Anyone who thought Rick Santorum’s support of Mitt Romney mattered is sorely mistaken—at least according to social media, where the former Massachusetts governor has yet to see an endorsement bump. In fact, the move may have only disappointed Santorum’s own fans, many of whom have taken to Facebook to voice their displeasure.
Normally following any major shake up in the race someone on social media sees a spike in traffic. But not this time. It appears that the only bump Santorum has provided Romney was when he dropped out. Soon after that happened, Romney was gaining an average of 3,000 new likes every day. Most of that could be attributed to Republicans realizing that Romney was going to be the nominee.
Although Romney’s numbers have remained relatively strong since then (according to Facebook, he’s been gaining anywhere from 25,000 to 35,000 new fans a week since early April), he’s seen no major boost since Santorum endorsed him earlier in the week.
Oddly enough, both candidates did little to promote the endorsement. Santorum emailed his supporters in the middle of the night and then posted a link on Facebook early Tuesday. Meanwhile, Romney only mentioned the endorsement on Twitter.
The response to Santorum’s Facebook post was mixed. Many people posted about throwing their support behind Ron Paul (who seems to have fans wherever one travels on the Internet), while many others voiced disappointment. Some called him a “sell out,” while others posted, “Why Rick, why?”
“On March 25, 2012 you said he was ‘The worst Republican in the country.’” Bill Masters wrote.
“That is sick,” Heather MacAulay added. “Those who voted for you and not Romney did so because they were sticking to their convictions. Do you think we are going to follow you when you don’t? No way! I will NOT vote for Romney. I may as well vote for Obama.”
Some suspected that Santorum was only doing what he was supposed to do for the good of the party and more said it was the only way he could pay off his campaign debt. Others said it was Santorum’s way of getting ready for 2016, if Romney were to lose in the fall.
Regardless of what it was, it hasn’t won Santorum any fans. In fact, according to data from his own Facebook page, Santorum hasn’t gained any new fans in more than a week.
Photo via Facebook