Rick Santorum stunned Mitt Romney and the rest of the nation on Tuesday night with a three state sweep. Santorum was declared the winner of the Colorado caucus with 40.2%, the Minnesota caucus with 44.8%, and the Missouri primary with 55.2% of the votes.

Though Romney is still ahead in the delegate count, the Republican candidate's victories showed that the GOP presidential contest is no longer a two-man race (between Romney and Gingrich).

The three-for-three finish marked the best night of Santorum's campaign since Iowa, in which he was belatedly declared the winner.

Santorum said at his victory rally in Missouri that the night's results showed conservatism is "alive and well." Santorum used the victories to build his case that the Republicans need a nominee who can demonstrate "sharp contrasts" with President Obama -- something he claims the other candidates cannot do.

Santorum went after Romney, accusing him of holding the "same positions" as the president on several issues, but largely glossed over the other GOP candidates in his remarks.

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