Mitt’s new target

WASHINGTON — Turning his focus away from Newt Gingrich for a day, Mitt Romney yesterday sought to slap down Rick Santorum’s attempt at a comeback in today’s GOP presidential caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota.

Romney surrogates painted Santorum as a “big spender” while in the Pennsylvania House and Senate.

“He clearly has been part of the big-spending establishment in Congress and in the influence-peddling industry that surrounds Congress,” said former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

He called Santorum a “champion of earmarks,” fond of slipping pet projects into federal spending bills.

MITT ROMNEY
A breather from Newt.

Santorum volleyed that the effort to deflate his claim to be the true conservative in the race was “typical Romney.”

“He simply goes out and tries to destroy. I don’t think it’s going to work this time,” Santorum said while campaigning in Rochester, Minn.

Romney may be coming off a resounding victory in Saturday’s Nevada caucuses and earlier wins in Florida and New Hampshire, but he still has to worry about shoring up support among hard-core conservatives, Tea Party members and white evangelical voters.

In New York, he remains in a tight race with Gingrich, but both would face an uphill battle with President Obama in November, according to a Siena College poll released yesterday.

Romney beat Gingrich, 31-29 percent, in the survey of GOP voters. Obama beat both by a 2-to-1 margin among all voters.

Nationally, Romney’s 35 percent leads the Republican contenders and he is virtually tied with Obama, says a Gallup Poll released later in the day.

But Santorum, who won the leadoff Iowa caucus on Jan. 3, edged out Romney, 29-27 percent, in Minnesota and came in second to him, 40-26 percent, in recent Public Policy Polling surveys.

He also campaigned hard for today’s primary in Missouri, where Gingrich did not qualify to be on the ballot. In recent days, as he’s regained traction, Santorum has escalated his attacks on both rivals.

Stumping yesterday near the Mayo Clinic, he said Gov. Romney’s Massachusetts health-care laws, a model for ObamaCare, makes Romney “uniquely unqualified” to be the GOP nominee.

But Romney quickly e-mailed that when Santorum endorsed his unsuccessful 2008 White House bid, he called Romney “the candidate who will stand up for the conservative principles we hold dear.”

smiller@nypost.com