Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said Monday that the chances of a brokered convention are "increasing." That’s because it appears more and more unlikely that front-runner Mitt Romney will be able to garner the 1,144 delegates needed to seal the nomination before the convention in August, the former Pennsylvania senator told “This Morning” on CBS,
The Hill reports.
“If the other people stay in the race, it's going to be hard for anyone to get to that magic number," Santorum said. "We believe if we get to the convention, the convention will nominate a conservative. The convention will not nominate an establishment moderate from Massachusetts."
One way to read that quote could be that Santorum really isn’t so eager to see Newt Gingrich exit the race, as some of Santorum’s supporters have urged. If Gingrich remains a candidate, Santorum may have an easier time denying former Massachusetts Gov. Romney a majority of delegates before the convention.
Meanwhile, Santorum said he hopes for a strong performance in Illinois’ primary Tuesday, despite the fact that polls show Romney in the lead. "This is a tough state. We're being outspent about 10 to 1," Santorum said.
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