WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum last night took their campaign fist fight back to prime time, clashing on the auto bailout, earmarks and “RomneyCare” in a testy debate just days before the make-or-break Michigan primary.
Santorum, riding a wave in the polls but facing a withering assault by Romney, struggled to explain past votes for spending programs and Bush-era legislation at last night’s CNN debate in Arizona, which like Michigan votes Tuesday.
Both Santorum and Romney opposed the bailout of the auto industry.
But the ex-Pennsylvania senator noted that Romney “supported the [bailout] for folks on Wall Street. And then when it came to the auto workers, the folks in Detroit, he said no.”
Romney shot back: “Senator, you voted in favor of a bailout of the airline industry after 9/11. You also voted for a bailout of the steel industry.”
Santorum has emerged as a serious conservative threat to Romney after four primary wins and a shot at Romney’s home state of Michigan, but last night he was put on the defensive for supporting distasteful past earmarking practices.
“You voted for the Bridge to Nowhere. When I was fighting to save the Olympics, you were fighting to save the Bridge to Nowhere,” Romney said, after Santorum nicked him for seeking federal cash to help the Salt Lake Games.
“You’re misrepresenting the facts. You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Santorum answered angrily.
Santorum got scattered boos when he gave a tortured explanation of a past vote for a spending bill that funded family planning, which he opposed, along with abstinence education, which he championed.
“Even though I don’t support it, I voted for bills that included it,” Santorum said.
Rep. Ron Paul countered that it wasn’t the role of the feds “to get involved in our lives this way.”
Santorum laid into Romney for signing health legislation that Santorum called the “model” for ObamaCare. But Romney blamed Santorum, because Santorum supported the re-election of home-state Sen. Arlen Specter, who provided a key vote for the law.
“If you had not supported him, if we had said no to Arlen Specter, we would not have had ObamaCare,” Romney said. “Don’t take a look at me, take a look in the mirror.”
Santorum apologized for voting for former President George W. Bush’s now-unpopular “No Child Left Behind” education bill when serving in the Senate Republican leadership.
“When you’re part of the team, sometimes you take one for the team . . . I made a mistake. Politics is a team sport,” Santorum explained.
At one point, each candidate was asked to describe himself in a single word. “Consistent,” said Paul. “Courage,” said Santorum. “Resolute,” offered Romney. “Cheerful,” chimed in Newt Gingrich.
Additional reporting by S.A. Miller