Santorum plans aggressive strategy against Romney

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine

A day after Mitt Romney regained some momentum in the Republican presidential contest, his rival Rick Santorum went on the attack, calling the front-runner “desperate” while promising to compete aggressively to win the state where Romney grew up.

Santorum said Sunday he could do “exceptionally well” in Michigan, where Romney’s father served as governor. The Midwestern state and Arizona host Republican presidential nominating contests Feb. 28.

“We’re going to spend a lot of time in Michigan and Arizona, and those are up next. And that’s where we’ve really been focusing on,” Santorum told ABC’s “This Week.” He suggested that a strong showing in those contests would make the presidential contest “a two-man race,” dismissing current rivals Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Santorum shrugged off his third-place finish Saturday in caucuses in Maine, where he didn’t actively compete, as well as his second-place finish in a straw poll of conservative activists.

Romney has been painting Santorum as a long-time Washington insider who pursued home-state projects. Santorum on Sunday described Romney’s recent criticism as “desperate.”

Maine GOP officials declared Romney the winner of Saturday’s caucuses. The results ended a three-state losing streak to Santorum, who swept contests in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri on Tuesday.

With the next primaries more than two weeks away, the break seems unusually long in the rapid-fire race that’s featured six contests in the last 14 days. Romney and his rivals have 17 days to raise cash and bolster their organizations for what’s shaping up to be a slog to the Republican nomination and the right to face President Barack Obama in November.

As Santorum eyes Michigan, Romney turns his attention to extending his huge cash advantage over his rivals.

Romney is expected to spend much of the week courting donors, while sprinkling in a handful of campaign events.