Santorum declares Georgia in play

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum swept into Georgia Thursday searching for votes in a state that could be ripe for the picking.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, has moved into a solid second place in the state, according to recent polling, and said he believes he can shock the political world in the state's primary on Tuesday.

"There will be no bigger surprise than if on Super Tuesday Rick Santorum is the winner of the Georgia primary," Santorum said to about 100 supporters in a hangar at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport, where he campaigned following an event in Dalton. Afterward he boarded a plane bound for Washington state.

But, over the course of a 45-minute speech in Atlanta, Santorum focused squarely on contrasting himself with Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor against whom he is battling for the lead nationally. Here in Georgia, Santorum leads Romney is recent polling but trails former Georgia congressman Newt Gingrich. Yet, Santorum barely referenced Gingrich.

He said it's difficult to travel to an opponent's home state and win. "There are good people in this race, but this race is narrowing down," he said, in an apparent reference to a two-man race between he and Romney.

"We need the people of Georgia to stand with the conservative," Santorum said.

Some of those in the crowd of more than 100 said they remained undecided just days ahead of the Tuesday primary.

Curtis Hamby of Canton said he's still looking for a candidate who"is going to make the best case to correct the economy and the budget."

The current occupant of the White House, Hamby said, "isn't doing real well."

Pat and Eric Smart of Atlanta were also at Atlantic Aviation to help make their choice. Like Hamby, the economy and fiscal responsibility were at the heart of their interest.

"There are good things about all of them and there are things I don't like about them," Pat Smart said.

The couple heard Mitt Romney when he visited the state in February, too, but still haven't chosen a candidate to support.

"I want to know how they'll control spending, how are they going to stop this spending binge," Pat Smart said. "I'm so sick of it, I can't stand the idea of my kids and grandchildren having to shoulder the the debt we're leaving them with."

Santorum spoke at length about the economy and his plan he said would "create opportunity here in this country."

"That's the key to success of America, is to have a belief in free people," Santorum said.

Businesses are "looking for some confidence that the government isn't going ot pile up more regulations," he said and promised to simplify the tax code.

But he also talked politics and declared himself the candidate with momentum and took repeated shots at Romney. He slammed Romney for telling an Ohio reporter this week that he opposed Sen. Roy Blunt's measure that would have allowed companies to opt out of a requirement to provide insurance coverage for birth control.

The amendment failed in the Senate. Romney's advisors later said their candidate did support the measure and said the wording of the question was wrong.

That didn't satisfy Santorum in Atlanta.

"My gut reaction would be always you stand for the first amendment, you stand for freedom of religion," Santorum said.

Earlier Thursday, Santorum wooed a crowd in Dalton this morning, promising tax cuts for manufacturing to the self-described carpet capital of the world.

"I grew up in a different mill town," Santorum, referring to his Pennsylvania upbringing, told a crowd of over 250 people at the Dalton City Hall.

Just as later in the day, in Dalton Santorum also did not mention Gingrich, who represented Georgia for 20 years in Washington.

Santorum said he is trying to "close the deal" in a state that holds the greatest number of delegates in the 10-state Super Tuesday contest.

Santorum praised Dalton's manufacturing strength and said that his presidency would be a boon for future growth there. He spoke of cutting manufacturing taxes and reducing government regulation.

Calling himself a leader among social conservatives, the former U.S. senator for Pennsylvania said, “It’s one thing to be pro-life, pro family, pro-marriage, taking on the issues of faith and freedom in our country, the core values of life. It’s one thing to vote that way. It’s another thing to stand up and fight and lead on those issues.”

“That’s right,” someone in the audience said.