2012: Romney/Santorum vs. Obama/Biden

[barfbag]

I don't think the popular vote changes very much, but I do think Rick Santorum could've brought out social conservatives and evangelical Christians to the polls in higher numbers for Mitt Romney.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

[Pessimistic Antineutrino]

Santorum would only drag the ticket down. But there wasn't much farther down to go from where Romney already was. NC flips, Obama hits 50% in FL, 60% in ME-01 and DE. Romney's margins are slightly improved in the inner south, pulls TN over 60%. Romney falls under 47% in the popular vote.

[barfbag]

Santorum would only drag the ticket down. But there wasn't much farther down to go from where Romney already was. NC flips, Obama hits 50% in FL, 60% in ME-01 and DE. Romney's margins are slightly improved in the inner south, pulls TN over 60%. Romney falls under 47% in the popular vote.

I think Santorum would help with social conservatives in NC though.

[Del Tachi]

FL flips to GOP. 

[ElectionsGuy]

I acutally think it might improve the ticket a little bit. Romney does slightly better in the south, slightly worse in most other places.

Virginia gets closer but Obama still wins it, narrow win in Florida due to higher evangelical turnout in Panhandle. Better margins in South (especially Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama). Tennessee goes over 60% but Kansas and Nebraska fall to 58%. Everything else you can pretty much imagine by bringing Romney's % down a point or two.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Santorum would only drag the ticket down. But there wasn't much farther down to go from where Romney already was. NC flips, Obama hits 50% in FL, 60% in ME-01 and DE. Romney's margins are slightly improved in the inner south, pulls TN over 60%. Romney falls under 47% in the popular vote.

I think Santorum would help with social conservatives in NC though.

There were no more white Social Conservatives in NC to have improvement amongst. The place to grow was amongst the Obama/McCrory vote in Mecklenburg county and Santorum has the opposite effect there.  This isn't the same state that Bush won by double digits in 2012, it has changed and there are a lot of fiscal conservative/socially moderate to liberal types that have been pushed to far and now want the same kind of specialized attention on the other social side that the social conservatives have been getting. The problem is we as a party cannot choose between which 25% to get in an election, we need both.

That said, round about October 2011 I remember thinking maybe Romney/Santorum is a winning combination, just like in October 2007 I thought Romney/Huckabee would be a good match.  Events intervened to ruin the potential and render them impossible.

[Sec. of State Superique]

I'm sorry my friends but how a Mormon/Catholic ticket would enhance Evangelicals turnout. + Hate among Santorum Extrem Social Conservatism would increase the liberal turnout.

[MyRescueKittehRocks]

I'm sorry my friends but how a Mormon/Catholic ticket would enhance Evangelicals turnout. + Hate among Santorum Extrem Social Conservatism would increase the liberal turnout.

Even I would have went third party (I almost did on Romney/Ryan) and voted Constitution party on the national level with all my other votes staying as they did otl.

[PolitiJunkie]

You all seem to think that Santorum turning out more evangelicals and other socons would have helped the Romney/Santorum ticket, but I think Santorum's presence on the ticket would turn off moderates in a much bigger and more costly way than it would reel in socons who were going to vote Romney anyway. Overall, I think Obama gains a few points in the popular vote, and picks up NC and maybe another state or two.

[barfbag]

You all seem to think that Santorum turning out more evangelicals and other socons would have helped the Romney/Santorum ticket, but I think Santorum's presence on the ticket would turn off moderates in a much bigger and more costly way than it would reel in socons who were going to vote Romney anyway. Overall, I think Obama gains a few points in the popular vote, and picks up NC and maybe another state or two.

That big of a difference over a factor on the ticket that most people don't know about?

[PolitiJunkie]

You all seem to think that Santorum turning out more evangelicals and other socons would have helped the Romney/Santorum ticket, but I think Santorum's presence on the ticket would turn off moderates in a much bigger and more costly way than it would reel in socons who were going to vote Romney anyway. Overall, I think Obama gains a few points in the popular vote, and picks up NC and maybe another state or two.

That big of a difference over a factor on the ticket that most people don't know about?

I think people knew plennnnnty about where Santorum stands after watching the sh**tfest that was the 2012 Republican't primaries...

[barfbag]

You all seem to think that Santorum turning out more evangelicals and other socons would have helped the Romney/Santorum ticket, but I think Santorum's presence on the ticket would turn off moderates in a much bigger and more costly way than it would reel in socons who were going to vote Romney anyway. Overall, I think Obama gains a few points in the popular vote, and picks up NC and maybe another state or two.

That big of a difference over a factor on the ticket that most people don't know about?

I think people knew plennnnnty about where Santorum stands after watching the sh**tfest that was the 2012 Republican't primaries...

Plenty of people like you, me, and the other members of this forum, but 50% of this country doesn't know who the Vice-President is much less who is on a ticket before being elected to office. Most of the 50% who doesn't know who the Vice-President is don't actually vote, but it still goes to show how unimportant the running mate is to American voters. In 2008, it was about the 27th most important issue I believe. Voters vote for who they want to be president, not Vice-President.