Republican race: Resurgent Rick Santorum wins three states

Victories in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri reinvigorated the former Pennsylvania senator’s campaign just days after he was largely written off as a credible challenger.

The results also further the belief that Mr Romney is struggling to win over the broad support of Republican rank-and-file members despite seemingly heading towards the party’s presidential nomination.

In was a disappointing night for Mr Romney, following wins in Florida and Nevada that many believed had put him into a commanding position.

Not only did he lose by some margin in all three states, but the number of people voting for him was far down on four years ago – when he won both Colorado and Minnesota as the then-conservative alternative to future presidential candidate John McCain.

The only bright note for the frontrunner this time around was that his bitter rival Newt Gingrich fared just as badly. In the two states that the former House speaker competed, he came in a distant third and fourth.

It would appear that Mr Gingrich has been overtaken as the right’s leading “anti-Mitt” candidate by Mr Santorum, an evangelical Christian whose religious beliefs colour his politics.

The three states that went to the poll on Tuesday had been expected to bend to conservative candidates. In addition, the results have little impact on the eventual outcome of the Republican race.

However, the strength of Mr Santorum’s win may cause a few heart palpitations in the Romney camp.

In Colorado – the closest of the three ballots – he took 40 per cent of the votes, compared to Mr Romney’s 35 per cent. In Minnesota and Missouri, the gap between the pair was closer to 30 percentage points.

The former Massachusetts governor was magnanimous in defeat, congratulating the night’s victor.

“This was a good night for Rick Santorum,” he conceded.

“We’ll keep on campaigning down the road, but I expect to become our nominee with your help,” he told disappointed supporters.

Mr Santorum used his platform to launch a joint attack against Mr Romney and president Barack Obama.

Speaking before the Colorado result sweetened his night still further, the 53-year-old politician announced: “Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota.”

He added to cheers: “I don’t stand here to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney. I stand here to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama.”

Mr Santorum’s threefold victory, when added to the retrospective win he was awarded in Iowa, means that he has taken four states in the race for a Republican presidential nod – more than any other candidate.

He has been helped along by a religious right that has been galvanised by a perceived threat of a secularisation of America.

President Obama is drawing flak from evangelicals over new provisions that would require all employers – including Catholic organisations – to offer birth control to women free of charge as part of their health cover.

It has helped some social conservatives form the view that the White House is at war with religion, a perception that plays into the hands of “pro-lifer” Mr Santorum.

A by-product of Tuesday’s wins has been a bump in fundraising. The candidate said the campaign coffers were boosted by $250,000 overnight.

To date, Mr Santorum’s run at the White House has been largely funded by billionaire Foster Friess.

The mutual fund manager and born-again Christian has pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into the Red, White and Blue Fund – a pro-Santorum political action campaign, or PAC.

The pro-Romney PAC Restore Our Future has amassed a war chest of some $30 million to ensure that the candidate gets through the primaries.