Tony Perkins, president of the socially-conservative Family Research Council, said Wednesday that presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney must adopt the conservative message of his former competitor Rick Santorum if he wants to gain the support of conservatives.
Perkins was a prominent supporter of the former Pennsylvania senator, who suspended his campaign Tuesday. “I think Rick would admit this himself — this was not about Rick Santorum,” Perkins told CNN,
Politico reports.
Santorum would probably acknowledge that he wasn’t the best messenger to present his message, Perkins said. But the fact that Santorum was so successful nonetheless “emphasizes the power of the message that he had,” Perkins said.
“That’s what energized and enthused people, so I think, first off, if Mitt Romney wants to capture some of that support that Rick Santorum gained, with very little money based solely upon his message, then Mitt Romney needs to pick up that message.”
Romney needs to show complete support for a strong conservative agenda “not just when he’s asked in debates or cornered by a reporter to say, ‘yes, I’m pro-life’ or, ‘yes, I support marriage,’ but intertwine that in his message of, ‘yes, if we want smaller government and a stronger economy we’ve got to have strong and healthy families.’”
If Romney turns in a more moderate direction, “we are not going there,” Perkins said.
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