If you have reservations about supporting Mitt Romney, and live in one of these three states, this is your last chance to prevent Mitt from winning the GOP nomination.

To put it bluntly, I don’t think Newt Gingrich will be able to challenge Mitt Romney in a 1-on-1 race. Santorum has proven (in Iowa) that we can. Polling shows Santorum is in contention for first place in all three states voting on Tuesday. Katrina Trinko of NRO lays out what she calls “Santorum’s Last Stand.” I call it Santorum’s best chance to win the GOP nomination.

Quin Hillyer of NRO makes perhaps the best political case for Rick Santorum winning the GOP nomination and going on to win the general election. If you’ve already decided Rick simply can’t beat Mitt or Obama, I invite you to read her piece with an open mind.

(Santorum, I might add, is the only GOP candidate leading Barack Obama in Gallup’s general election match-up.)

I’ve made the Catholic case for Rick Santorum before. The simplest way I can pitch Rick is this: he’s a good man who may disappoint us sometimes (as all politicians do) — but he will never betray us, and he will never knowingly betray the principles that make this country great. That’s more than enough for me.

Finally, the thought came to me, if we don’t nominate Rick, we’re going to have some moment during the general election or, God forbid, the day after the election, where we look back on this opportunity and realize, “Hey, we could have nominated Rick back when we had the chance.”

Let’s not guess how that will feel. Let’s do the right thing today.

So game on, Rick. We’re behind you.

Am I the only one who finds this pleasantly weird?

K-Lo noted Rick Perry’s repeated references to Rick Santorum’s Catholicism down in South Carolina, perhaps because Perry was getting more support among Evangelical Protestants than was Perry, who is an Evangelical Protestant. Perhaps Perry was trying to remind his co-religionists that Santorum was “other.” Perhaps not. Doesn’t matter now, Perry is out of the race.

And he endorsed…  a Catholic.

Granted, Gingrich is a “young” Catholic, with a less-than-impressive history on personal things Catholics value, but he is a professed and practicing Catholic.

But yeah: Barack Obama, the Post-Modern President who makes decisions based on what makes the most sense right now with no necessary connection to what made sense before or what might make sense in the future, will champion the party that considers religion a thing “over there” that’s cute, but really ought not have much of an impact on your life.

And the GOP will pit against him either a Catholic or a Mormon, but definitely someone who considers his faith an integral part of his life and a foundation or guiding light for a significant portion of his moral reasoning.

Anyhow, not sure what it means or how it will factor in, but there it is.

Just a couple days ago, Newt Gingrich was in 2nd place in South Carolina polls, with Rick Santorum tied with Ron Paul in third. But after Newt attacked Mitt Romney for an entire week on his business career, an amazing thing happened: Romney’s numbers went up while Newt’s numbers went down.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll: Romney 37%, Santorum 16%, Paul 16%, Gingrich 12%. *

And news out of Texas, where a group of social conservative leaders met and came to the same conclusion that we here at CatholicVote arrived at nine days ago (Ahem.):

At a weekend meeting at a ranch outside Houston, Texas, the group of 150 conservatives agreed on the third ballot to support the former Pennsylvania senator.

They had not been expected to reach agreement on one candidate since evangelical support was splintered among Santorum, former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry.

“What I did not think was possible appears to be possible,” said Tony Perkins, leader of the Family Research Council and spokesman for the group.

Perkins described a “vigorous and passionate” discussion about who would make the best president and said eventually people made concessions to their views in order to coalesce around one candidate.

Side note: They met in Texas, but Rick Perry who serves as governor of Texas, didn’t last past the first ballot. Ouch. Or should I say “oops”?

Anyway, good to see these leaders trying to prevent a splintering of the pro-family vote. even better that they picked the best man as the alternative to Romney.

*  UPDATE: It seems that this poll is rather flawed. As Nate Silver of fivethirtyeight notes: “FYI: Reuters/Ipsos poll showing huge lead for Romney in SC was (i) conducted online and (ii) was registered rather than likely voters.”

Nonetheless, the rules are the rules. And Romney and Paul both got on the ballot.

Romney poked fun both at Newt Gingrich’s organizational problems as well as his grandiose reaction to missing the ballot.

Campaigning in New Hampshire on Tuesday, Romney was asked about Gingrich not getting on the ballot in Virginia and answered, “I think he compared that to Pearl Harbor? I think it’s more like Lucille Ball at the chocolate factory” — a reference to the “I Love Lucy” show in which an incompetent Lucy was swamped on a chocolate candy assembly line that she couldn’t keep up with.

“You’ve got to get it organized,” Romney zinged.

So did Newt respond like the happy warrior Ronald Reagan with humor? Ah, no.

“I want to see him say that to my face,” Gingrich said.

Wait, what?

