DEFIANT

Santorum Says He’ll Fight On

After coming in second in Illinois.

Onward, Santorum’s soldiers. Rick Santorum struck a fighting stance from Gettysburg, Pa., Tuesday evening, saying he had called Mitt Romney earlier to congratulate him on his victory in the Illinois primary. Invoking the history of the town from which he spoke, he said that the coming election will be “the most important election since 1860.” He told supporters that his campaign is “moving the debate here in the Republican Party,” even while some say that Romney’s triumph in the Land of Lincoln may be a key stroke in the fight to secure the GOP’s nomination. Santorum said he’s in touch with what America’s dissatisfaction with Washington is. “We need somebody who’s going to pull up government by the roots,” he said. “And throw it out and liberate the private sector in America.”