Santorum: Romney Campaign Cash Didn't Matter

Fresh from his three-state victory in the battle for the Republican presidential nomination, Rick Santorum had a snappy comeback Wednesday for those who questioned his shoestring campaign's staying power against a better-financed frontrunner Mitt Romney.

"He had the organization and the money yesterday, too, and it didn't work out so well for him, did it?" Santorum said as church bells rang out behind him.

He had been addressing a group of about 200 Texas clergymen gathered in the nondenominational Bella Donna Chapel, located in a housing development called Adriatica and meant to look like a Croatian village.

Speaking for about 50 minutes, Santorum, a Roman Catholic, told his life story, described his growing religious faith, and detailed in stark terms his opposition to abortion.

He said he does not "want to be the pastor of the US," but railed against "the intolerance of the Obama administration" and "the secular left."

His remarks drew the occasional "Amen!" or applause, but it was his personal stories that seemed to hold the audience rapt.

He described his anger at God when one of his sons died at birth, and spoke movingly about his three-year-old daughter Bella, who has a life-threatening genetic condition.

A painting of Bella depicted as an angel, a gift from the family that owns the chapel, stood to his left.

"She's a great kid if only the world could see it," he said to the hushed crowd. "And maybe they will."

Santorum's remarks seemed to resonate with clergymen such as Pastor Richard Ellis of Reunion Church in downtown Dallas, who introduced the candidate.

"I am a Christian first, I'm an American second," the pastor said, adding that his opposition to abortion makes him "a one-issue voter."

That sentiment was shared by many of the Santorum supporters who stood outside in a chilly tent watching the proceedings on a big-screen TV.

"Without life, you can't have any other issue," said Michelle Geyer, 38, of McKinney, who was there with some friends who are organizing an anti-abortion prayer vigil. Read more: WSJ