Romney, Santorum head to Ill., next battleground

March 17, 2012 RSS Feed Print

"This trio of his energy team has been working like crazy to drive up the price of gasoline," Romney said. "The gas hike trio ought to resign."

Santorum, campaigning in the southern part of the state as well, was looking to lay the ground for another primary shocker on Tuesday, lumping fellow Republican Mitt Romney and Obama on everything from health policy to fossil-fuel regulations.

"People ask me why I am the best candidate to run against Barack Obama," Santorum said. "I feel like in some respects like I am running against Barack Obama here in this primary because Mitt Romney has the same positions as Barack Obama in this primary."

Earlier Saturday Santorum attended at a rally of about 100 people in the gymnasium of a Christian school that was to host a caucus a couple hours later. He spoke less than four minutes and shook hands for another 10 before heading out to another caucus site. He arrived earlier than scheduled and left before some supporters got there.

Acknowledging there would be no winner Saturday, Santorum told a reporter that Missouri's caucuses still were important.

"Delegates. It's as simple as that. They matter," Santorum said.

Romney leads Santorum in delegates nationwide 495 to 252, according to the latest count by The Associated Press. At his caucus-site visits, Santorum noted he was being outspent by Romney but said he can overcome that.

"We don't have the money," Santorum said at a grocery-store caucus site in Wildwood. "We have you, and I'll tell you what — I'll take you over the money any day of the week."

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Associated Press writers David A. Lieb in Town and County, Mo., Jim Salter in Wildwood, Mo., Brian Bakst in Effingham, Ill., and Steve Peoples in Collinsville, Ill., contributed to this report.