Gingrich hits Romney, Santorum on electability

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - Newt Gingrich took direct aim Monday at the electability arguments made by two of his rivals in the Republican nomination race, casting Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum as electoral losers.

"Why would you want to nominate the guy who lost to the guy who lost to Obama?" Gingrich asked a lively crowd at the Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse, referring to Romney's loss to eventual nominee John McCain in the 2008 primaries. He said the GOP establishment "can't argue his record in Massachusetts because he's too liberal," so they are making the electability case.

As for Santorum, with whom he is competing for this state's many Christian conservatives, Gingrich said: "Evangelical voters would like to have a nominee who knows how to win a general election. And somebody who set the all-time Pennsylvania record for the size of their defeat has a harder case to make." It was a reference to Santorum's 18-point loss to Democrat Bob Casey in his 2006 Senate re-election campaign.