Rick Santorum\u2019s sweep of Mitt Romney in Tuesday\u2019s three Republican presidential contests sets the stage for a new and bitter round of intraparty acrimony as Mr. Romney once again faces a surging conservative challenge to his claim on the party\u2019s nomination.<\/p>\n
Mr. Santorum\u2019s rebuke of Mr. Romney could scramble the dynamics of the Republican race even as many in the party\u2019s establishment were urging its most committed activists to finally fall in line behind Mr. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor. Voters in three disparate states forcefully refused to do that on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Instead, the most conservative elements of the Republican Party\u2019s base expressed their unease with Mr. Romney by sending a resounding message that they preferred someone else. And they collectively revived the candidacy of Mr. Santorum, who has been languishing in the background since a narrow victory in Iowa\u2019s caucuses at the beginning of the year.<\/p>\n