Santorum Blasts Romney in New South Carolina Ad - East Idaho News
News

Santorum Blasts Romney in New South Carolina Ad

  Published at

GETTY P 011712 RomneySantorumDebate?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1326794637293Win McNamee/Getty Images(MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.) — Though he pledged earlier in the day to keep his campaign “above board,” and not go negative, Rick Santorum on Monday unveiled a bitingly critical new campaign ad that portrays rival Mitt Romney and President Obama as political clones.

“Obama supported the Wall Street bailouts… So did Romney,” the ad says over photos of the president and the former Massachusetts governor.  “Obama gave us radical ‘Obamacare,’ that was based on ‘Romneycare.’  Obama’s a liberal on social issues.  Romney once bragged he’s even more liberal than Ted Kennedy on social issues.  Why would we ever vote for someone who is just like Obama — when we can unite around Rick Santorum and beat Obama?”

With six days to go before voters go to the polls in South Carolina, the campaign unleashed its first negative ad.  Earlier television spots focused on his conservative credentials and close family life.

Monday morning at campaign stop in Columbia, S.C., Santorum addressed the negative ads a pro-Romney super PAC is running against him in this state, and was asked specifically whether he would respond in kind.

“What you’ve seen me on the campaign is what I’m going to do on our advertising, which is to talk about my record, if I’m going to juxtapose it versus how I’ve voted or what I believe that I’ve done here versus others,” Santorum said at the Lizard’s Thicket restaurant.  “I’ll do that, but I’m not going to go out there and misrepresent someone’s record for political purposes.  I don’t do that, I don’t believe in it.

“The people of South Carolina deserve an honorable campaign, someone who goes out and tells the truth, someone who talks about their record and juxtaposes it with someone else on a factual basis, and we are going to do that, as we have in this campaign, and we’re going to keep it above board, we’re going to keep it about issues, not about things that clearly are intended to mislead the people of South Carolina,” he said.

An ad running in the Palmetto State sponsored by the super PAC Restore Our Future hits Santorum on earmarks and accuses him of “voting to allow convicted felons vote.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SUBMIT A CORRECTION