OKLAHOMA CITY — Rick Santorum objects to Fox News setting a cutoff on the number of GOP candidates in a debate based on national polls. He has a decent argument, from personal experience.
The last three national polls published before the 2012 Iowa Caucuses placed Santorum at 3 and 4 percent. But he had been hustling through all 99 Iowa counties, and it paid off — he basically tied for a victory in the caucuses and emerged as the clear alternative to Romney.
Basing primary debate participation on national polls, Santorum argues, is arbitrary and unrelated to electoral strength. There is, after all, no national GOP primary.
