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• Late, late, late deciders flock to Santorum
• Romney’s watchwords in Iowa: Divide and conquer
• Obama calls Iowa on GOP’s caucus night
• Iowa deadlock could change race in New Hampshire
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BEDFORD, N.H. – Republican presidential contender Rick Santorum, whose old-fashioned retail politicking helped him finish surprisingly strong in the Iowa caucuses Tuesday, will use the same kind of face-to-face campaigning and the momentum his Iowa performance created to power his campaign through New Hampshire and South Carolina, his New Hampshire co-chairman, William Cahill, said.
“Our strategy is to keep doing what we have been doing,” Cahill told The Washington Examiner as the too-close-to-call Iowa results continued to roll in. “We are not going to change anything. He is going to hit the ground running here tomorrow at 3 o’clock.”
Santorum, Cahill said, “has already done the kind of retail campaigning that needs to be done in this state to establish his credibly, his likability.” Santorum visited every county in New Hampshire just as he did in Iowa, he said.
Fundraising is already picking up, Cahill said, but the campaign has no illusions about matching the kind of money and name recognition that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney enjoys in neighboring New Hampshire.
Still, Cahill said Santorum could pick up the support of conservative “anyone-but-Mitt” voters in New Hampshire, who may be looking for a new candidate after their previous choices, Texas Gov. Perry and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, finished poorly in Iowa.
“So now the field for next week’s primary has been very winnowed and Rick Santorum is going to get his share of attention,” Cahill said.
Santorum focused most of his campaign time on Iowa, hoping for just such a bounce, but his rivals now question whether he has the kind of organizational and financial support he’ll need to compete among other top-tier candidates. Cahill insists Santorum has the support he’ll need in New Hampshire, whose primary is Jan. 10, and South Carolina, which votes Jan. 21.
“We’ve got to get through the next three weeks,” Cahill said. “I think after tonight, there is no question in my mind that Rick Santorum is not getting out of this race. He’s going to the convention and we will have the resources. Whether there is a lot of money, or living off the land, he’s committed to doing it.”
