Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum has surged in the Republican presidential contest with wins in the Minnesota and Colorado caucuses, as well as a nonbinding primary in Missouri. Santorum claimed nearly 45 percent of the vote in Minnesota, with Ron Paul coming in second at about 27 percent, and Romney taking third with about 17 percent. In Colorado, Santorum beat Romney by about five percentage points. At the end of the night, Santorum addressed supporters in Missouri.

Rick Santorum: “Wow! Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota. I hope you have been listening to our message, because if you listen to our message and you found out that on those issues—healthcare, the environment, cap and trade, and on the Wall Street bailouts—Mitt Romney has the same positions as Barack Obama and in fact would not be the best person to come up and fight for your voices for freedom in America.”

The wins are expected to revive Santorum’s floundering campaign and pose a new challenge to Republican front-runner and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Speaking in Denver, Romney congratulated Santorum but vowed to win the race.

Mitt Romney: “This was a good night for Rick Santorum. I want to congratulate Senator Santorum, wish him the very best. We’ll keep on campaigning down the road. But I expect to become our nominee with your help. So, I want to congratulate all of my fellow Republicans, particularly Senator Santorum, and I look forward to the contest to come.”

The Republican contest shifts to Maine this weekend before Arizona and Michigan later this month and the Super Tuesday contests in early March.