Republican presidential candidates continue battle

Shortly after ringing in 2012, Republican presidential candidates continue battling one another in what may be the most intense primary season that politics has seen in years.

When the Iowa Caucuses were held Jan. 3, the nation witnessed exciting and jolting results. Rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum waged a down-to-the-wire war for the victory, but Romney ultimately won the battle by eight votes. Yes, you read correctly. He won by eight votes, making it the closest caucus in history.

In one of the most surprising revelations, Ron Paul came in a close third by capturing 21.4 percent of the vote (26,000 votes). This was not Paul's first pony ride in the Iowa Caucus. In 2008, Paul vied for the Republican nomination and only garnered 11,000 votes in Iowa.

The night was not exceptional for every candidate, however. Michele Bachmann suspended her campaign the following day.

The New Hampshire primary was held one week later, and to no one's surprise, Romney easily pulled a victory by capturing 40 percent of the vote. Paul came in a distant second.

Unless Newt Gingrich or Rick Perry can accomplish an unforeseen triumph in South Carolina, the Republican field is projected to narrow down to three candidates—Romney, Paul and Santorum—but what does this mean for the GOP?

As a fellow conservative, I continue to see a major divide in the GOP. It can be easily determined by examining not only the top three candidates' divergent ideologies, but also their respective supporters.

First on the docket is Mitt Romney. He is the obvious front-runner of all the candidates. Romney's career has stemmed from the private sector; he was Governor of Massachusetts. He also has the wealthiest campaign. The bulk of his supporters identify themselves as moderate Republicans or Independents.

Next is Ron Paul. The majority of television networks and pundits cast him aside as an unelectable candidate while dismissing his candidacy altogether, but lately the representative from Texas has garnered more air time for his rising grassroots support. His message of liberty and freedom is resonating with his supporters, which are greatly made up of Libertarians—young college students and Tea Party activists.

Finally, Rick Santorum is the new candidate with frontrunner status. He didn't become popular until a few days before the Iowa Caucus. His supporters are identified as evangelical conservatives, meaning that they desire a candidate with Christian values.  

The three candidates couldn't be more opposites. During the debates, the only item they seem to agree on is the willingness to defeat Barrack Obama. However, there is no sense of unity among them and their supporters, and without that, Obama will be a two-term president.

In the coming months, Republicans must work together to inspire voters to believe the conservative message. Voter turnout in Iowa and New Hampshire was lower than in 2008. The GOP has to drive voters to the polls, not by deploying smear tactics at each other, but by progressing the conservative message.

However, in order to have a shot at defeating Barrack Obama, the GOP must successfully complete three things:

1. Take a lesson from Ronald Reagan: Don't attack fellow Republican nominees.

2. Convince voters to support and rock the vote for the eventual nominee.

3. Make sure there is no chance in Hades that Donald Trump will run as a third-party candidate.