It’s hard to believe the Republican primary season has only formally been underway for less than two months. At the time of this writing, we are exactly one week from the Arizona and Michigan primary, and two weeks from the decisive “Super Tuesday” primaries. In just fourteen days, we may well have a de facto nominee for the Republican presidential ticket.

And it’s my opinion that the man that will emerge as the GOP candidate will be Rick Santorum.

Anyone who has followed me on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook will know I’ve been a supporter of Santorum since before Iowa, although I admit I had doubts about his odds at winning the nomination. Then, as now, Mitt Romney had a king’s ransom to pay for his campaign. Then, as now, Ron Paul enjoyed the most vocal and fanatic supporters. I thought then, as I do now, that both were terribly flawed candidates, and I waited for another challenger to emerge.

We watched as Herman Cain bumbled his way through interviews and sex scandals on his way out of the election, and grimaced as Rick Perry botched debate opportunities before a national audience. And even after all that, I don’t think any of us expected to see Rick Santorum win Iowa.

In the month following the initial primaries, the field has thinned, and now there are four. Romney remains as vulnerable as ever, and has seen his lead evaporate to the point where he can now no longer be considered the front-runner. Paul has won nothing, and will win nothing as he continues his campaign thanks only to the loose wallets of his legion of deluded devotees. Gingrich remains, buoyed by a lone win in South Carolina and the hope that Georgia and a few other southern states will keep him alive long enough to outlast one or two of the remaining candidates.

But if Santorum wins Michigan and Arizona, it is all but over. Only an overwhelming number of victories on Super Tuesday could restore Gingrich or Romney, and that is unlikely. Santorum has all the momentum since sweeping the last group of primaries in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado. He’ll be heading into Super Tuesday having won four, and possibly five, of the last five elections, and could win as many as eight of the ten on that critical day (assuming Romney and Gingrich take each state where they have enjoyed lengthy incumbency – Massachusetts and Georgia).

Rick Santorum is going to win big over the next few weeks, and will be the Republican nominee. I am now sure of this, and we couldn’t ask for a better outcome.

Late this afternoon, I received an e-mail from the Santorum campaign notifying me of a rally to be held at 5:30 this evening at the El-Zaribah Shrine Auditorium in Phoenix. It was late notice, and I presume most who follow the Santorum campaign were similarly notified. This was welcome news, as I had missed the opportunity to attend the Lincoln Day Lunch earlier today (where Santorum was also scheduled to speak) because I had to work. Thanks to the close proximity to my office and an extremely understanding wife, I had a second chance to see the candidate speak in person.

There’s great value in attending a live event for a Presidential candidate, or any political candidate, for that matter. You have the opportunity to see the man in his element, and witness a little more than what is packaged for television.

What I saw was authenticity. Rick Santorum took the podium and spoke for a solid hour before a crowd that had been hastily assembled at an event that was likely scheduled with less than four hours’ notice, and he did it without notes and without teleprompters. He spoke extemporaneously on topics ranging from economics to foreign policy with both authority and a tangible plan of action. He spoke with conviction and with a depth and breadth of knowledge on domestic and international politics that impressed, and even educated, at least one fervent political enthusiast.

By now, you’ve likely seen at least one of the twenty debates that he’s spoken in, and at least one of the many interviews he’s done. Santorum is every bit the man you see on television. In an election where we can, and must, battle an incumbent on integrity, on the economy, on health care, on constitutional government, and on foreign policy, it behooves us to select a champion that can defeat that incumbent on every field. Romney can’t. Paul can’t. Gingrich can’t.

Santorum can. He has the record to run on. He has the wit and the guile to go toe-to-toe with a hostile media and a well-funded Democrat. And I believe he would absolutely dismantle Barack Obama in a Presidential debate.

Much has been made about whether Santorum has the ability to motivate voters outside of the socially conservative base that will no doubt embrace him. The fact is, while Santorum does not shrink from his morality, he is making this election about a lot more than that, and that excites a very diverse group of voters. His ability to not only identify the problems we face as a nation, but to also present detailed and coherent solutions is what really sets him apart from the likes of Romney and Gingrich. He doesn’t just preach liberty and small government; he is convicted to the cause, and he has the rust-belt credentials to back it up.

That he is morally conservative is just a bonus. As much as the liberal media would like to make you think otherwise, being a devout Christian doesn’t keep you from being successful or popular in America. Just ask Tim Tebow or Jeremy Lin.

I suggest you watch the debate on the 22nd. If you live in Arizona, get out and vote in the primary on the 28th. Put Rick Santorum firmly on the road to the White House. We already tried electing a President who told us we should believe in him. Now let’s elect a President who believes in us.

Franklin N. Brown is a Republican Precinct Committeeman in Arizona CD12, and blogs at http://nobletimes.com