In an evolving power struggle, religious conservatives are feuding about whether a weekend meeting in Texas yielded a consensus that former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is the best bet to stop Mitt Romney's drive for the Republican presidential nomination.
Fresh off an endorsement from key evangelical leaders, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum on Sunday urged the Republican Party's conservative base to push other GOP presidential candidates out of the race and set up a one-on-one showdown between him and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the front-runner.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum won endorsement on the third ballot on Saturday at an invitation-only meeting of evangelicals held at the Brenham, Texas, ranch of Nancy and Paul Pressler, an evangelical leader told The Washington Times on condition of anonymity.
Torn between reality and their political dreams, leading conservatives are defending Mitt Romney's private sector success and acknowledging that his presidential nomination may be inevitable even as they search for a more palatable candidate.
Prominent evangelical and other religious-right leaders invited to a private "Stop Romney" meeting in Texas this weekend are pessimistic about the chances of agreeing on a mutually acceptable alternative to the GOP presidential front-runner, one of those invited has told The Washington Times.
