There doesn’t seem to be much chance that we’ll have a clearer picture of who the Republican nominee for president will be after Kansas’ caucuses today and primaries or caucuses in Alabama, Hawaii and Mississippi this coming Tuesday.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney leads the delegate race but is struggling to win conservative Southern states and may have a tough time in conservative Kansas. Still, if he picks off one or more of those states, it would suggest he is broadening his appeal or, at a minimum, that conservatives are coming to see him as the inevitable nominee.
But if former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich freeze Romney out of wins in Alabama, Kansas and Mississippi, it will raise more doubts about Romney’s ability to motivate the GOP base in the general election against Barack Obama.
The bottom line: If you’re hoping for clarity after today’s and Tuesday’s contests, keep on hoping.