“Disqualified, disqualified, disqualified,” Santorum thundered as he ticked off parts of Romney’s record, including health care, that he claimed would make it impossible for Romney to draw a clear contrast with President Obama in the general election.
“Why would we do that?” Santorum, whose lead in polls in Michigan and nationally has evaporated, asked at the Americans for Prosperity forum. “Why would we nominate someone who is uniquely unqualified to take on the big issues of the day in this election about government control of your life?”
Romney did not pull any punches when he took the same stage about an hour later. He said the former senator from Pennsylvania had been corrupted by Washington’s insider culture and rattled through a slew of instances in which Romney said his opponent had violated his own principles to “take one for the team,” repeating a phrase Santorum used to defend himself in last week’s debate.
Romney questioned Santorum’s endorsement of a fellow Pennsylvanian, Arlen Specter, over more-conservative candidates in the 1996 Republican presidential race.
“There were other conservatives running, like Bob Dole, [but] he didn’t support them,” Romney said. “He supported the pro-choice candidate, Arlen Specter. This ‘taking one for the team,’ that’s business as usual in Washington. We have to have principled, conservative leadership, and I have demonstrated that through my life.”
Santorum received a more enthusiastic response from the audience, underscoring Romney’s continued difficulty in winning over the most conservative voters. But by hammering Romney with such sharp rhetoric — on taxes, climate change, fiscal policy and health care — he seemed to convey concern about Romney’s momentum.
“I didn’t blow in the wind when things were popular with the elite,” Santorum said, “because I don’t come from the elite.”
Asked after the speech why he had been so tough on Romney, Santorum said, “Match fire with fire.”
The candidates were battling for the upper hand ahead of the Michigan primary, which could again reset the tumultuous nominating contest. For Romney, a defeat in his native state would be his most devastating setback yet, while a loss for Santorum could blunt his momentum heading into Super Tuesday on March 6, the most consequential voting day of the primary campaign so far.
Santorum was riding a wave of momentum from a trio of victories this month, but Romney — on the strength of his debate performance and a barrage of television ads that helped divert some attention from his problems to Santorum's record — has erased Santorum’s lead.
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