GOP candidates vie to win over conservatives at CPAC

影视帝国 tomove.com.cnMAP WASHINGTON – Three of the four presidential candidates made their pitches to activists at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday, each outlining why they are the best candidate to face President Obama in the fall and why their competitors will fall short. Mitt Romney delivers remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Friday. By Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Mitt Romney delivers remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Friday. Enlarge By Chip Somodevilla, Getty Images Mitt Romney delivers remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington on Friday. Ads by Google International Flight SaleOnline Specials on International Flights. Compare, Book, & Save!Vayama.com/Sale Cut Alzheimer's CostsDiscover How to Pay for Alzheimer's Care...Even in Tough Economic Timeswww.AlzheimersAnswers.com Alzheimer's FoundationHelp Alzheimer’s Disease Caregivers in Chicago . . .www.alzfdn.org Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former speaker Newt Gingrich each addressed the annual three-day gathering, which culminates with the release of the presidential straw poll results on Saturday afternoon. Rep. Ron Paul, who has won the straw poll two years in a row, did not attend the conference. The gathering, a must-visit for Republican candidates, comes after another tumultuous week for the party's presidential field in which Santorum swept three state contests on Tuesday. And while he received no delegates for winning the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses and Missouri primary, he did get much-needed campaign momentum. VIDEO: Santorum: Gov't control of lives has to stop VIDEO: Gingrich: Obama 'waging war on religion' PHOTOS: GOP candidates on the campaign trail He tried to leverage that momentum Friday, telling the packed ballroom of activists that "I know you, and you know me." By Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images Rick Santorum addresses CPAC on Friday. "I think knowing the people who are the conservative leaders, knowing the people who have worked in the vineyards for decades, knowing the people who bring the ideas and the breadth and the wellspring of ideas to conservatism is important," Santorum said. While Santorum did not mention Romney by name, he said Republicans do not win because the candidate "has the most money to beat up their opponent and win the election." Instead, Santorum continued, they needed a candidate who could provide a real ideological contrast with Obama and challenged the idea he could not attract moderate voters. "Why would an undecided voter vote for a candidate of a party who the party's not excited about?" he said. By Evan Vucci, AP Newt Gingrich delivers remarks at CPAC on Friday. If Santorum's challenge was to convince the activists of his electability, Romney's was to sell them on his conservative credentials. Romney emphasized his work as governor of Massachusetts and a business, telling the crowd at one point he was "severely conservative." "I know conservatism because I have lived conservatism," he said. "I spent 25 years in business, starting at the bottom and going on to help create a great American success story. I led an Olympics out of the shadows of scandal and turned around a state crying out for leadership." News from On Politics On Politics Latest posts from USA TODAY On Politics blog 4:03 PM Santorum clarifies remarks on women in combat 3:00 PM Gingrich takes aim at 'establishment' 1:24 PM Romney touts conservative record 12:23 PM McDonnell urges CPAC to get behind Romney 11:15 AM Santorum takes on Romney, Obama Read all On Politics posts When he was elected in 2002, Romney became Massachusetts' fourth consecutive Republican governor. During that campaign, he also said "I think people recognize that I'm not a partisan Republican and that my views are progressive." Romney also avoided using his competitors' names, but hinted that their time in Washington made them suspect. "Any politician who tries to convince you that they hated Washington so much that they just couldn't leave, well, that's the same politician who will try to sell you a Bridge to Nowhere," he said. "I am the only candidate in this race, Republican or Democrat, who has never worked a day in Washington. I don't have old scores to settle or decades of cloakroom deals to defend." Romney ran for the Senate in 1994 and lost to Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. Unlike the two other candidates who seemed to tailor their remarks to the event, Gingrich's was largely made up of pieces of his campaign stump speech. He began his speech by ticking off several times he had been counted out, but had returned victorious. The Republican establishment, Gingrich said, had often called his and President Reagan's ideas "unrealistic." "The GOP establishment has a single word they use with contempt for conservative ideas; they say they're 'unrealistic,' " Gingrich said. "The 1994 Contract With America, unrealistic; the House Republican majority of 1994 … unrealistic, reforming welfare … unrealistic." Since winning the South Carolina primary Jan. 21, Gingrich's momentum has dwindled. In the most recent Gallup Daily tracking poll, Gingrich dropped to 18%. Santorum came in second with 22%, Romney led with the support of 34%.