GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum brushed aside a trio of losses that significantly diminish any chance he has of securing the Republican nomination, vowing to press forward with his candidacy Tuesday night.
“We have now reached the point where it's halftime,” the former Pennsylvania senator said. “Half the delegates in this process have been selected. Who is ready to charge out of the locker room in Pennsylvania for a strong second half?”
Santorum did not hold his election night rally in any of the jurisdictions that held contests Tuesday, nor did he mention Wisconsin, Maryland or D.C., all three of which he lost to front-runner Mitt Romney. From his perch in southwestern Pennsylvania, near the steel town where he was raised, Santorum paid homage to the place that launched his political career. Santorum is banking on a victory in the Keystone State's primary on April 24 to keep him relevant in a GOP race that looks to be concluding.
“Not only did we forge steel in the state, we forged liberty in this state,” Santorum said.
Repeatedly, he implored Pennsylvanians to keep his ambitions alive.
“You know how hard I work. You know how strongly I believe in the things that values of southwestern Pennsylvania have instilled in me,” he said. “You know me.”
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