Republican presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum talks with the media in San Antonio, Texas.By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
WASHINGTON – Rick Santorum is falling so far behind Mitt Romney in the race for Republican delegates that his best chance might be in states that voted weeks ago.
The chief rival to the front-running Romney, Santorum is trying to improve his lot in places like Iowa and Washington, where local caucuses were just the first step in determining delegates to the Republican National Convention. In those states and a few others, supporters are now preparing for county, congressional district and state conventions, where the campaigns hope to keep their delegates – and possibly poach some from other candidates.
Santorum’s delegate count could use a boost. He trails Romney by 300 and would need to win 74 percent of the delegates in the remaining primaries to clinch the nomination before the national convention in August. So far, Santorum is winning just 27 percent, according to the tally by The Associated Press.
But the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign predicts that he will significantly increase his delegate haul in caucus states, primarily at the expense of Romney.