Romney camp: We’ll win Idaho

On the campaign trail with Felicia Sonmez

As Rick Santorum makes two campaign stops in the Super Tuesday state of Idaho, two top surrogates for Mitt Romney are pushing back, making their case for the former Massachusetts governor in a conference call with reporters on Tuesday.

Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R). (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)“Quite frankly, I think Idaho loves Mitt Romney,” Idaho Gov. Butch Otter (R) told reporters on the call.

He was joined by Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), who predicted that Romney would win the Gem State’s March 6 caucuses.

“I am confident that Mitt Romney will take all of the votes in Idaho,” Risch said.

Santorum makes stops today in Coeur d’Alene and Boise, with an eye toward wooing social conservative voters.

Idaho – which four years ago held a primary in May – switched its presidential contest this year to a caucus in order to get an earlier spot on the nominating calendar.

Rep. Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) campaign has tended to outperform other candidates when it comes to primaries, and Risch noted Tuesday that he believes Paul will do better in the Idaho caucuses than he has tended to do in primary contests.

“He does better in the caucuses, and he will do better in the caucus in Idaho,” Risch said of Paul. “Mitt Romney will win the caucus in Idaho.”

Four years ago, even though Idaho’s primary had taken place long after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) had clinched the nomination, Paul still made an impressive showing: he took 24 percent of the vote to McCain’s 70 percent.

Santorum – like former House speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Paul – has touted himself on the trail as the conservative alternative to Romney. On Tuesday, both Otter and Risch fired back, defending the former Massachusetts governor’s conservative credentials.

”My analysis is much different,” Otter said when asked about Santorum’s argument. “I think the most consistent conservative, not only in his governance, not only in his business affairs, but also in almost every aspect that I know Mitt Romney – I believe he is the most conservative of the candidates.”

Risch said that he had “no difficulty with Mitt Romney’s credentials.”

“We have always believed in the Republican Party that we should elect the most conservative Republican that can possibly be elected,” he said, echoing an argument made Monday by another Romney surrogate, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.).