US presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has won the contests for the Republican Party nomination in Minnesota, Missouri, and Colorado, the BBC said. Correspondents say Tuesday’s hat trick is a big upset for front-runner Mitt Romney, who has struggled to connect with the party’s conservative base. Santorum told supporters it was a victory for all those “building the conservative movement in this country”. The eventual nominee will face Barack Obama in November’s election. Newt Gingrich hardly campaigned in the three states that voted on Tuesday, and did not even appear on Missouri’s ballot.
