Discord in G.O.P. as Conservatives Air Differences
With new calls on Monday for Republicans to rally around Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee, some conservatives showed new signs of fracturing despite a vote over the weekend by religious leaders to coalesce behind Rick Santorum as an anti-Romney alternative.
Jon M. Huntsman Jr., the moderate former governor of Utah whose candidacy did not live up to its early promise, dropped out of the race on Monday and endorsed Mr. Romney, saying, “It is now time for our party to unite around the candidate best equipped to defeat Barack Obama.”
“Despite our differences and the space between us on some of the issues, I believe that candidate is Governor Mitt Romney,” Mr. Huntsman said.
But his call for unity came as evangelical leaders, intent on blocking Mr. Romney’s path to the nomination, showed new divisions after appearing on Saturday to have settled on Mr. Santorum as their conservative choice. Four conservative Christian leaders who attended a meeting of evangelicals in Texas asserted their independence, issuing a statement on Monday that said, “Many there were and still are for Newt Gingrich.”
full: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/17/us/politics/discord-among-conservatives-as-romney-picks-up-steam.html