All signs are increasingly pointing to Mitt Romney to clinch the Republican nomination: he's been raking in the delegates; his campaign is the most well-monied; and now, it looks like the popular vote is advancing in his direction, too. Although Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich have at times indicated they're in it for the long haul through to the convention, this may add to the pressure for them to accept defeat and just unite behind the eventual nominee already. Looks like Romney's recent victory in the Illinois primary and the endorsement from Jeb Bush may have been helpful in garnering him some fresh supporters (and does anybody else think that bringing out the Etch-a-Sketch props over the past few days can't possibly have done anything positive for the Santorum/Gingrich campaigns? Er, anyone?).
According to Gallup, Mitt Romney's national support among Republicans has expanded to 40%, the highest level of support any candidate has reached in this campaign so far. Just a few days ago, Romney had only a 4% advantage over Rick Santorum, but his lead is back in the double digits with Santorum sitting at 26%. The Louisiana primary is looking good for Rick Santorum, but overall, it seems less and less likely that he'll be able to win enough of the remaining delegates to contest the nomination.
