Who do religious conservatives turn to now that Santorum is out?

Rick Santorum announced yesterday that lack of necessary funds was the main reason he dropped out of the presidential race, according to a USA TODAY article, and is now racing to erase his campaign debt. But Santorum isn't the only person who will have to attract support to survive the long haul. Mitt Romney will now need to draw in what was a large part of a Santorum’s supporting demographic—the traditional, religious college conservative.

Vince Tornero, host of The College Conservative’s official radio show, True Conviction, and a communications major at Ohio State University, has a lot to say about the matter. Tornero recently wrote an editorial for The College Conservative, Barf: Santorum Out. Romney In. Convince Me., describing his hesitation to drop everything and support Romney as the nominee.

Below, Tornero expands upon why college conservatives should be wary of Romney and who their support should lie with as November approaches:

How should student conservatives react to Santorum's drop-out -- should they put their differences aside and rally around Romney so a Republican can be in office or should they stand by their values and refuse to vote for him?

Young conservatives should be frustrated with the race for president, but at least try to be optimistic. They should be frustrated because our eventual nominee is a man who has switched his mind on key issues like abortion, gun [control] and the like. Mitt Romney will be attacked with the words "flip flop" -- just like John Kerry was in 2004. Romney is a weak conservative. I would also hope that young conservatives would be optimistic because there is still a lot to learn about Romney and I believe he knows the seriousness about beating Obama in November.

Young conservatives should think long and hard about voting for Romney. No vote - especially when voting for president - should be made without careful consideration. Should they not vote for Romney? I don't think I'd go as far as to say "no," but no one should vote for him simply based on his party affiliation.

In your article you write that you're not convinced yet about Romney. Do you think this is how the majority of college conservatives feel? What will it take be convinced?

I think most college conservatives are ready to vote for the Republican candidate. During the primary, many of us had our candidate we supported. But at this point, I think many are ready for the general election to begin and to focus on the White House.

In order for Romney to convince me, he is going to have to prove that he is a solid conservative on all the issues. I'm not going to accept a weak conservative who will do long term damage to the conservative cause and the country. I am sick and tired of having candidates who are trotted out like they are the perfect candidate when that candidate doesn't exist. The facts are Romney is not perfect and he has to prove he is a strong conservative. When he does that, I might vote for him.

What can Mitt Romney do to gain favor with religious college conservatives?

Frankly, Romney should ignore his religion. So many people have a bone to pick with Mitt because he is Mormon. Do I care he belongs to the LDS -- no. Do many people care? Yes. It’s a huge issue -- a massive issue.

Many religions have many similarities. If he must mention the "m-word," Romney should take to the commonalities of his Mormon faith and use those to connect with those of other religious backgrounds.

Is there any potential for Romney to pick a more traditionally conservative VP? Would this help him gain your support?

As a Christian-Conservative, I don't care if Romney ran with the Virgin Mary on a ticket. I still wouldn't vote for him. Even if he picked the most conservative and pure vice-presidential candidate, it wouldn't make much of a difference for me. Earlier in the primary, I supported Herman Cain. If it was a Romney/Cain ticket, I still would have a hard time.

Is this a time for college conservatives to band together to get any Republican in the White House come November or would Romney be worse than Obama?

Just about anybody is better than Obama. So, does that mean Romney is better than Obama? Maybe. As I wrote in my column, what concerns me is that Romney will water down the meaning of conservatism. That will do severe damage to our cause as the meaning of conservatism drifts to the center-left.

I want to vote for Romney and just may come November. It's just going to take a lot of work and a lot of thought.

Samantha Glavin is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY College Correspondent. Learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.