PLANO -- The day after shaking up the Republican presidential race by sweeping three contests, Rick Santorum was welcomed with open arms by North Texans on Wednesday.
A day of events that included a meeting with pastors, TV interviews and a luncheon fundraiser culminated with a rally in Plano that drew more than 1,000 people to see and hear the rising star."What an unbelievable devotion here in Big D," Santorum said, surveying the crowd, which spilled out of the doors. The warm welcome included a supporter giving Santorum a white cowboy hat, which he was happy to wear.Hundreds of people stood outside listening to Santorum on a speaker, at one point breaking out in chants of, "We pick Rick."The day of campaigning was the first extended visit of the year to North Texas by a presidential candidate and was reminiscent of the marathon of events that Democratic and Republican candidates held in the region before the Texas primary in 2008.Wednesday's turnout was especially notable because no one is even sure when the Texas primary will be. It is now set for April 3, but legal battles over redistricting could delay it so much that the nominee will already be picked when Texans vote.Big hopes for Texas"We're going to have a big win in Texas when the day comes," Santorum said. "Texas is the conservative epicenter of this country. You folks lead the way. You really do."Earlier in the evening, Santorum urged Texas leaders to settle on a date for the primary."The sooner Texas is, the better for us," he said.Santorum's rally speech sounded like a front-runner's, focused almost entirely on President Barack Obama instead of his Republican rivals. He accused Obama of stifling the economy with too many regulations."That is Barack Obama's America," Santorum said. "It is fundamentally un-American the way he looks at our economy."Santorum acknowledged that the people at the rally aren't the ones he needs to convince that he can be president. He told supporters to canvass the state "and fight for your ancestors" by promoting a return to America's founding ideals."I know this is the choir," Santorum said. "I love that. But sometimes the choir has to go out and sing solo."One of those singers is likely to be Andrew Smith of Carrollton, a fan of Santorum's for over a decade because of his "pro-life views." Smith has backed Santorum's presidential bid since early last year, when it was widely dismissed as doomed.Seeing the turnout Wednesday night was "a joyful affirmation of my support for him from the very get-go," Smith said.About a dozen protesters from the Secular Students at Collin College stood outside the rally waving signs with messages like "Vote democracy, not theocracy." Founder Kevin Butler of Plano said the group opposes Santorum's "religiously driven stance on issues" such as gay rights.Dig at RomneyWhile Santorum focused his rally speech on Obama, he touched on primary opponent Mitt Romney earlier in Allen.Santorum was the featured speaker at an event put on by Collin County Republicans, although the campaign had promoted it as a meeting with "Tea Party activists."Santorum criticized Romney as a moderate who doesn't provide enough of a contrast to Obama to motivate general-election voters and said Romney's "greatest attribute is 'I'll spend more money than the other person.'"Brenda Rizos of Lucas said she was impressed by Santorum, a candidate she had started researching only in the last month."In the beginning, I didn't think he had a chance," she said. "That's all changing. He's my favorite candidate now."Aman Batheja, 817-390-7695Twitter: @amanbathejaHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
