Santorum targets Romney in South Carolina

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum took aim at front-runner Mitt Romney on Sunday as he sought to build on cheap MLB jerseys wholesale a late endorsement from evangelical leaders and narrow the crucial South Carolina contest to a two-man race.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, said conservative voters should not let concerns about the shaky economy or defeating Democratic President Barack Obama interfere with their beliefs.

"America is a moral enterprise, not an economic enterprise," he said at a seafood restaurant in Florence, South Carolina.

Romney has built his campaign on his experience in business and criticism of Obama's handling of the economy but rivals have attacked his moderate stint as governor of Massachusetts and his tenure as head of a private-equity firm.

With South Carolina's January 21 primary approaching, time is running short for other candidates to slow Romney's march to the Republican presidential nomination.

Santorum would appear to have the best chance to stop Romney, after Christian leaders backed him at a meeting in Texas on Saturday.

An organization allied to Romney is sponsoring an attack ad airing frequently in South Carolina that says Santorum supported wasteful spending and wanted to extend voting rights to felons while in Congress.

"That is a lie," Santorum said. "To go and mislead the people of South Carolina as to what our record is on this is just yuck."

Arguing that he would be Chicago Cubs #13 Starlin Castro jersey the strongest Republican against Obama, Romney has opened up a 21-point lead in the state as the conservative vote remains splintered, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll on Saturday.

Santorum was at 16 percent of the vote, tied for second place with Texas Congressman Ron Paul.

ENDORSEMENT MAY NOT HAVE IMPACT

Santorum's endorsement by conservative Christian leaders appeared to have little immediate impact among evangelicals, who play a prominent role in South Carolina Republican politics.

"I make decisions for myself and I don't listen to what a bunch of leaders say to do," said Victoria Jaworowski at the Cathedral of Praise in North Charleston.

Meeting in Texas, the Christian leaders narrowly endorsed Santorum on Saturday in a vote that went to the third ballot. It is not clear how they will help him with money or staff.

Santorum, a Catholic, rode the support of evangelical voters to a surprise second-place finish in Iowa's January 3 caucus, losing to Romney by just eight votes. He finished far back in the pack a week later in New Hampshire, where religiously motivated voters are less prominent.

South Carolina could be favorable terrain for Santorum as evangelicals accounted for 60 percent of the Republican primary vote in 2008. But several candidates split the evangelical vote that year and Senator John McCain, the eventual nominee, was able to win the state with strong support from military retirees and other voters Reebok Montreal Canadiens #79 Andrei Markov jersey who saw national security as a top priority.

That could happen again this year, as former House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Governor Rick Perry are competing with Santorum for the evangelical vote.

Several members of the First Baptist Church in Florence said they had not decided on a candidate.

"You just haven't seen that standard-bearer rise up," said insurance salesman Mike Newton.