Santorum ad targets Romney’s ‘mud’ in Michigan

Rick Santorum’s campaign is up with a new ad in Michigan going negative on Mitt Romney and accusing him of “firing mud at” Santorum.

The ad, titled “Rombo,” features a Romney lookalike roving around an empty building wielding a gun that fires mud-filled paint balls. It accuses Romney and his supporters of running a multimillion-dollar negative campaign.

At the same time, the ad takes a few swipes of its own at the former Massachusetts governor — notably on health care and climate change.

“Romney and his super PAC have spent a staggering $20 million brutally attacking fellow Republicans,” the narrator says. “Why? Because Romney’s trying to hide from his big-government Romneycare and his support for job-killing cap and trade.”

Yesterday, Santorum’s campaign released a positive ad in the Wolverine State.

Romney’s campaign said Santorum has been more negative than it has been.

“He has been attacking Mitt Romney in his public statements and in television ads for weeks, not vice versa,” Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul said. “Mitt Romney is focused on his plans to cut government spending, stand up to big labor bosses and get Americans back to work.”

The battle in Michigan’s Feb. 28 primary has ramped up quickly. The super PAC supporting Romney is already up with its own negative ad there and in Arizona and Ohio hitting Santorum for supporting earmarks and being a “big spender.”