Target on Santorum as Republican presidential hopefuls face off

Feb 23, 2012, 4:44 GMT

Washington - Conservative Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum came under harsh criticism from his rivals, who said he is unfit to carry the party against Democrat Barack Obama in November elections.

At a debate Wednesday, Santorum's critics sought to portray him as a big-spending, long-time politician.

Santorum has surged, seemingly out of nowhere after a narrow win in the Iowa caucuses that kicked off the series of state-by-state party nominating contests, to become the chief conservative rival to Mitt Romney with wins in several small state votes this month and a lead in national opinion surveys.

Romney is seeking to shore up his campaign ahead of primaries Tuesday in Michigan and Arizona and March 6's 'Super Tuesday,' when 11 states make their picks for the party nominee.

Romney, long seen as the party's heir apparent, has failed to boost his own support as a series of conservative rivals have risen to the top of opinion polls in bids to overtake him in the nomination race.

Santorum has even pulled slightly ahead of Romney in Michigan opinion surveys in a potential large blow to Romney, who grew up in the state where his father was an automobile executive and governor.

Romney, along with fellow candidates Newt Gingrich, a former speaker of the House of Representatives, and Ron Paul, a Texas congressman, pointed to Santorum's support for pet projects in his home state while a senator from Pennsylvania and took aim at his voting record.

'When I was fighting for the Olympics, you were fighting for the 'bridge to nowhere',' Romney said to Santorum, pointing to a project in Alaska that became the poster child for wasteful government spending.

Santorum defended himself by saying, 'We had a strong record in a state where its tough to be a conservative' and pointing to work for voters who demanded he take action on issues such as healthcare for the poor and elderly.

The former senator, known for his socially conservative views on issues such as opposition to abortion and gay marriage, attacked Romney on the healthcare reforms he undertook as governor of Massachusetts, saying they made him unfit to challenge Obama, who instituted similar reforms that are unpopular with many Republicans.

Romney has been accused by his rivals of being too moderate to represent the conservative party, but he again sought to use the debate to bolster his credentials, pointing to his time in business as key to his brand of conservatism.

Romney earlier on Wednesday unveiled a tax plan that would include a 20-per-cent, across-the-board cut in US income taxes. Romney, who had a long career in the venture capital business before winning a term as Massachusetts governor, has touted his business experience to revive the economy and sought to paint a sharp contrast with Obama, who hopes to raise taxes on the highest-earning Americans.