The next critical battle in the Republican primary race is the April 3 primary in Wisconsin. Rick Santorum will be coming off a big win in Louisiana and has shown an ability to finish a strong second in Michigan and Ohio. But Mitt Romney won Illinois decisively, and a recent Rasmussen poll shows Romney ahead by a solid margin in Wisconsin. Can Santorum win there? At a breakfast with a small group of reporters in Washington Monday, Santorum sent out some decidedly mixed signals.

First, after Santorum spoke at some length about Romney’s financial advantage, he was asked to name some states he expects to win. “I think we can do well in Wisconsin,” Santorum said.  “I don’t think we can win in Wisconsin, but I think we can do very well in Wisconsin.”  Santorum went on to discuss Pennsylvania and several states that hold primaries in May, where he expects to do well.