Santorum, Gingrich and Romney woo conservatives

Associated Press

WASHINGTON

GOP presidential rivals made contrasting appeals to conservatives Friday, with Mitt Romney saying he proved his mettle as Massachusetts governor and Rick Santorum saying Romney is so moderate that electing him would be a “hollow victory.”

Their speeches to the Conservative Political Action Conference came as Santorum tries to convert his surprising caucus wins this week into a resilient, muscular campaign and Romney seeks to convince conservatives that he won’t disappoint them.

Santorum’s tack was unorthodox and perhaps risky. Facing Republicans who desperately want to replace President Barack Obama, Santorum said it’s even more vital to put a conservative crusader into the White House.

“We will no longer abandon and apologize for the policies and principles that made this country great for a hollow victory in November,” he said.

If voters see that as a hint that it’s more important to be ideologically pure than to oust Obama, Santorum may have to explain more fully in the days ahead.

Romney, speaking a few hours later, said his four-year record in Massachusetts proved that he will fight for conservative values against the toughest odds.

“I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism,” he said. Veering briefly from his written text, he called himself “severely conservative.”

But Romney skated past details of his administration that trouble some right-leaning groups, including requiring state residents to obtain health insurance.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich regaled the CPAC audience with his promises to slash government spending painlessly, through business-tested efficiency techniques.

Like Romney and Santorum, he blasted Obama’s contraception policies without delving into details of the latest changes.

“This administration is waging war on religion,” said Gingrich, who grew up as a Protestant but converted to Roman Catholicism. “I frankly don’t care what deal he tries to cut,” he said of Obama. “He will wage war on the Catholic Church the morning after he’s elected. We cannot trust him.”