Romney Campaign Press Release - Rick's Dilemma: Those who Know Him Best are Supporting Mitt Romney

"Senator Santorum's two decades in Washington may have earned him friends inside the Beltway, but apparently he lost some friends in Pennsylvania along the way. It is telling that many of the leaders who know Rick Santorum best are supporting Mitt Romney for president." —Andrea Saul, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Those Who Know Senator Santorum Best — Republican Leaders In Pennsylvania — Have Declined To Back His Campaign:

Fiscal And Social Conservatives In Santorum's Former Home State Aren't Lining Up To Support Him. "Fiscal conservatives see him as a big-government, pork-barrel spender. And some social conservatives question his support of former Sen. Arlen Specter, who supported abortion rights." (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

Jim Roddey, GOP Chairman In Santorum's Home County: "The Problem With Rick Is That He's Convinced That He's Right And You're Wrong." (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

Party Leaders In Pennsylvania Call Santorum "Divisive" And Say His Nomination Would Ensure Obama's Re-Election. "But influential party leaders who did not want to be identified said a Santorum nomination would doom the country to four more years of Obama. ... 'We need somebody that's going to bring us together, not drive us apart, and Rick can be divisive.'" (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

An "Influential State GOP Figure" On Santorum: "His Last Campaign Was A Disaster ... You Just Couldn't Tell Rick Anything." "'I discount him totally out of hand because of the way he ran his last race in Pennsylvania,' an influential state GOP figure said of Santorum's presidential aspiration. 'His last campaign was a disaster. His attitude wasn't a little bit abrasive. It was a lot abrasive. You just couldn't tell Rick anything.'" (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

Pennsylvania Conservatives Also Were Angered By The "Vindictiveness And Nastiness" Of Senator Santorum's Attacks Against Pat Toomey On Behalf Of Arlen Specter. "Though it's believed that the endorsement itself irked party conservatives, many now say it was the fervor with which Santorum attacked Toomey that turned their stomachs. 'He went to an extra level of vindictiveness and nastiness against Pat Toomey,' said Shafik, the former Santorum aide, who worked on Toomey's failed 2004 campaign. 'He called up donors and said, 'Don't give to Pat.'' And he recorded a TV ad discounting criticisms of Specter as a liberal that finished with him saying, 'I'm proud to endorse Arlen Specter.' After the campaign, Santorum bragged that Toomey lost because of his endorsement, Shafik said." (Robert J. Vickers, "Pennsylvania GOP Leaders Believe Rick Santorum Isn't A Good Fit For The Presidency," Harrisburg Patriot-News, 1/9/12)

Republican Leaders Aren't The Only Pennsylvanians Who Rejected Senator Santorum — He Lost His 2006 Re-Election Bid By A "Stunning Margin":

Santorum Lost His 2006 Bid For Re-Election By An Historic 17-Point Margin. (Pennsylvania Department Of State Website, 3/14/12)

Santorum's Loss Was "The Largest Defeat By A Republican United States Senator Seeking Election Or Re-Election In Modern Pennsylvania History." "Santorum's last race — an 18 percentage point defeat in 2006 — raises questions about his appeal to independent voters who could help decide the national election in November, as well as to Republicans who will determine who gets the party's nomination. Santorum's loss was 'the largest defeat by a Republican United States senator seeking election or re-election in modern Pennsylvania history,' said G. Terry Madonna, a public affairs professor at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania." (Julie Hirschfield Davis, "Santorum's Electability Pitch Undermined By 2006 Senate Re-Election Loss," Bloomberg, 2/14/12)

Santorum Was Defeated By A "Stunning Margin" And "Lost Almost Every Region Of The State And Almost Every Demographic Group." "Santorum's loss was a long time coming. By the time of his nearly 18-point loss — a stunning margin for a two-term incumbent — he had also alienated women voters, moderate Republicans and independents — not to mention the Democrats he had once won over. He lost almost every region of the state and almost every demographic group, including the blue collar workers he singles out on the campaign trail in 2012." (Carrie Budoff Brown, "Landslide '06 Loss Undercuts Santorum's Bid," Politico, 1/5/12)

"[Santorum] Lost Among Voters Of Almost Every Stripe — The White Working-Class, Independents, Men, Women, Young, Old, Rich And Poor — According To Exit Polling." (Carrie Budoff Brown, "Landslide '06 Loss Undercuts Santorum's Bid," Politico, 1/5/12)

Santorum Lost Among Pennsylvania Independents By 44 Points. (CNN.com, 3/14/12)

Santorum Even Lost His Home County By Nearly 30 Points — Almost 20 Points Worse Than His 2000 Performance. (Pennsylvania Department Of State Website, 3/14/12)