You would think that Mitt said something about Newt’s mother. I mean, c’mon. It’s not like Romney’s minor jab was below the belt or beyond the pale. Romney just said that Newt’s campaign is overwhelmed and not able to handle the day-to-day rigors of a 50-state presidential campaign. If Newt is this thin-skinned, he would get sliced and diced by the Obama $1 billion reelect campaign in a minute.

Newt Gingrich’s supporters have expressed great confidence that Newt would destroy Barack Obama in the presidential debates, thus vaulting him into the White House.

There are several flaws to this argument. First, a lot of voters simply don’t watch all of the debates. They might watch one or a portion of one. Many don’t watch them at all. They simply watch recaps of the debates on the news. And the debates themselves are not the beginning and end of the presidential campaign. There are other highlights like the convention speech, too.

But the heart of the campaign, where most of the impressions of the candidates are formed, comes not from the convention speech or the debates. It comes from the long slog of the daily media battle and the TV ad wars.

And on this account, Newt Gingrich has proven to be a very weak candidate.

He got distracted by a discussion of child labor laws and employing children as janitors. He spent the entire week before Christmas off message complaining all the time about the attack ads against him. And as noted above, his campaign compared his failure to make the ballot in Virginia to the surprise attack where thousands of Americans died at Pearl Harbor.

The debates propelled Newt into a lead among national Republican primary voters, but his lead in Iowa has completely evaporated after a deluge of ads by Mitt Romney and Ron Paul. Of course, Newt has complained about these attack ads, but has refused to “go negative.” The main reason he hasn’t responded with attack ads isn’t really because of nobility, but because his campaign simply doesn’t have the money. And this means that Newt’s lead in Florida and South Carolina will melt once TV ads start there.

Reacting to Newt’s pledge not to run any attack ads, Dan McLaughlin said it well: “Newt hasn’t pledged to run only positive ads in the general election, right? Because that would be a deal-breaker.”

After all, that truce would be a one-sided disarmament.

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on.

Veepwatch: New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez has sky-high approval ratings, has “conservative cred” and is a Hispanic woman.http://is.gd/R8lmjN

Note: I’m not posting any polls from Iowa for a couple of days, as polling over Christmas is highly unreliable.

But here’s a primer on how the Iowa Caucuses will work on Tuesday, Jan. 3. http://is.gd/gDK29B

Newt Gingrich in 2006 cheered Romneycare: “We agree entirely with Governor Romney and Massachusetts legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage for all Americans.” http://is.gd/PGC0BG

Romney strategist gets cocky: “I don’t see any scenario where we’re not the nominee.” http://is.gd/yNWJ4a

Romney camp distances themselves from that comment quickly. “We’re not overconfident,” says Romney spox Andrea Saul. http://is.gd/eqRAMh

It’s your government: 22% of federal workers earn over $100,000 per year.  http://is.gd/yVgNNg

Islam to be majority in Europe by the end of the century.  http://is.gd/beZhVu

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on.

Don’t like the 2012 Republican presidential field? Blame George W. Bush, says conservative columnist Philip Klein. http://is.gd/uxXhFU

Do you still support Herman Cain-style harsh anti-immigration rhetoric? Here’s your wake up call: “The Coming Latino Majority” in the U.S. Catholic Church. http://is.gd/ee1fK2

Democrats are collecting signatures at a feverish pace to recall Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. But there are reasons for Republicans to be optimistic in Wisconsin, says the National Journal. http://is.gd/yuMnQR

A new book on Margaret Sanger attempts to airbrush her eugenicist sins from history, note Chuck Donovan and Nora Sullivan. http://is.gd/7tDnGK

“The Crisis of The Church Is the Crisis of Faith,” says Pope Benedict XVI in his “Year in Review” talk to Curial chiefs.  http://is.gd/Q0wYfE

Governor Sam Brownback is putting Tea Party principles into effect in Kansas, says the Washington Post. http://is.gd/h5S5Jq

“There are at least three reasons to hold a candidate’s past infidelities against his candidacy … that forgiveness and repentance do not nullify,” says Ramesh Ponnuru. http://is.gd/0UTPeB

The Minnesota Catholic Conference launches a pro-marriage website. http://is.gd/qa6Pr5

Dissident theologians threatened to resign, so Cardinal Pell called their bluff. You have to read this short story. http://is.gd/GIrXz4

Michael Sean Winters is not a right-winger.

