Republicans in three states take center stage in weighing in on presidential race

By Bobby Caina Calvan, Globe Staff

DENVER -- Mitt Romney is hoping to tamp down a resurgent Rick Santorum today, as Republicans in three states -- Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri -- take center stage on a presidential contest brimming with political drama. Maine continues its caucus voting through Saturday.

Some analysts predict that Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, could do well enough in Minnesota and Missouri in today’s voting to pull out a win against Romney and his other rivals. Santorum aides say they are under no illusion of winning Colorado, but expressed optimism that he would place a solid second.

It would be a dramatic turnaround for Santorum, who seemed to quickly fade out of contention after his razor-thin victory in the Iowa caucuses.

Romney made an appearance this morning at a snowy recreational-vehicle dealership north of Denver. Last night, he held a raucous rally at a high school gymnasium attended by more than 2,000 supporters.

Gingrich is spending the day in Ohio, a key state in next month’s Super Tuesday balloting, after campaigning here yesterday.

Santorum, hoping to boost his chances here, flew in from Minnesota overnight to hold a caucus-day rally in Colorado Springs. He and Texas Representative Ron Paul have spent the most time in Colorado campaigning. Santorum was scheduled to return to Minnesota later in the day, where some predict he could beat Romney and two other rivals. Santorum is a favorite of evangelicals and tea party activists skeptical of Romney’s conservative credentials.

The scarcity of reliable polling data makes it difficult to predict the outcome of today’s contests, all non-binding. Caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota are merely a prelude to the delegate selection that occur in the coming months, while the primary in Missouri is widely considered an early beauty contest.

Unlike other early voting states, the campaign in Colorado has been a low-key affair, with candidates barely kicking up any snow. No fiery debates. And perhaps more significantly, the airwaves have been mostly devoid of the ads spewing the kind of vitriol that has dominated the campaign thus far.

As a sign of the growing threat from Santorum, however, the Romney campaign in recent days has begun to target Santorum, as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Romney is expected to finish strong in Colorado, where he handily won caucuses four years ago. It would be a major upset if he were to lose here. The open question is whether Santorum can keep it close.

A weak showing by Romney in Colorado, a key battleground state in November’s general election, could further raise questions about his ability to generate a devoted following within his party.

Turnout in Colorado is expected to fall between 50,000 and 60,000 -- far behind the 70,000 that turned out four years ago when Romney beat Senator John McCain of Arizona, the eventual nominee.

Tea party activists in all three states have found themselves torn over supporting a candidate closer to their conservative values or one the establishment sees as more likely to beat President Obama in the fall.