Hollis, N.H. — New Hampshire state senator Jim Luther, a prominent surrogate for Rick Santorum, tells National Review Online that Tuesday’s primary is not a must-win contest. “If [Santorum] can come out of here with, let’s say, third place, close to Paul in second, then he’ll go into South Carolina with momentum,” he says. “South Carolina has picked the nominee since 1980, so the key here is momentum.”
And should Santorum finish in the top three in New Hampshire, “it sure would be nice if one of the other candidates dropped out,” Luther says. “If not, they’d be splitting conservative votes.”