Michael Sean Winters of the National Catholic Reporter rails against the Obama administration for not providing a true religious exemption in their contraception mandate and also calls it bad politics. http://is.gd/WaNb1l

Even Commonweal magazine published an editorial (sorta) against the lack of religious exemptions in the HHS mandate (but not without taking a swipe at our bishops).http://is.gd/PQjZsI

You must read this devastating review of George McGovern’s new book by CV blogger Mark Stricherz over at The Public Discourse. (I didn’t know that about his daughter’s abortion nor that she died of alcoholism.)  http://is.gd/LXWI3Y

I tip my hat today to Dale Hansen, a TV sportscaster at WFAA in Dallas, who spoke courageously on the air about the critical need to protect children from sexual abuse. http://is.gd/2Up45G

Conservative columnist Matt Lewis says that a Ron Paul win in Iowa will increase Mitt Romney’s chances of winning the nomination. http://is.gd/Ghrn2d

Newt Gingrich forced to leave Iowa to gather signatures in Virginia to get on the state’s ballot. http://is.gd/1VF1tj

Is there a Rick Santorum surge going on? http://is.gd/w4V7bb

Pro-family activist Bob Vander Plaats denies that he explicitly asked Michele Bachmann to drop out of the race. Frankly, I like his chutzpah. http://is.gd/wb2eMT

Life magazine releases breathtaking vivid color photos from the Battle of the Bulge. http://is.gd/caR44L

U.S. existing homes sold since 2007 is revised down by 14%. http://is.gd/poeWXA

One despicable leftist ad showed a Republican pushing a grandmother off of a cliff.

Christmas comes early for Paul Ryan. Politifact calls the claim that “Republicans voted to end Medicare” as the “Lie of the Year 2011.” http://is.gd/vgJWIm

GOP unhappiness with the field fuels buzz for Jeb Bush. http://is.gd/0rsajT

Dissident, pro-abortion, lesbian ex-nun leaves the Catholic Church and becomes an Anglican priest. http://is.gd/Nr1iE6

Don Wildmon, founder of the American Family Association endorses Newt Gingrich. http://is.gd/SRZF13

UPDATED: Iowa social conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats endorses Rick Santorum. (I thought he was leaning toward Perry recently). http://is.gd/lJY3V5

President Obama seriously thinks he’s the fourth best president ever. Maybe higher. http://is.gd/o9QYjO

Good news: Support for the death penalty continues to decline. http://is.gd/2K22nu

Iowa Republicans worry if Ron Paul wins the Iowa caucuses that it will ignored in future years. http://is.gd/9B2gSX

Awesome: Michigan withdraws $200,000 grant to Planned Parenthood. http://is.gd/H02uOf

Lame: The city council of Duluth (4th largest city in Minnesota) votes to oppose state marriage amendment drive. Jeff Anderson, who brought up the resolution, is planning to run for Congress against Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack. http://is.gd/sZroEA

National Democrats don’t want a repeat of their special election loss in NY-9. They are flooding Oregon’s special election to be held on Jan. 31 with $1 million in ads. The election is being held in OR-1 after Democrat Rep. David Wu resigned after a sex scandal. http://is.gd/TroWPy

A new study release this week by a team of Italian scientists gives more evidence for the Shroud of Turin’s authenticity. http://is.gd/YGLS8G

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on.

Vaclev Havel was a playwright, anti-Communist, and former leader of a free Czech Republic. He died yesterday at 75. http://is.gd/5xzOCB

Brutal North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il dead at age 69. Pray for the people suffering in North Korea. http://is.gd/yrGU23

Christopher Hitchens: Abortion survivor, post-abortive father, cognitive pro-lifer. http://is.gd/2cqL9Q

NY Times: Newt Gingrich represents “new political era for Catholics.” http://is.gd/eqxHkA

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-SC, ought to be ashamed. He compares the effort to ensure fair elections to racism, claiming that GOP efforts to pass laws requiring voters to show an ID is a “21^st century poll tax.” http://is.gd/T77JBc

‘Vegetative’ patients may be fully conscious: Lancet study. http://is.gd/CPK65s

Two new U.S. saints! Pope Benedict XVI decrees miracles needed to canonize Blesseds Marianne Cope and Kateri Tekakwitha. http://is.gd/TTWc0d

Welcome to the Lunchtime Reader, where we assemble important stories to keep your eyes on.

Pat Archbold is still praying for Christopher Hitchens, an atheist writer who passed away this morning. [Correction: he died last night.] http://is.gd/uOtopL

Our own Thomas Peters encouraged Catholics to pray for Hitchens when word first broke out about his cancer back in 2010. http://is.gd/ZODe9L

Planned Parenthood loses $130K in taxpayer funding in Wisconsin. http://is.gd/eZSErC

Virginia allows faith-based adoption groups freedom of conscience. http://is.gd/lQPK0z

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley endorses Romney. http://is.gd/xC3kYA

This National Review editorial against Newt Gingrich caused quite a stir yesterday. http://is.gd/KgO44O

52% say Obama doesn’t deserve re-election, while 42% say he deserves another term. http://is.gd/OFp8Yp

Ohio moved up its presidential primary to Super Tuesday and this will help Romney. http://is.gd/aESMG2

CV blogger Joseph Bottum writes about football star Tim Tebow at Hudson New York. http://is.gd/DYutAa

Speaking of Tebow, he told his critics that he won’t back off talking about Jesus Christ. http://is.gd/gMxAmk