FORMER SENATOR and Republican candidate Rick Santorum said he could fare better against rival Newt Gingrich on Florida’s “neutral turf” than in “Newt’s backyard” of South Carolina.
“Leading into Florida yesterday we were sitting in second place in Florida,” Mr Santorum said in an interview with CNN’s State of the Union.
While “Florida is a tough state for everybody”, it represents an opportunity for him because he is a “solid conservative”, the former senator said.
Mr Santorum came third in South Carolina, winning 17 per cent of the vote, followed by US representative Ron Paul with 13 per cent.
The next primary will be held in Florida on January 31st.
“I would disagree with Newt that he is the conservative standard bearer,” said Mr Santorum. “He is a very high-risk candidate.”
In a separate interview on ABC’s This Week, Mr Santorum said he would allay the concerns of voters who were not satisfied with Mitt Romney or Mr Gingrich.
“A lot of conservatives are very concerned about the choice between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich because, in their opinion and in mine, that’s not a choice between a conservative and a moderate,” Mr Santorum said.
“It’s a choice between a moderate and an erratic conservative, someone who on a lot of the major issues has been just wrong.”
Meanwhile, former Florida governor Jeb Bush said he would remain neutral in the state’s primary. – (Bloomberg)