negative ads being run against him.

From the pick-up truck to the Duggars to the sweater vest, Santorum made himself a household name, and in the process won 11 states. Only Newt Gingrich joined him in preventing Mitt Romney from sweeping the table, which some pundits thought was possible after Romney's narrow win in Iowa. That win was taken away and given to Santorum -- who had basically come out of nowhere, besides having visited all of the state's 99 counties, to finish a strong second on caucus night.

(Watch Santorum's full remarks today at left)

And Santorum proved to be the strongest conservative foil to Romney. It was Santorum who first jumped on the ill-spoken "Etch A Sketch" comment from a top Romney adviser and had press aides handing out the toy to reporters that afternoon.

"Folks, we don't need people who write their public policy on Etch A Sketches," Santorum said in one of his many pointed attacks on Romney.

Santorum rose in the campaign on his conviction - often winning voters who chose strong conservative values and a good moral character over the political attribute of being able to beat President Obama.

(At left, CBS News political director John Dickerson and CBS News national correspondent Chip Reid discuss what's next in the GOP race)

The former Pennsylvania senator turned his conservatism into a winning issue in the South, winning a handful of southern states. His narrow loses in key northern Midwestern states -- Michigan, Ohio and Illinois -- proved he was for real, but also showed how hard he had to fight to overcome the attack ads run by Romney and the outside super PAC backing him. And while Santorum himself got into hot water a few times, for saying that President Obama was a "snob" for wanting everyone to go to college, or for wanting to "throw up" after reading the John Kennedy speech on the separation of church and state - he kept his focus on his two opponents, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

As other candidates rose and fell, from Michele Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain to Newt Gingrich and Gingrich again, Santorum was there all along, plugging away - from Iowa to South Carolina to the South. His campaign didn't get a lot of attention for a while - but he kept at it and as he rose in the polls, he truly became the clear conservative alternative to Romney.

In Louisiana, as well as nearly everywhere else, Santorum really took it to Romney.

"We all knew that Governor Romney was going to run a completely different campaign and be a whole new candidate in the fall, now we have proof of it, when his own people are saying that that's what's going to happen. This is the kind of disingenuousness that we've seen from the Romney campaign, taking things that I've said, taking them completely out of context, clipping things, distorting things, because they have no core.

"They will say and do whatever they need to say to get elected, they will get in front of any group, whether it's in Puerto Rico or in this country and pander for votes and then of course expect that he will fundamentally change his position and do what's necessary to be able to win the general election.

"If that's what Republicans want, if that's the kind of candidate you want, Mitt Romney's your guy. If you want someone who is going to stand up and say this is what the problem is with this country, it's big government, it's a lack of freedom and opportunity, it's government control of your lives, and we need someone who is going to stand up there and fight for those things and believe in free people instead of big government then I'm your guy."

Santorum also served as a foil to Romney as the former Massachusetts governor tried to attack Mr. Obama's health care reform law even though it was modeled on his own Massachusetts plan.

"Health care is now the central issue in this race and he is uniquely disqualified to take on President Obama on this issue. We cannot have a candidate who is... who forfeits the issue of government control of your life and health to Barack Obama, and takes what is an overpowering positive theme for a republican presidential candidate and turn it into a negative that can be used against that candidate, he is the wrong candidate at the wrong time," Santorum said recently in Texas.

Besides the public attacks, Santorum's continued presence in the race provided a running narrative that true conservatives were loath to back Romney. Gary Bauer was one of the conservatives who backed Santorum and kept the split alive. The one-time candidate himself was succinct in praising Santorum today and explaining why Santorum was still a story so many months after he was basically an also ran.

"Senator Santorum ran an outstanding campaign. His success in state after state shocked the political pundits and beat the expectations," said Bauer.

Full CBS News coverage: Rick Santorum

39 Photos

Rick Santorum on the campaign trail

[jesse2159]

Now that Romney has the nomination locked up, he needs to unlock the secret he's been holding on how to trac back to the center without looking like a flip flopper. I doubt that will be easily undone, like unringing a bell.

[jesse2159]

Now that the obvious has hit this idiot in the head like a slughammer, perhaps he can revive his budding career as a televangelists to the religious right. It's better than humiliation defeat he was about to get in his home state as a failed politician and it sure has a nice tax free income. Actually, from what I can gather, he has no other jobs skills. I actually get sick looking at him and his pious family as they all nod their heads in agreement whenever he utters his silly, stupid remarks.

[jimatmadison]

Santorum was never a legitimate candidate. He was just the last notRomney left standing after all the rest of the clowns flamed out.

In 2008, the Dems had a good battle between two candidates that nearly everybody in the party liked. It was just a matter of which one you liked more.

This election, the GOP has had a series of candidates that, outside of a few supporters, nobody likes, nobody trusts, and nobody respects.

[jimatmadison]

Time to shake up Romney's Etch A Sketch.

Think he'll drag out the clips of him at Planned Parenthood meetings, or talking about how he's more liberal than Teddy Kennedy to show he's really not the nutcase Tea Partier he's be posing as for the last few months?

[tmittelstaed]

This guy is a loser not a winner.

[larhan31031]

To the one that said that RP cant get the nomination.If everyone that said he could'nt win voted for him this race would be over already,also Ron Paul is'nt far behind Robamney in Actual delegate count(fairly close to being tied check Lemonglobal.com,or Fox's Ben Swan page),the media wants Robamney to win so they can continue to get more of our sweet interest free bailouts at the taxpayers expence,so they need a crooked politician to do so.He already had about twice of what Santorum had,so dont be so hasty about saying someone has no chance...

[Tyl3rTrent]

Cast ye not your pearls before swine, my friend. We know all to well how electable Dr. Paul is. Just look at the situation with Warren Harding. He entered the convention in 1920 with only 6% of the popular vote. If you've been paying attention, our camp has about twice that. Just some food for thought. I, for one, am done seeking approval of the sheep and the swine.

[jimatmadison]

Oh, gawd. The Paulbots are still here?

[mjmc2]

When I read this quote, I feel Santorum secretly wants to endorse Ron Paul, the only one willing to say and do the principled, yet unpopular thing for the last 30 years. The only real alternative to Obama/Romney

"They will say and do whatever they need to say to get elected, they will get in front of any group, whether it's in Puerto Rico or in this country and pander for votes and then of course expect that he will fundamentally change his position and do what's necessary to be able to win the general election."

"If that's what Republicans want, if that's the kind of candidate you want, Mitt Romney's your guy."

[Tyl3rTrent]

The truth is beginning to rear its unpopular head, isn't it?

Ron Paul, 2012

[science-rules]

This guy was the scariest candidate that had any chance in years. You can disagree about tax policy and welfare etc. but this nut job thought GOD was telling him what to do. We dodged a huge bullet this time.

[jonsid55]

Poor Rick. He ran on a forum that might have been meaningful 10 years or more ago. All he had going for him was "family values", a series of social issues and nothing serious about the economy, foreign conflicts or the like. Social issues don't carry the same weight today as they did then. He spent all his energy trying to bring back the religious rhetoric of yesterday, thinking that most people care about that today. It would have taken one of his miracles to become the nominee and POTUS.

[BejSiavoshy]

If you judge it by how much TV discusses which candidate, no one stood a chance against Romney since Super Tuesday. Here is a graph showing how he blows his opponents out the water in how often each person is discussed on TV, from Boxfish.com : http://bxf.sh/IcsyjA