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(02-18) 00:58 PST Mason, Ohio (AP) –

Presidential claimant Rick Santorum is raising the stakes in the GOP assignment competition in Ohio, dogmatic the state “ground zero” as he aggressively campaigns for the single of Super Tuesday’s greatest prizes.

More representatives will be awarded in Ohio than in any alternative state solely Georgia in the opening months of the Republican campaign. Ohio as good as Georgia have been dual of the 10 contests scheduled for Mar 6, the benchmark for the first debate which mostly decides who can go upon to the subsequent level.

After 3 events in Ohio upon Friday, Santorum is scheduled to proceed Saturday with the tea celebration convene in Columbus. He afterwards skeleton to attend the luncheon with the Ohio Christian Alliance as good as finish his day during the Lincoln Day cooking in Akron.

“There’s no state which can scream louder. You have been the greatest state. You’ve got the greatest trove of delegates,” Santorum told the Brown County Republican Party upon Friday night. “This is belligerent zero. Ohio.”

While 63 representatives have been during interest in Ohio, Georgia offers 76.

Hours earlier, the former Pennsylvania senator stood during the State House in Columbus as state Attorney General Mike DeWine rigourously shifted his devotion to Santorum from opposition Mitt Romney, an additional pointer which Santorum has seized the movement in the drum coaster Republican presidential contest.

His socially regressive summary has perplexed crowds this week from Boise, Idaho, to Romney’s hometown of Detroit to the southern Ohio encampment of Georgetown.

“We have the enlightenment which is in need of renewal,” Santorum spoken inside the Georgetown Elementary School gymnasium. “Big things have been during stake. Our family. Our faith.”

Questions about possibly Santorum can means his climb in the polls come among signs of highlight inside of his campaign, especially disorganization. Romney’s huge domestic appurtenance — joined with latest inspection for Santorum’s perspective of amicable issues as good as bureaucratic policies — will give Santorum small domain for error.

As an example, the single misstep by the Santorum believer kept the former senator off summary during times for dual days.

Foster Friess, the categorical donor at the back of Santorum’s “super PAC,” combined the stir Thursday when he associated upon MSNBC an aged fun about how aspirin used to be the process for bieing born control. “Back in my days, they used Bayer aspirin for contraception,” Friess pronounced with the grin. “The gals put it in between their knees as good as it wasn’t which costly.”

Friess apologized Friday in the blog post. But Santorum was regularly forced to stretch himself from his surrogate’s comments, which Santorum described as “a bad joke.” The comments drew neglected courtesy to Santorum’s own musings about contraception as good as women’s issues.

Santorum has pronounced which he wouldn’t try to take divided the bieing born carry out tablet or condoms though which states should be giveaway to anathema them. He told the Christian blog final year which as boss he would advise the republic about “the dangers of contraception” as good as the approving enlightenment separate encourages. He’s additionally questioned possibly women should be in fight as good as pronounced which “radical feminists” have undermined the normal family by “convincing women which veteran accomplishments have been the pass to happiness.”

Speaking to reporters after the DeWine announcement, Santorum pronounced he as good as his wife, as Catholics, do not use bieing born control.

“To be pounded upon that, which you have been, which someway or an additional which only since you privately hold this, which someway right away I’m starting to be the uber-czar that’s starting to try to levy which upon the rest of the country, it’s absurd,” he said. “It’s ludicrous upon the face, as good as it’s ludicrous formed upon my jot down in the Congress.”

The contraception flap, according to Republican observers, is justification of an unruly debate which is already stumbling underneath the weight of heightening scrutiny. Polling suggests which poignant numbers of electorate still do not know Santorum well. And he might onslaught to win over womanlike electorate in sold as they proceed to compensate some-more attention, according to Phil Musser, the GOP strategist who doesn’t work for possibly campaign.

“I consider in the subsequent integrate days, you could begin to see the little critical wearing away with apply oneself for womanlike await for Santorum in the Republican primary,” he said. “And which is the short-term plea for him as you conduct in to Michigan as good as beyond. But secondarily, the single of my large questions is, Could he contest aggressively opposite President Obama

<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/02/17/national/a141221S19.DTL&type=politicstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=8797803737011Top StoriesSat, eighteen February 2012 10:03:33 GMT”>Santorum declares Ohio 'ground zero' in GOP race