On Tuesday April 10th, Rick Santorum’s dreams for a spot in the Oval office washed away as he announced the end of his campaign. This startling announcement comes a few days shy of the long-awaited Pennsylvania Republican primary on April, 24th. Although there still are two candidates remaining, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul are no match for the records and charisma that front-runner Mitt Romney exudes. The former Massachusetts governor and infamously branded flip-flop candidate ultimately received his nomination on a silver platter from his strongest competitor. After months of uncertainty it is unofficially clear that November’s race for the white house will be Obama V. Romney.
Deciding to suspend a relatively successful campaign cannot be a decision that is taken lightly. Santorum attributes dropping out of the race to the polls and on a much more personal level, his daughter who suffers from the rare genetic disorder trisomy 18. She was rushed to the hospital over the weekend which caused some major reevaluating on Santorum’s part. She is the youngest of his seven children. As long as Santorum is not using his daughter’s illness as a scapegoat to end the race with dignity and come across as a true family-man, putting family first reflects on commendable values. Of course president’s deal with difficult personal issues yet trying to finish a grueling campaign while a child is in the hospital puts issues in perspective.
Although Santorum lost he should take pride in keeping afloat in a close race with Romney throughout the recent months. This campaign has pushed him in the spotlight and has advanced his career He has been ousted for being very conservative compared to Romney and would have had a more difficult time fighting for the nomination as the day drew nearer. Now Americans will wait and watch the heated political battle that will ensue as November approaches. Americans will also be on the lookout for Santorum who might already have his sights set on 2016.