Romney Looks To Build Lead With Illinois Primary [VIDEO]

There will be no knockout punch, but an increasingly confident Mitt Romney expects to tighten his grasp on the Republican presidential nomination with the Illinois primary.

Romney is surging in Illinois polls after the race was seen as a statistical tie just a week ago. He’s riding momentum from a lopsided weekend victory in Puerto Rico punctuated by apparent missteps from rival rick Santorum on the eve of Tuesday’s Illinois contest.

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Romney’s wife, Ann, has suggested in recent days that Illinois voters could send a strong message that now is the time to coalesce behind one candidate. Romney is eager to move beyond the expensive and extended Republican contest to focus on President Barack Obama in the general election. But he’s struggled to win over skeptical conservatives.

Santorum spending Ill. primary night in Gettysburg

As Illinois Republicans vote in the state’s presidential primary, GOP hopeful Rick Santorum is reconnecting with a son of Illinois who’s remembered for an afternoon spent in Pennsylvania.

Santorum plans to watch Tuesday’s results from Illinois at a campaign party in Gettysburg, Pa., the venue for President Abraham Lincoln’s famous Civil War address.

Santorum had campaigned in Illinois and looks to continue his trend of doing well in rural, conservative areas while largely ceding urban areas to Republican front-runner Mitt Romney.

Santorum aides cast his decision to return to Pennsylvania as a nod to Illinois’ famous son. It’s also a political move, too. Santorum represented Pennsylvania in the House and the Senate, and his aides have said he must do well there to continue a campaign that lags behind Romney’s.

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