Tonight could be the end for Rick Santorum. After an influential group of conservatives recently committed to raising a couple million bucks for the Santorum campaign and the SuperPac supporting Santorum, it is possible that he comes in third place in the Alabama and Mississippi primaries.
Most commentators (including yours truly) have written Gingrich off for dead. But if Gingrich wins either or both of the primaries tonight, and Romney holds Santorum to third in both, the dynamics of the race will have shifted yet again.
In some ways, it’s window dressing. The dance back and forth between Santorum and Gingrich is ultimately meaningless to the nomination: it’s going to Romney.