Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney faces the same conundrum in Illinois as in many other states: despite support from much of the Republican establishment, a vast advantage in money, and a superior campaign organization, he can’t put away challenger Rick Santorum.
To be sure, Romney leads in polls for Illinois, which holds its primary Tuesday, by 6 to 15 percentage points depending on the survey. But just as in other states, the former Massachusetts governor hasn’t been able to fire up the troops,
Politico reports.
Bob Michel, the former House GOP Leader who spent 38 years in Congress representing Peoria, pointed to the difficulty. “He’s not overwhelming, that’s the problem through the whole primary,” Michel, who supports Romney, told Politico. “What’s the spark? What’s the thing that gets him off and running? No one knows.”
Former GOP Gov. Jim Edgar exemplifies Romney’s woes in Illinois. A pro-business moderate, Edgar would seem to be a natural supporter of Romney. But for the first time since he’s been involved in politics, Edgar is staying on the sidelines of a presidential race. “Romney just doesn’t get folks real excited,” he told Politico. “It seems like he can get about 33 percent and just about hovers there.”
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