COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) ? Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine switched his endorsement from Mitt Romney to Rick Santorum on Friday in a defection he said was driven by his belief the former Pennsylvania senator can win the Republican presidential race.
DeWine, a former senator who led John McCain's Ohio presidential campaign in 2008, made the announcement in the company of Santorum at the Statehouse. He said he once felt Santorum could not overcome Romney's financial advantage but has decided he was wrong.
DeWine had endorsed Romney in the Republican presidential race after his initial choice, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, withdrew.
The defection comes as a sting to Romney, though he still has some major names in Ohio Republican politics behind him heading into the March 6 primary. They include Sen. Rob Portman, Reps. Mike Turner and Jim Renacci, and the former senator and governor, George Voinovich.
Romney's camp tried to wave off the development.
"Nothing has changed," insisted John Sununu, a Romney adviser and former New Hampshire governor. "Attorneys general don't have that much of an organization."
He attributed the switch to an ad a pro-Romney group ran criticizing Santorum's vote in the Senate to give voting rights to felons once they complete their sentences or parole. DeWine also had cast a vote in favor of such rights.
"Mike DeWine was upset that issue was raised by the super PAC," Sununu said.
Ohio Democrats, through their spokesman Seth Bringman, issued a terse statement in response to DeWine's decision: "As is true for countless Ohioans, the more Mike DeWine learned about Mitt Romney, the less he liked."
DeWine successfully pushed for Ohio to join 25 other states in a lawsuit to block the new federal health care overhaul. The lawsuit claims the law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance.
He served four terms in the House and two terms in the Senate before losing his re-election bid to Sherrod Brown in 2006. He won a close election for state attorney general in 2010.
A Quinnipiac University poll out last week found Santorum edging ahead of Romney in the political battleground state, but with half the state's GOP voters indicating they may yet change their minds. No Republican nominee has reached the White House without winning Ohio.
Coming off a sweep in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri last week, Santorum had trailed far behind Romney in Ohio just a month ago.
Republican Gov. John Kasich doesn't intend to endorse any of the candidates. Kasich initially favored former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour for the presidency. After Barbour decided not to pursue the nomination, Kasich was among those who urged New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to enter the race. He didn't.
Sununu and Rep. Mike Turner, another Romney backer, took part in a conference call aimed at countering Santorum's latest piece of good news. Turner said Santorum, who has lacked money and organization for much of the race, won't get on the ballot in all states and that raises questions about his "basic level of competence."
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Associated Press writers Philip Elliott in Washington and Steve Peoples in Mason, Ohio, contributed to this report.
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