Voters back away from Santorum in Ohio

n the days leading to Super Tuesday contests, Rick Santorum stepped away from social issues and bombastic speeches while barnstorming Ohio to recast himself as the underdog whose blue-collar roots would stay true to American values.Yet the former senator from Pennsylvania lost ground, slipping to a near dead heat with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in Ohio, the key state among 10 in which voters will cast ballots today, pollsters said.

“I thought his message has become so unclear on who he is or what he stands for that I am losing confidence on his ability to win the election in November,” Dana Kasel, 43, of Perrysburg, Ohio, a Czechoslovakia native who became a U.S. citizen, said of Santorum. “It was his talk about how his grandfather realized the American dream that attracted me.”

In a weekend poll of 753 likely GOP primary voters, Romney pulled ahead of Santorum, 34 percent to 31 percent — a 10-point shift in one week, said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. The survey’s 3.6-percentage-point margin of error “makes the Ohio race too close to call, but Romney is the one with the wind at his back,” Brown said.

Romney began his day on Monday in Canton, Ohio, emphasizing the economy in a speech to workers at a guardrail manufacturing plant.

“During this campaign, there’s been discussion about all sorts of issues, but I keep bringing it back to more jobs, less debt and smaller government,” he said. “That’s what my campaign is about. That’s why I’m doing well in this state.”

Santorum planned to position himself in Steubenville, Ohio, for tonight’s results. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich campaigned in the South, hitting Tennessee yesterday. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who has geared his campaign toward caucus states, spent part of the day in Idaho.

The 419 delegates at stake today represent one-third of the 1,144 a nominee needs. Romney has won 203 delegates; Santorum, 92; Gingrich, 33; and Paul, 25.

Experts say Santorum began struggling with his message shortly after winning a few caucus “beauty” contests in early February. Would-be supporters began looking away when he took jabs at contraception and called President Obama a snob for encouraging people to obtain a college education.

“Wishy-washy,” said Terry DeGarmo, 58, a Chillicothe businessman. “The only person he can blame is himself. It is his own words that have made me rethink my support.”

Jim Tuccinardi, 61, also of Chillicothe, contends that Santorum “doesn’t back down for what he believes in.”

Tuccinardi, a retired engineer and military veteran, intends to vote for Santorum but would support Romney if he became the nominee. “Oh, absolutely. Look, they both have the same value set; I just like Santorum’s style,” he said.

Many voters shifted their allegiance toward Romney because they believe he’s more electable than Santorum, said David Paleologos, who has conducted polling in this presidential race for Suffolk University.

Suffolk’s weekend poll of 500 Ohioans found 44 percent consider Romney the best candidate to challenge Obama in the fall, “and that tops everything else as the most important dynamic to Republicans,” Paleologos said.

Though Santorum’s far-right viewpoints resonate with many voters, those stands can make him vulnerable, said Kyle Kondik, a political analyst at the University of Virginia.

“His deeply conservative stances on seemingly settled social issues, such as his dislike for contraception, haven’t been helpful, even in a Republican primary,” Kondik said.

“It now appears that Mitt Romney will win Ohio,” Kondik said, comparing the state’s dynamic to Michigan a week ago, when Romney turned a polling deficit into a lead by delivering a consistent message and pounding Santorum with advertising.

“That said, the race is not over,” he cautioned. “There’s little indication that Santorum, former Speaker Newt Gingrich or Texas Congressman Ron Paul are contemplating leaving the race.”

Shifting support

Polls in Ohio, released on the eve of Super Tuesday, show Rick Santorum’s 11-point lead over Mitt Romney collapsed in one week. Support for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul remained steady.

Quinnipiac University: Romney, 34%; Santorum, 31%; Gingrich, 15%; Paul, 12%

American Research Group: Romney, 35%; Santorum, 28%; Gingrich, 18%; Paul, 13%

Rasmussen Reports: Santorum, 32%; Romney, 31%; Gingrich, 13%; Paul, 13%

Merriman River Group: Romney, 38%; Santorum, 33%; Gingrich, 18%; Paul, 8%

Suffolk University: Santorum, 37%; Romney, 33%; Gingrich, 16%; Paul, 8%

CNN/Opinion Research: Romney, 32%; Santorum, 32%; Gingrich, 14%; Paul, 11%