Editorial: Santorum keeps GOP race going

Tuesday's voting in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri certainly might be surprising to the pundits and party insiders who already had given the Republican nomination to Mitt Romney. But Rick Santorum's strong showing is good news, for the Republican Party immediately — and for the country later.

Santorum, a former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania who has strong backing from the religious right, recorded primary victories in Colorado and Minnesota. He also scored a nonbinding caucus win in Missouri. He and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have tried to paint themselves as the conservative standard bearer, and the wins give Santorum some much needed momentum. Like his strong finish in Iowa — which was called a Romney win even though the certification count showed more Santorum votes — Tuesday gave his campaign a needed infusion of cash. He said Wednesday that he had brought in $250,000 with the wins.

Romney is still considered the Republican frontrunner, so he'll fight on. Gingrich still sees himself as the obvious choice, so he'll go on in spite of his lackluster showing Tuesday. And, of course, the libertarian Ron Paul is going to keep in the race if only to force the other three to talk about the Republican habit of expanding the size of government.

Some Republicans might be frustrated that the party has to go on with the primary process. Media pundits certainly have been flummoxed that no one has won the nomination after only 9 percent of delegates have been accounted for. Party insiders want to focus on the differences between President Barack Obama and the Republican candidate, whoever that might be. The pundits appear to want the same contrast.

But the rest of the country, Republicans in particular, will benefit from a nominating process that takes awhile longer. The four remaining Republican presidential candidates offer at least three very different political philosophies for their party. A Santorum, a Gingrich or even a Paul win along the way keeps that discussion going.

Gingrich and Santorum both bill themselves as strong conservatives. Romney is trying to be a conservative, but he has a proven record as a moderate who works well with the other side. Paul has pushed for years to make government smaller in all respects — not an easy sell in a party that sees American greatness and foreign intervention as the same thing.

Republicans should have a little longer than a month — the Iowa caucuses were Jan. 3 — to decide among those differences. Republican insiders want to begin focusing today on their difference with Obama, but voters within the party have yet to decide what they want the essence of the party to be.

One analysis suggested the Republican primary might go on through the summer. It's been suggested that a candidate like Paul — but it's probably also true with Santorum — would prefer to go to the convention without a declared winner. It could take us back to the days of party bosses picking a candidate, but that might be the only way Paul or Santorum wins the nomination. It's clear both would prefer winning that way to letting Romney have the nomination.

Whoever gets the nomination, in whatever fashion, keeping the discussion about the party's and America's future going helps. Ohioans don't vote for four more weeks, when ours will be one of 10 states casting ballots on Super Tuesday, March 6. Santorum's wins two days ago mean there still is a race. It means, come March 6, there will be reason to actually go vote.