# Santorum has dropped out of the race **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 10, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391 "2012-04-10T18:04:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/1 "2012-04-10T18:04:51Z")
[Santorum is out.](https://plus.google.com/108404515213153345305/posts) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/2 "2012-04-10T18:11:55Z")
He’s bowing to the inevitable anyway, but I hope this isn’t because his daughter’s health is getting worse. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/3 "2012-04-10T18:13:53Z")
It was already over; this is just making it official. ---
**Author:** ![mkecane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9e8a1a/32.png) [@mkecane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkecane)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/4 "2012-04-10T18:21:48Z")
Come on, Newt! Make a late charge! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/5 "2012-04-10T18:23:05Z")
> [@mkecane](#): > > Come on, Newt! Make a late charge! …said the jewelry clerk at Tiffany. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/6 "2012-04-10T18:29:32Z")
I wish the best for his daughter but even if she was 100% well, he had no chance for weeks. Looks like the Romney campaign’s new slogan “Looks like you’re stuck with me” has finally paid off. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/7 "2012-04-10T18:30:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > He’s bowing to the inevitable anyway, but I hope this isn’t because his daughter’s health is getting worse. Could be that. Or could be because he’s about to lose in his home state, which would severely hurt his future political career. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/8 "2012-04-10T18:34:59Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Or could be because he’s about to lose in his home state, which would severely hurt his future political career. His what? Pennsylvania voters threw him out on his ass six years ago and he hasn’t been elected to anything since. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/9 "2012-04-10T18:43:08Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > His what? Pennsylvania voters threw him out on his ass six years ago and he hasn’t been elected to anything since. You beat me to it. 🙂 By not extending the race any further, Santorum has probably garnered himself a wingnut-welfare sinecure at some right-wing think tank. That’s about as much of a political future as he’s got. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/10 "2012-04-10T18:44:05Z")
“Oh, _ **now** _ he believes in pulling out…” says Mrs. Santorum. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/11 "2012-04-10T18:49:44Z")
To play devil’s advocate- the Republicans nearly always nominate the guy whose turn it is- Reagan in 1980, Bush in 1988, Dole in 1996, Bush breaks the pattern in 2000, McCain in 2008, and Romney in 2012. I think Santorum has as much claim as anyone to say it’s his turn in 2016 should Romney lose this year. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/12 "2012-04-10T18:52:25Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > His what? Pennsylvania voters threw him out on his ass six years ago and he hasn’t been elected to anything since. Hm. Good point. All things considered the Santorum campaign has to be seen as a monumental success (and a testament to just how much evangelicals dislike Mitt Romney). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/13 "2012-04-10T18:56:35Z")
Interesting point I hear people mentioning: Santorum said nothing about Romney in his speech. He said he’s done, but didn’t bring up Romney’s name, let alone endorsing him or saying the party needs to get behind him. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > the Republicans nearly always nominate the guy whose turn it is They really don’t. The idea that it was 72-year-old Bob Dole’s “turn” in 1996 because he was with Gerald Ford in 1976 is pretty ridiculous, and what happened to Mike Huckabee this year? (It _was_ Bush’s turn since he was the VP for a pretty popular two-term president.) > [@](#): > > I think Santorum has as much claim as anyone to say it’s his turn in 2016 should Romney lose this year. He’s not getting nominated in 2016. He came in a very distant second in a terrible primary cycle. If Romney loses, the nominee will be one of the people who sat this year out. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/14 "2012-04-10T19:02:01Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > They really don’t. The idea that it was 72-year-old Bob Dole’s “turn” in 1996 because he was with Gerald Ford in 1976 is pretty ridiculous, and what happened to Mike Huckabee this year? (It _was_ Bush’s turn since he was the VP for a pretty popular two-term president.) > > He’s not getting nominated in 2016. He came in a very distant second in a terrible primary cycle. If Romney loses, the nominee will be one of the people who sat this year out. No, I say it was Dole’s turn in 1996 because he ran in 1988 and lost out to GHW Bush after winning the Iowa caucus. He was the most successful non-nominee in the previous contested primary season, just as Reagan, Bush, McCain, and Romney were. Yes, it would have been Huckabee’s “turn” this year, and he might have actually won had he ran. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/15 "2012-04-10T19:06:29Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > He was the most successful non-nominee I read that as “nom-nom-nominee” which would explain the Pepsi ads. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/16 "2012-04-10T19:15:29Z")
Oh, Ricky-poo. I was so looking forward to sharia law. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/17 "2012-04-10T19:31:49Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > No, I say it was Dole’s turn in 1996 because he ran in 1988 and lost out to GHW Bush after winning the Iowa caucus. The party didn’t reward him for challenging a sitting vice president. > [@](#): > > Yes, it would have been Huckabee’s “turn” this year, and he might have actually won had he ran. He didn’t run because he realized he had no chance to win: his appeal outside of evangelical Christians was very limited, and Santorum has the exact same problem. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/18 "2012-04-10T19:40:20Z")
Gee, what a pity. So long, asshat! That sucks about their daughter, though – I hope she’ll be all right. I looked up Edward’s Syndrome. It looks like a pretty harsh condition. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/19 "2012-04-10T19:58:13Z")
> [@Jas09](#): > > Could be that. Or could be because he’s about to lose in his home state, which would severely hurt his future political career. I suspect it’s too late to save that; he’s too good a scapegoat to absorb the blame when Romney loses in November. (I mean, what else can the GOP do – admit that the voters rejected their platform?) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391/20 "2012-04-10T20:05:43Z")
> [@Steve\_MB](#): > > I suspect it’s too late to save that; he’s too good a scapegoat to absorb the blame when Romney loses in November. (I mean, what else can the GOP do – admit that the voters rejected their platform?) If Romney loses, which I expect he will, the party’s going to have even more problems explaining why they can’t give the far right what it wants in a nominee. Nobody is going to believe that Romney lost to Obama in November because of a Santorum campaign that ended in April (and was really over even before that). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santorum-has-dropped-out-of-the-race/618391.md?page=2)