Illinois primary poses key test for Romney

CHICAGO -- After two Deep South losses, Mitt Romney is intensifying his campaign efforts in the economically challenged Midwest -- a friendly region for him -- in hopes of regaining his front-runner's momentum when Illinois holds its Republican presidential primary Tuesday.

But the race for Illinois and its 54 delegates is tighter than might have been expected, thanks to Rick Santorum's recent rise in opinion polls here and elsewhere.

Romney is clearly mindful of the threat. He and his allies are pouring money into Illinois. Logistically, he's also looking to take advantage of Santorum's failure to get the signatures needed to ensure he's on the ballot statewide.

Illinois is the highest profile contest of the coming week, and it kicks off a two-week series of five contests before an April lull in the GOP nomination fight that could well stretch into summer.

Sunday, Puerto Rico votes in a primary with 23 delegates at stake. Both Romney and Santorum campaigned on the island territory last week.

Battle for numbers

Romney is struggling to clinch the GOP nomination, even though he's well ahead in the fight for delegates to the August GOP national convention. He needs to win 1,144, and is on pace to secure that number by June. New York's primary is April 24.

Despite his delegate lead, Romney has recently won only peripheral contests in U.S. territories and he hasn't won a primary since winning six of 10 states on Super Tuesday almost two weeks ago. So he's turning to Illinois to right his course in a state that's being seriously contested only by Santorum and him.

The resumption of voting in the upper Midwestern states, with Wisconsin following close behind Illinois on April 3, could be pivotal for the GOP front-runner. (The pro-Romney group, Restore Our Future, already has begun airing ads criticizing Santorum in Wisconsin.) Maryland and the District of Columbia also hold primaries on April 3, as the voting enters its fourth month.

Attack mode

And Romney is on the attack. "We are not going to be successful in replacing an economic lightweight if we nominate an economic lightweight," the former Massachusetts governor said Friday during an early morning stop in suburban Rosemont near Chicago.

The criticism, focusing on the economy, which is the voters' No. 1 concern, was a one-two punch against President Barack Obama and Santorum. "I am an economic heavyweight, and I know how to fix this economy," Romney said.

Santorum, just back from Puerto Rico, faces the same obstacles in Illinois that he has in previous contests -- a lack of money and campaign organization. But his message that he's the true conservative in the race could resonate strongly in the rural areas of the state. He spent Friday and yesterday campaigning in some of Illinois' small towns. Beyond this state, the former Pennsylvania senator is focused on Louisiana, where he hopes to continue winning in the conservative South on Saturday.

In Missouri, en route to Illinois, Santorum argued that Romney, by signing legislation in Massachusetts requiring people to acquire health insurance, would be unable to attack Obama on the 2010 health care law, which is unpopular with many Republicans.

"On the most important and critical issue of the day, government control of your life and your health, why would we nominate someone who is uniquely disqualified to make the case against Barack Obama on the biggest issue of the day?" Santorum asked an audience in Osage, Mo.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, badly damaged after losses in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday, campaigned in the Chicago area last week. Long shot Texas Rep. Ron Paul has campaigned little in Illinois, though he headlined a rally at the University of Illinois on Wednesday. Neither contender was advertising in the state.

Millions used on ads

In contrast, Romney and his allies are dominating Illinois' expensive TV airwaves. His campaign was airing about $1 million in TV ads last week, and a political action committee that supports him was spending $2.4 million on an ad aimed at undermining Santorum's appeal as a conservative. The ad notes Santorum's past support for earmark spending, raising the debt limit and allowing felons to obtain the right to vote.

In Illinois, Santorum and a group that supports him -- Winning Our Future -- were spending only about one-fifth of the pro-Romney advertising. The pro-Santorum group was on the air in Louisiana, looking to counter an onslaught of negative ads by the pro-Romney group.

The 54 delegates at stake in Illinois Tuesday are directly elected by voters, while 15 more will be named at the state party convention in June.