The writing may be on the wall for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Don’t expect any Etch A Sketch shakeups in the latest primary episode.
All signs point to the exit as the two presidential hopefuls continue to struggle in matching front-runner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, trailing by significant margins in the all-important delegate count.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul has dismissed public outcry calling for him to remove himself from the race, but he has long settled into a losing pattern, failing even to compete for a first- or second-place finish anywhere – shedding light on what little support he now has.
Even after Santorum earned a much-needed victory in the Louisiana primary on Saturday, he still trailed Romney by almost 300 delegates.
 
Gingrich floundered in what was a vital primary for him in Louisiana, failing to gain the necessary 25 percent of the vote needed to qualify for delegates.
The question now shifts from whether or not the candidates will back out to when and how they will do so.
The odds against these guys keep getting worse.
On Thursday, Jim DeMint, the South Carolina Republican and Tea Party favorite, all but endorsed Romney and all but called for Santorum and Gingrich to get out, saying the candidates needed to “do a little self-reflection here – [on] what’s good for our country.”
Support for Romney has also grown in the form of several recent endorsements.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who is widely respected among conservatives, endorsed Romney after his win in Illinois, helping to bolster the front-runner’s credentials with voters. And Louisiana Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne joined the bandwagon, endorsing Romney in the build-up to Saturday’s primary.
Next week we’ll see primaries in Maryland, Wisconsin and D.C. (where Santorum isn’t even on the ballot), all of which Romney has polled well in.
Then, on April 24, Romney is expected to take home primaries in Connecticut, Delaware, New York and Rhode Island. Santorum may capture his home state of Pennsylvania, but even that seems to be far less than a certainty. Santorum and Gingrich will soon have to face the harsh reality that their finances are evaporating and the end may be approaching fast.
According to Federal Election Commission reports, Santorum’s top super PAC, the Red, White and Blue Fund, raised less than $3 million in February and spent its reserves down to $365,000.
The Gingrich super PAC, Winning Our Future, did slightly better, raising $5.7 million for the month – but they spent all of it.
As great as those numbers may sound, when compared to Romney they tell a different story. In February, Romney’s super PAC, Restore Our Future, raised nearly $18 million in February – and they’re probably still counting.
These shoestring campaigns Santorum and Gingrich have been running are not going to be able to continue operating under this pressure.
It’s conventional wisdom.
Santorum and Gingrich must also realize the damages of staying in the race. If they stay in it too long, they’ll be doing so with the risk of damaging their reputations and the Republican Party.
Bob Mann, political communications professor and director of the Reilly Center for Media and Public Affairs, noted that the Republican Party usually nominates the runner-up in the next election cycle, and the candidates would be wise to plan their exit strategies in order to preserve their viability for 2016 or 2020.
Mann said the candidates should be asking themselves, “Do I want to be remembered as the guy who made it impossible for Mitt Romney to reach the White House, or do I want to be remembered fondly?”
In 2008, Romney didn’t go around slashing and burning John McCain. Instead, he exited the race early and eventually endorsed McCain en route to now becoming the potential heir apparent to the nomination.
If Santorum and Gingrich decide to follow the Romney model, we may end up seeing a resolution to this muddled mess sooner rather than later.
The campaign death watch has begun. If Romney fulfills expectations and does well in the April primaries, look for a quick withdrawal from the competition and for this nomination to be finalized.
Matthew Westfall is a 23-year-old mass communication senior from Winchester, Va. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_mwestfall.
 
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Contact Matthew Westfall at [email protected]