Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at the Associated Builders and Contractors National Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at the Associated Builders and Contractors National Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Republican presidential candidates, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, left, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney talk following a Republican presidential debate Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012, in Mesa, Ariz. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Nick Oza) MARICOPA COUNTY OUT; MAGS OUT; NO SALES
Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich speaks at a debate watching party Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012 in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, speaks at the Associated Builders and Contractors National Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
MILFORD, Mich. (AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney tried to upend Rick Santorum's image as a principled defender of conservative ideals Thursday, telling voters in Arizona and Michigan that the former senator is just another give-and-take politician.
Romney's team believes Santorum opened himself to the attacks with a somewhat anguished explanation of his reluctant vote for a Bush-era school program in Wednesday's televised debate. Romney hoped to stop his chief rival's momentum on a day when Santorum was quietly raising money.
But President Barack Obama wasn't helping. His allies aired anti-Romney ads in Michigan while the president campaigned in Florida, a crucial swing state that GOP candidates can't afford to re-visit until their nominee is settled.
A Romney setback in either Michigan's primary or Arizona's on Tuesday would be embarrassing, or worse. His campaign seemed grateful for Santorum's unsteady showing in what may have been the GOP campaign's last big debate.
Romney pounced on Santorum's explanation for supporting President George W. Bush's "No Child Left Behind" program, now disliked by many conservatives. "It was against the principles I believed in," Santorum said in the debate. "But, you know, when you're part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team."
"I wonder which team he was taking it for," Romney said Thursday at an Associated Builders and Contractors meeting in Phoenix, before heading to Michigan. "My team is the American people, not the insiders in Washington."
Santorum also struggled in the debate to explain his congressional votes for earmarked spending and for a bill that included money for Planned Parenthood despite his "personal moral objection" to the organization, which provides abortions for low-income women.
"I don't know that I've ever seen a politician explain in so many ways why he voted against his principles," Romney said Thursday.
The issue could prove troubling for Santorum, who lacks the money to match Romney's TV ads. Santorum's chief strengths include his image as a courageous social conservative willing to confront voters about the moral implications of birth control, abortion, divorce and other issues.
At a tea party rally in Tucson shortly before the debate, Santorum said he was "unafraid to go out and fight on all the issues we care about." He referred to Romney as "a well-oiled weather vane" that shifts with political winds.
Romney's focus on Santorum reinforced the notion that the GOP race is mostly a two-man contest heading toward the 10-state "Super Tuesday" primary on March 6. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, trying to stay within striking distance, campaigned Thursday in Washington state and Idaho. Rep. Ron Paul, like Santorum, had no public events Thursday.
Given Arizona's significant Mormon population, a Romney loss there on Tuesday would be stunning. Nearly as crucial is Michigan, where Romney was born and his father was a three-term governor and top auto executive. Santorum has drawn enthusiastic crowds, and Romney planned to address a tea party gathering later Thursday in Milford, Mich.
All four of the GOP candidates opposed the government's bailout of the auto industry, a big issue in Michigan and one that divides Republican voters. Obama calls it a smashing success. Romney has drawn the most fire on the topic, thanks to his Michigan ties and a 2008 newspaper article he wrote that was headlined, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt."
He says Chrysler and General Motors should have gone through a privately funded "managed bankruptcy," but independent analysts say only the federal government had the money at the time to keep the companies afloat.
A pro-Obama group Thursday released a TV ad in Michigan in which the narrator says, "When a million jobs were on the line, every Republican candidate turned their back." The ad shows Romney's face and his 2008 op-ed article.
In Miami on Thursday, Obama accused the Republicans of pushing a flawed and dishonest strategy for reducing gas prices, predicting they would offer nothing but more drilling and political promises of $2-a-gallon gas. "The American people aren't stupid," Obama said.
Santorum didn't back away from his "take one for the team" comment after the debate in Mesa, Ariz. Asked by a reporter if he would change his words if he had the chance, Santorum responded: "Not at all. Politics is a team sport."
Romney plans to campaign in Michigan every day until Tuesday, with a side trip Saturday to Florida for the Daytona 500 car race. "We're going to win Michigan," said his strategist Stuart Stevens.
Santorum is trying to avoid being swamped by Romney's TV spending in Michigan. Romney's campaign and a friendly "Super Pac" bought $2 million of air time in Michigan for the primary's final week, while Santorum and his allies bought about $1.4 million. An anti-abortion group helped Santorum with $150,000 in Michigan radio ads.
Gingrich is not competing in Michigan. He was planning an unusual 30-minute commercial on energy policy in states including Washington.
Santorum was buying ad time on cable channels in Ohio, Oklahoma and Tennessee, which are among the Super Tuesday states. The pro-Romney pac has bought $590,490 of air time in Ohio.
Santorum planned to campaign Friday and Saturday in the Detroit area.
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Babington reported from Phoenix.
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