STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was barely fending off a challenge from rival Rick Santorum in Ohio on Tuesday, an indication of how far Romney still needs to go to win over the blue-collar conservatives who are having trouble connecting with the front-runner on a personal or philosophical level.
It’s the second time since last month’s primary in Michigan that Romney has faced such a serious challenge from Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania whose blue-collar roots and unabashed conservative views have generated excitement among primary voters even though he lacks Romney’s campaign organization and cash.
Ohio offers a wealth of delegates but, more importantly, it’s a key battleground state in the November contest against President Obama, and Romney was eager to demonstrate that he would be competitive there.
