The Hill News

Rick Santorum says he's running as the conservative alternative to President Obama, not Mitt Romney.

"Let me be clear, I am not running to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney, I am running to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama," Santorum wrote in a fundraising email to supporters just ahead of voting on Super Tuesday. "I am running to be your voice in Washington, committed to fighting against the corruption, the bloated government and the reckless spending that is holding us back."

{mosads}Santorum has worked to style himself as the "true conservative" in the GOP presidential field. His campaign has regularly accused Romney of being far too moderate on issues, especially like healthcare. Both Santorum's campaign and the pro-Santorum super-PAC Red, White, and Blue Fund have argued that Romney shouldn't be the nominee because, policy-wise, he's too similar to Obama.

"What wins in America … are bold ideas…. sharp! contrasts… and a plan that includes everyone," Santorum continued in the fundraising email.

In particular, Santorum has tried to appeal to religious and conservative Republicans in particular. Just ahead of Super Tuesday the former Pennsylvania senator was polling strongly in Oklahoma, a conservative state with a large evangelical Republican population.

"We have pushed the fact that Rick Santorum is the only full spectrum conservative in this race," Santorum spokesman Hogan Gidley told The Hill earlier on Tuesday.