Pennsylvania could be political battleground in GOP contest
Pennsylvania’s primary election is less than a month away, but whether the commonwealth becomes a battleground state between the two leading Republican presidential candidates is an open question.
Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College, says the stakes are a bit higher for Rick Santorum in his home state.
“It’s an absolutely essential race for Rick Santorum to win for him to have any arguments moving forward that he’s a viable candidate,” Borick said. “Mitt Romney doesn’t need to win here to win the nomination. But if he does, it goes a long way to ending any viable competition from Rick Santorum.”
Borick says Santorum, a former Pennsylvania U.S. senator, also needs to prove he can handily win a potential swing state.
A barrage of TV ads from Mitt Romney’s campaign, Borick said, will be the best indicator of whether the former Massachusetts governor intends to dig in and fight Santorum in Pennsylvania and possibly seal the nomination.
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