CAMPAIGN 2012

Santorum: 'This is a Three-Person Race'

Updated: May 29, 2013 | 11:36 p.m.
January 22, 2012 | 10:18 a.m.

Rick Santorum wants Floridians to know that he’s still in the presidential race.

So went his message on Sunday morning, following a disappointing third place finish in the South Carolina primary where he trailed Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.

“This is a three-person race,” he said on CNN’s State of the Union.

Santorum spent his remaining minutes attacking Romney and Gingrich. On Gingrich, he said that his rival’s campaign is in debt and cast him as the “high risk” candidate who held the wrong values for the Republican Party on key issues such as immigration.

On Romney, Santorum tried to cast him as the out-of-touch rich candidate. “Mitt Romney is no longer the inevitable candidate,” he said. ‘You have to have the inspiring vision for the country. This is not about how much money you have.”

When host Candy Crowley pressed Santorum about his path to the nomination, given his track record in the South Carolina and New Hampshire primaries, he took the long view.

“This race won’t be over in Florida,” he said “It won’t be over on Super Tuesday. It’s basically now a marathon contest for delegates,” he said.

However, speaking on ABC's This Week, Santorum declined to name a specific state in which he would win next, saying only "we're going to have opportunities to win states."

Alexandra Jaffe contributed.

Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.


Leave A Comment
The National Journal Group has the right (but not the obligation) to monitor the comments and to remove any materials it deems inappropriate.
Comments powered by Disqus
Follow National Journal
Related Content
Columns
Josh Kraushaar: Against the Grain

Why Democrats Are Already Jumping Aboard the Hillary Clinton Bandwagon

1:57 p.m.
Claire McCaskill's endorsement was a bow to reality: Democrats don't want to challenge Clinton in 2016.
Charlie Cook: Off to the Races

No Guarantee of a GOP Senate Majority

7:30 p.m.
The disproportionate exposure for the chamber’s Democrats is very clear. But can Republicans capitalize on their opportunities?
Ronald Brownstein: Political Connections

Why We Lack Good Privacy Guidelines

June 13, 2013
Technology innovations have served to strip away privacy. They could also be the key to restoring it.
More Columns »