Santorum reacts to Johnson's Romney endorsement in West Bend



WEST BEND -- Sunday morning, April 1st, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson announced he's endorsing Mitt Romney for president. As Rick Santorum passed through West Bend Sunday, he said he's fine with that. Santorum said it's just another hurdle put before him by what he calls the "Republican Establishment."

Santorum is positioning himself as the ultimate underdog, saying many of his fellow Republicans are afraid he'll drag the primary campaign well into the spring. "A lot of people must be concerned we're going to do really well on Tuesday, so I'm encouraged by all this. It shows the establishment is getting nervous," Santorum said.

Santorum has grown agitated by questions about whether he should drop out of the race, should he lose Tuesday's Wisconsin presidential primary. "We're not talking about this anymore. We're just focused on doing well here in Wisconsin, and from what you're seeing, it seems to be panic in the 'Republican Establishment,'" Santorum said.

Inside the Riverside Brewery in West Bend, no one seemed upset with a presidential candidate stopping in. The Santorums' server, Alison Heimerl said this was no ordinary table! "I wasn't expecting so many people, but it was a great experience. It was kind of neat," Heimerl said.

Santorum said Sunday he's getting used to questions about when he should step aside. "I'm confident we'll have a good day on Tuesday," Santorum said.

For many of those inside the Riverside Brewery Sunday, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience - meeting a presidential candidate, but for Santorum, it was just the next stop on his quest to get Wisconsin voters on his side against what he calls the "Republican Establishment."

Santorum says he won't be in Wisconsin for Tuesday night's vote, but adds he's never in a state the night of the contest, saying it's his way of staying ahead.