Islam Times: This was a state where the former Massachusetts governor had nearly everything going for him: He won the state in the 2008 presidential race by 18 points. He had the backing of the state’s two most high-profile Republicans, former governor Tim Pawlenty and former senator Norm Coleman. This is in contrast to his last two wins in Florida and Nevada, where the most high-profile Republicans kept their powder dry.
And unlike the Missouri primary, which he also lost on Tuesday, Newt Gingrich was on the ballot in Minnesota, potentially stealing votes from Rick Santorum. But despite all that, with nearly half of the vote in, Romney is in a distant third place, far behind even second-place Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and taking only about one in every six votes in tonight’s Minnesota caucuses. Santorum, meanwhile, is flirting with taking 50 percent of the vote. As of now, Romney is not winning the vote in any of the state’s 87 counties. Unlike Missouri, Romney actually advertised a little in Minnesota and had some organization there, led by the likes of Pawlenty and Romney.