Santorum Says ‘We Are in This Thing’; Campaign to Stay ‘Lean and Mean’
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ABC News(STEUBENVILLE, Ohio) — Although Mitt Romney came out as the apparent winner in Ohio’s primary Tuesday night, GOP contender Rick Santorum proclaimed earlier to a boisterous crowd gathered in the gym of Steubenville High School, “We are in this thing!”
“It is clear. We have run races all over this country, against the odds. When they thought ok he is finally finished, we keep coming back,” Santorum said to cheers.
“This was a big night tonight,” Santorum said. “We’re going to win a few, we’re going to lose a few. But as it looks right now, we are going to get at least a couple of gold medals and a whole passel full of silver medals,” using the Olympics language usually used by Romney.
“We can add to Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Colorado, now Oklahoma and Tennessee. We have won in the West, the Midwest and the South, and we’re ready to win across this country,” Santorum said.
It was clearly a good night for Santorum, who not only won at least three states — North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee — but will continue his underdog battle for the nomination.
Hogan Gidley, Santorum’s national communications director, called a head-to-head match up with Santorum Romney’s “worst nightmare.” He added that no matter how much money Santorum raises the campaign will stay “lean and mean.”
“That’s the way he likes it,” Gidley said, referring to Santorum. “We will continue to staff up…but we will never be the beaureaucratic behemoth the Romney campaign is.”
As the Super Tuesday results came in overnight, Romney appeared to be the winner in Ohio. The former Massachusetts governor also won in Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont, Idaho and Alaska. Newt Gingrich took his home state of Georgia.
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