Now can Santorum dethrone Paul as young people's candidate?

Well, you've got your answer, Wesley. Romney has had every opportunity, in hard cash and ad buys, to seal the deal with Republican voters...and he remains incapable of doing so.

Rick Santorum, the Keystone State's once obscure U.S. Senator, swept tonight's vote in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. A dramatic trifecta that thrusts Republicans back in the zigzagging roller-coaster that has been their nominating process this year.

Middle-class conservative voters, including the party's young minds, are coalescing around Santorum. In the wake of recent polls showing him neck-and-neck with Obama in a November general election contest, Republicans could well nominate Santorum as the electable alternative to Romney. 

Your commentary on Ron Paul was also right on the mark. He ain't going anywhere soon, per his second-place finish in Minnesota's caucuses. He quite possibly will have as many delegates as a second-place Santorum or Romney. I still doubt, however, that translates into influence over party doctrine, in the short or long term.

Gingrich, who didn't even qualify for the Missouri ballot, could be finished, for real this time. 

Santorum, who has won more contests than Romney now (4:3), is poised to be the GOP comeback kid. He is likelier to excite both mainstream Republicans unhappy with their Romney's candidacy as well as young conservative activists.

And despite his remarks that college shouldn't necessarily be in every young person's future, Santorum's populist roots make him more attractive to your average young voter who is hungry for a populist message this campaign. (You may recall his disagreement with Gingrich...arguing that a wealthy Romney should pay something of a fair share of taxes.)

Tonight, we already know more about Santorum and Gingrich's political legacies. Wesley, bear in mind, all of the numbers are not in. But let me ask you a question, in terms of sheer demographics, so you can report them tomorrow for our readers:

How did each candidate fare, respectively, in terms of the youth vote, in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri?