The Hill News

Mitt Romney needs to shut down what could be an explosion in the GOP, should Rick Santorum defeat him in Tuesday's Illinois primary. Though it looks good, with Romney ahead in the polls and supported by many establishment Republicans in the state, Santorum has outperformed his polling before in state after state. A Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll puts Romney ahead by 4 points, within the margin of error.

No matter the outcome, Romney â€" of course â€" will remain ahead in the delegate count by far, claiming he retains an insurmountable lead. And Santorum, it should be noted, cannot win the delegate advantage in Illinois, as he is ineligible for 10 of the state’s 54 delegates. But he would be happy to win the popular vote there and defeat Romney in a big, blue state just one week after wins in Mississippi and Alabama.

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