“We felt it coming,” Santorum told Fox News’s Fox and Friends, referring to his upset victories in Minnesota, Colorado and Missouri. “We felt that people were understanding that we had the record and the best vision to go up against President Obama. We will make him the issue in this race.”
Although none of Tuesday’s results are binding, Santorum’s triumphs will — at least temporarily — alter the face of the campaign going into the crucial “Super Tuesday” contests.
Romney and his allies have signaled that they will use their financial advantage to launch stepped-up attacks on Santorum and on former House speaker Newt Gingrich, the other main challenger. Gingrich was not on the ballot in Missouri, and he trailed far behind Romney and Santorum in Minnesota and Colorado. Rep. Ron Paul (Tex.) placed second in Minnesota but garnered just 12 percent of the vote in both Colorado and Missouri.
But Santorum said Wednesday that his campaign would compete hard in Michigan on Feb. 28 and in the March 6 “Super Tuesday” states. He said his campaign raised about $250,000 online Tuesday night but insisted that funding alone was not the key to the race.
“If money made the difference, we wouldn’t have won four primaries so far,” Santorum, who also finished eight votes ahead of Romney in the Iowa caucus, told CNN’s Soledad O’Brien. “We’re not running for CEO of this country – we’re running for someone who can lead this country.”
He shrugged off Romney’s recent criticism of himself and Gingrich as politicians tainted by years inside the Beltway, noting that Romney ran for both the Senate and the White House in the past, losing both times. “It’s not that Governor Romney didn’t want to be Senator Romney. He tried to be Senator Romney ... but he lost, and he lost badly,” Santorum said.
He said his defeat by 19 points when he ran for a second Senate term should not be something voters hold against him. “A lot of folks lose races,” Santorum said. “What I didn’t lose, unlike Governor Romney, was my principles. I stood up for what I believed in.”
Romney’s poor showing Tuesday raised anew the question that has dogged his candidacy all along: Can the relatively moderate former Massachusetts governor become an acceptable standard-bearer of a party that is increasingly dominated by evangelical conservatives and tea party activists who have long been skeptical of Romney?
After big wins in Florida and Nevada, Romney had hoped to extend his winning streak as he moved to strengthen his claim to the mantle of presumptive nominee. He enjoyed strong establishment backing in Minnesota, with the vocal support of former governor Tim Pawlenty, yet he trailed not just Santorum but also Paul, finishing a distant third.
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