FOXNews.com: Romney Aims to Boost Delegate Lead in Illinois

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Romney Aims to Boost Delegate Lead in Illinois Mar 20th 2012, 23:57 Mitt Romney is looking to pile onto his delegate lead Tuesday as he hunts for victory in the Illinois Republican primary -- a race that brought new clashes on the economic front between the front-runner and his closest competitor, Rick Santorum.  Polls consistently have shown Romney ahead in the Illinois presidential contest. And operational problems in the Santorum camp have opened the door for Romney to win more delegates on Tuesday, regardless of the outcome.  Because of filing problems, Santorum is ineligible for 10 of the 54 delegates at stake. Romney is positioned for a net delegate gain in Illinois even if he loses.  The former Massachusetts governor, though, is looking for the glory of a big-state victory after Santorum stole the headlines last week with back-to-back wins in Alabama and Mississippi. Romney has steadily built his lead in recent weeks by winning low-key caucuses in U.S. territories, but Santorum's Southern victories helped establish his candidacy as the chief alternative to Romney's.  Exit polls in the state so far show Romney dominating among self-described moderates, as well as voters who view electability as the most important candidate quality. Romney enjoyed 52 percent of support among moderates, compared with 24 percent for Santorum. Santorum was leading among voters who most want their nominee to either have strong moral character or be a "true conservative."  Though Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul continue to campaign, neither campaigned extensively in Illinois.  The two trail in delegates, with Gingrich at 136 and Paul at 50.  Including Romney's victory last weekend in Puerto Rico, the former Massachusetts governor had 522 delegates going into the Illinois voting, according to The Associated Press count. Santorum had 252. It takes 1,144 to win the nomination.  Going into Illinois, Romney and Santorum sparred over their economic credentials.  "Senator Santorum has the same economic lightweight background the president has," Romney said at one point. "We're not going to replace an economic lightweight with another economic lightweight."  Santorum had a tart reply: "If Mitt Romney's an economic heavyweight, we're in trouble."  As Illinois Republicans voted on Tuesday, Romney raised more than $1.3 million at a luncheon in Chicago. He planned an election-night event in nearby Schaumburg, Ill., while Santorum was in Gettysburg, Pa., site of Illinois favorite son Abraham Lincoln's most famous speech.  Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, has been seeking to make up in broadcast interviews what he has lacked in advertising money.  On Monday, his campaign began before sun-up and ended well after dark, including four appearances at rallies around the state, as well as an extraordinary 19 radio and television interviews. He accused Romney anew of putting his signature on a Massachusetts health insurance law that is similar to the one Obama pushed through Congress.  Romney cut short his planned time in Puerto Rico, site of caucuses last weekend, to maximize his time in Illinois. He has eked out victories in other big industrial states over the past few weeks, beginning in Michigan on Feb. 28 and Ohio on March 6.  In Illinois, as in Michigan and Ohio, Romney enjoyed an enormous advantage in TV advertising. His campaign and Restore Our Future, a super PAC that supports him, outspent Santorum and his super PAC by $3.5 million to $500,000, an advantage of 7-1.  Illinois was the 28th state to hold a primary or caucus in the selection of delegates to the nominating convention, about halfway through the calendar of a Republican campaign that has remained competitive longer than most.  A change in party rules to reduce the number of winner-take-all primaries has accounted for the duration of the race. But so has Romney's difficulty in securing the support of the most conservative of the GOP political base. Santorum and Gingrich have struggled to emerge as the front-runner's sole challenger from the right.  Next up is a primary Saturday in Louisiana, where Santorum projects confidence following twin triumphs a week ago in Alabama and Mississippi. There are 25 delegates at stake.  After Louisiana is a three-primary night in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Wisconsin on April 3, with 95 delegates combined at stake.  Santorum is not on the ballot in Washington, D.C., but is ahead in opinion polls in Maryland. Wisconsin -- adjacent to Illinois -- shapes up as the most competitive primary of the night.  The Associated Press contributed to this report. Related Stories Santorum takes ownership of endorsement, says Romney 'undermined' trust

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