Will Rick Santorum drop out of the race rather than lose his home state? The Hill:

But one of Santorum's close friends told The Hill that while the former Pennsylvania senator remains confident about winning his home state and using that to build May momentum, if that confidence falters, he might exit the race. Pennsylvania state Sen. Jake Corman (R), a longtime friend of Santorum and his family, said if it appeared Santorum wasn't going to win the state, the former senator could drop his campaign.

"He's a realist; he doesn't have his head in the clouds," Corman told The Hill. "As long as he sees a pathway to the nomination he's going to stay in it, but he won't stay in it to prove a point. If he gets to the point where he doesn't think he'll be the nominee, he'll get out."

As if on cue, PPP released their latest poll from Pennsylvania showing Romney surging into the lead:

Mitt Romney's taken the lead in PPP's newest poll of Rick Santorum's home state of Pennsylvania. Romney has 42% to 37% for Santorum with Ron Paul at 9% and Newt Gingrich at 6%. The numbers represent a dramatic turnaround from when PPP polled the state a month ago. Romney's gained 17 points, going from 25% to 42%. Meanwhile Santorum's dropped 6 points from 43% to 37%, for an overall swing of 23 points in the last four weeks.

Pennsylvania Republicans are expressing major doubts about Santorum's viability both in the primary and the general election. Only 36% of GOP voters think Santorum has a realistic chance at the nomination to 54% who believe he does not. And when it comes to matching up against Barack Obama in the fall only 24% of Republicans think Santorum would provide their best chance for a victory while 49% think that designation belongs to Romney.

Actually, Santorum isn't much of a realist. He should have dropped out after his blow out loss in Illinois on March 20. But with his own supporters losing confidence, he might drop out rather than experience a stinging rejection by his home state voters.

Hat Tip: Ed Lasky