In Tennessee Republican Primary, Rick Santorum Looks For a Big Win

Impact
ByLawrence Sampson

Today Tennessee Republicans go to the polls to cast their vote for a candidate to send to the presidential election this November.

Rick Santorum has consistently led in most polls in the state by a margin of six to 10 points and looks to be the solid front runner, although a late Rasmussen poll suggests the gap between he and Mitt Romney may be narrowing. A win here for the uber conservative Santorum would continue a hard right turn in the Volunteer State, having voted Republican in the last three presidential contests, with both houses of the state legislature controlled by the GOP for the first time in state history, and now with a Republican governor to boot.

Of the three Grand Divisions within the state, one (Western) tends to vote center-right, one (Middle) tends toward middle-left, and one (Eastern) is a bona fide hard right evangelical stomping ground. This evangelical demographic is where Santorum has been gaining his electoral strength and Tennessee looks to be ripe for his picking.

Together with a possible Oklahoma victory, a win in Tennessee would help make Santorum a serious contender for the Republican nomination in August. Still, allocation of this state’s 58 delegates is somewhat muddled and if Romney can close the gap he may be able to gain a tie, delegate wise.

Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore