In this file photo, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum speaks at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis, Friday, April 13, 2012.
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has said he's looking forward to campaigning with Rick Santorum by his side someday soon.
Apparently, today is a little too soon for Santorum.
The former U.S. senator, who last week quit his campaign for the GOP's presidential nomination, unexpectedly and without explanation backed out of a planned appearance with Romney and Newt Gingrich at a Lancaster County Republican Committee banquet tonight.
The decision took party officials by surprise.
"I can tell you that while we're disappointed that he can't make it to our event, we're more disappointed at the lack of communication," said Justin Quinn, the county GOP's executive director. "We had to make a bunch of calls ... to get an answer from what's left of the campaign."
The Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era left phone and email messages for three senior Santorum campaign officials in Pennsylvania. None of them replied.
"We still have a great lineup. We have Mitt Romney, we have Newt Gingrich, and we're going to go forward with two fantastic speakers," Quinn said.
The banquet, an annual fundraiser for the party, is being held at the Lancaster County Convention Center in downtown Lancaster. About 1,100 people are expected.
Visit LancasterOnline.com for live coverage of the event beginning around 6 p.m. tonight.
Gingrich, the former House speaker from Georgia, will make a second stop in the county with a week to go until the Pennsylvania primary, it was announced Monday. Gingrich will speak Wednesday morning at a public event on the campus of Millersville University.
The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 11:15 a.m. in the Lehr Room of Millersville's Gordinier Hall in the Bolger Conference Center.
Gingrich's appearance on campus is sponsored by the Robert and Sue Walker Center for Civic Responsibility and Leadership. He also will be speaking to a government class, an event that is not open to the public.
Robert Walker, of Manheim Township, is a former congressman and Millersville alumnus who is serving as a senior adviser to Gingrich and running his presidential campaign.
Walker's wife, Sue, who died in May 2008, also was a Millersville graduate. Robert Walker contributed $250,000 for the creation of the center.
Gingrich has said he is remaining in the race for the nomination despite Romney's growing delegate lead.
Pennsylvania's primary is April 24.
Recent polls had shown Romney locked in a dead-heat with Santorum in Pennsylvania, forcing the former senator to either end his campaign or risk the possibility of losing his home state — a humiliating defeat many felt would carry long-term consequences for his political future.
Santorum has made several public appearances since quitting the race one week ago, including a fundraiser in Ephrata and discussion with James Dobson at Lancaster Bible College.
He gave the Lancaster County GOP no reason to believe he wouldn't show up for tonight's event, which has been in the works for weeks.
But party chairman Ethan Demme got an email Monday afternoon from Brian Nutt, Santorum's political director in the state, informing him Santorum would not be attending the banquet.
"I know there are people who are going to be upset," Quinn said. "We're encouraging them to still come because Romney has a message that they're going to want to hear."
