Santorum connects with Wisconsin voters
By: Erin Davisson
Updated: April 2, 2012
LITTLE CHUTE, Wis. - Ahead of Tuesday's Wisconsin primary, GOP Presidential candidate Rick Santorum had five campaign stops planned in the Badger state.
Rural counties have been his stronghold ever since Iowa.
Keeping with recent tradition he went bowling at Sabre Lanes in Menasha.
Local 5 News in Green Bay, Wisconsin caught up with him at Simon's Specialty Cheese in Little Chute.
"You have got my vote sir" said a customer who Santorum greeted with a handshake.
"I think we run well among conservative voters and they tend to live in the more rural areas" explains Santorum.
He sampled the famous curds, ate a grilled cheese and drank some local beer.
"You don't have to ask me twice for cheese curds, I'm a fan" says Santorum.
However, the former senator is not a fan of our current health care system.
He says so called "Obamacare" would be the first thing to go if he is elected.
Santorum believes in giving the power to patients and fixing the reasons why people are uninsured like the high cost of coverage.
According to Santorum "People are energized based on what I believe in and our record. Someone they can trust, someone who is very clear about the direction we need to take this country, not sort of resetting things all the time".
Volunteers made 20,000 phone calls to Wisconsin voters. The grassroots effort is keeping Santorum's name relevant in the race where he has been outspent four to one.
"They see something in our campaign that they can relate to and we have the best chance of doing some things that can actually transform their lives and create an opportunity for our economy to recover which will benefit them" he explains.
Campaign promises include a smarter and simpler tax code.
If elected Santorum plans to roll back regulations and invest in domestic manufacturing.
"We are resonating with blue collar workers and folks that are struggling to make ends meet" he says.
Santorum plans to stay in the race even if he loses all three contests on Tuesday.
He says taking the nomination all the way to the Republican convention in August would be energizing for the party.
