AUSTIN -- In a state where faith is big, Rick Santorum kicked off his Texas tour with a blessing from the congregation of Bella Donna Chapel in McKinney.
The former Pennsylvania senator is hoping his hard line on social issues like abortion and gay marriage will be enough to overcome what he lacks in fund raising, and called out those who have labeled those stances as extreme.
"They want their worldview to be imposed without question, and if you question them, you're haters. You're bigots," Santorum said Wednesday morning.
Santorum told reporters afterwards money alone won't be enough for Romney or any other Republican candidate to overwhelm President Obama in a general election.
"We need someone who's going to overwhelm them because they have the right message for America; someone who presents the sharpest contract with the president," Santorum said outside the church.
The stop comes after a trifecta of wins in Missouri, Minnesota, and Colorado -- a striking blow against both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich.
"This is bad news for Romney," said St. Edward's University political science professor Brian Smith. "No matter how he spins it, he's the front runner. He's got to be winning."
Smith says the wins could result in an added boost in fund raising if donors are convinced he's a legitimate alternative to Romney. However, since no actual binding delegates were awarded, the wins themselves may be largely symbolic.
"Delegates matter, and at the end of the night, he really didn't make a dent into anybody's delegate lead," said Smith.
Santorum may face another problem in Texas -- the question of whether he is well known enough among mainstream voters on either side of the political spectrum to generate a significant following.
A January poll conducted by Public Policy Polling showed Santorum supported by 15 percent of likely Republican Primary voters, good enough for fourth place behind Romney, Gingrich, and Rick Perry. Santorum is hoping Wednesday's tour through North Texas will boost those numbers.
The next primaries are in Michigan and Arizona, two projected battleground states for 2012. Both states vote February 28.
