Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says the fact that front-runners Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney are resorting to seething personal attacks displays “weakness in both their candidacies.” The former Pennsylvania senator also told Fox News his chances might not be good in Florida, but he is in good financial shape and reiterated the race is far from over and he is sticking it out.
“It’s just showing the weakness in both their candidacies — I mean, you don’t see them talking about the issues — they’re not going back and forth on the issues,” Santorum told Greta Van Susteren. “They’re going back and forth on personal attacks, and baggage that each of them have, and problems that each of them have.
“And that’s why I’ve been saying from the very beginning: Let’s look at who the best candidate is to take on Barack Obama and make him the issue in this race,” he said. “We don’t need a candidate who is going to come with a suitcase full of problems — that the media and Barack Obama will spend billions of dollars to beat up on. What we need is someone who’s a strong conservative who’s got clear contrasts with President Obama to be able to go out and take it to him instead of having it the other way around.”
Van Susteren noted that Florida, which has several large media markets, does not bode well for Santorum’s style of retail campaigning and competing in the state requires massive amounts of money. The former Pennsylvania senator concurred.
“Florida was tough challenge for us — but you know, we’re out there — we’re delivering our message,” he said. “We’ve had a couple a fund-raisers down here that have been very, very successful. We’re going to come out of Florida in a pretty good financial position.
“This is the fourth state of 50-plus because you got territories and other places are going to vote — and we’re going to go out and compete in all of them,” Santorum continued. “We believe that as this campaign goes on that we’re going to do very, very well — and we’re going to have our opportunity to be able to rise and win states and take this nomination.
“I have no doubt that as the American public goes through this primary process and looks at the candidates, who has best chance of beating Obama, who has the conviction and the . . . fortitude and courage to be able to take it and drive this country in the right direction, they’re going to head in our direction,” he said.
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