The TicketRomney memo calls Santorum Obama’s ‘most valuable player’
Mitt Romney's political director released a campaign memo Thursday arguing that Romney is on a steady course to win the party nomination, but cautioned that Rick Santorum's ongoing presence in the race is aiding President Barack Obama's re-election effort.
"Each day Senator Santorum continues to march up this steep hill of improbability is a day we lose to unite in our effort as Republicans to defeat President Obama," campaign political director Rich Beeson wrote in the memo. "So as Senator Santorum continues to drag out this already expensive, negative campaign it is clear that he is becoming the most valuable player on President Obama's team."
Beeson pointed out that Santorum would need to win 70 percent "of all remaining delegates" in the upcoming contests in order to achieve the 1,144 delegates required to secure the party nomination. Romney has already acquired half the needed delegates.
Santorum's campaign dismissed the MVP label.
"MVP? Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have been teammates for decades. Both pro-choice, anti-NRA--Mitt Romney wrote Obamacare for Obama. They're on the same side of the issue of cap-and-trade legislation," spokesman Hogan Gidley told Yahoo News. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mitt Romney picked Barack Obama as his running mate."
The memo comes after two straight primary victories for Romney, in Puerto Rico and Illinois, which increased his delegate count to 563 to Santorum's 263.
Read the full Romney memo after the jump:
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Rich Beeson, Political Director
SUBJECT: Rick Santorum — President Obama's MVP
DATE: March 22, 2012
Governor Romney's resounding victories in Illinois and Puerto Rico this past week have offered even greater clarity about where the race stands today. Here are a few takeaways:
· Of the 74 delegates awarded in the past week, Governor Romney won all but 13 (100% of the delegates in Puerto Rico and 75% of the delegates at stake in Illinois).
· Now leading by more than 300 delegates, Governor Romney continues to double Senator Santorum's delegate total.
· Governor Romney has now secured more than 50% of the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the nomination.
· In order for Senator Santorum to secure the 1,144 delegates needed to win the nomination, he must win 70% of all remaining delegates.
· Governor Romney has earned nearly 40% of the 10.2 million votes cast in the primary; 1.3 million more people have voted for Governor Romney than Senator Santorum.
· In the 11 contests that followed Super Tuesday, Senator Santorum not only failed to make up any ground on Governor Romney's delegate lead, he actually fell behind by 61 more delegates.
The remaining contests offer no path to 1,144 for Senator Santorum, a fact which even he has acknowledged. Each day Senator Santorum continues to march up this steep hill of improbability is a day we lose to unite in our effort as Republicans to defeat President Obama. So as Senator Santorum continues to drag out this already expensive, negative campaign it is clear that he is becoming the most valuable player on President Obama's team.
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