Weeks–maybe even days–ago it seemed impossible that Senator Rick Santorum would finish as a top tier candidate in the Iowa caucus. Tuesday night, the Senator delivered a tremendous blow to conventional wisdom by finishing second to Governor Mitt Romney by just 8 votes. His second place finish came despite spending a fraction of the money as his opponents.

We go away for a few days during the holidays, and the race in Iowa turns upside down! Speaker Newt Gingrich’s loss is Senator Rick Santorum’s gain.

Santorum’s campaign was dealt a blow Thursday when it failed to make the presidential primary ballot for his home state: Virginia.

Bob Vander Plaats, the President of the Iowa Family Leader, and Chuck Hurley, President of Iowa Family Policy Center, threw their support behind his campaign.

It probably comes as little surprise – observers for months have said that Mitt Romney would be the strongest Republican presidential hopeful in the Philadelphia suburbs. SEPA political powerhouse Bob Asher has thrown his support behind the former Massachusetts Governor.

It’s a somewhat familiar trend: Pa. Democrat says President Obama will have a tougher time in the Keystone state this year compared to 2008, RNC and PAGOP forward the press clips. This week, they highlighted two former rivals: Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak.

Quinnipiac’s poll shows that President Obama would defeat either of the two Republican front runners if the election were held today in Pennsylvania. He tops former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 46 to 43, and former House Speaker (and Harrisburg native) Newt Gingrich 48 to 40.