NEWTON, Iowa– A fired up Rick Santorum targeted rival Mitt Romney’s private sector experience on Monday, saying “leadership doesn’t come from running a company.”
“Being a businessman, which is what Gov. Romney keeps touting out there, is not the same experience you need to be president of the United States,” Santorum told voters in Newton, Iowa. “Senators and congressman don’t work for the president. You’ve got to work with people, not order people.”
Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, was responding to Romney’s claim Sunday that Americans don’t need another career politician in the White House and Romney’s criticism of Santorum’s 16 years in Washington.
Santorum said voting for Romney or any of his other rivals would be “a compromise on our principles.” He urged Iowans not to vote Tuesday based on public opinion polls, which show that people think Romney is more electable than Santorum.
Santorum assured Iowans he could sustain his momentum in outside of the state where he’s spent almost the entire campaign.
“If Iowa blesses me with a spark,” he said, “there’s plenty of timber on the ground … to start a flame across the country.”
