Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is backing Rick Santorum's Republican presidential bid, defecting from Mitt Romney's camp.
The former U.S. senator made the announcement at a news conference Friday at the Statehouse in Columbus. It marks a switch of loyalties for DeWine, who had endorsed Romney for the job in October.
DeWine said he had initially believed Santorum could not overcome the former Massachusetts governor's financial advantage but now thinks he was wrong.
DeWine served four terms in the House and two terms in the Senate before losing his re-election bid to Sherrod Brown in 2006. He served as chairman of Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign in Ohio and won a close election for state attorney general in 2010.
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