LADY LAKE, Fla. – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum campaigned in Lady Lake Monday afternoon, focusing on health care to a group of several hundred supporters.
Santorum hosted a town hall meeting at the American Legion Hall Monday at 1:30 p.m., where he tackled the health care crisis and how it affects Florida seniors. He mostly attacked President Barack Obama, barely touching on his GOP opponents.
"Your job here in Florida, the people's jobs across this country, is to put forward the best chance for us to win. Someone who can go at Barack Obama where it hurts," he said.
Santorum said that President Barack Obama's health overhaul is rationing care, adding long wait times and blocking Medicare patients from seeing their doctors.
The health law includes a panel that cuts payments to doctors and hospitals. Santorum said that those cuts are forcing doctors to drop Medicare patients and to take more patients with private insurance or who can pay for care themselves.
Santorum claims the other candidates agree with him on many of the big issues but said he's the only candidate with the credibility to force a repeal of the health care law and protect seniors.
In his speech, Santorum said it is Florida's job to put forth a GOP candidate who has the best chance to beat Obama.
"I didn't decide to run for President of the United States to accumulate power and be the most powerful person in America. I came so I could return the power to the people of America," Santorum said. "I've won more and/or tougher elections than the other GOP candidates. Any nominee will raise enough money to beat Obama."
But Santorum's appearance didn't go over well with everyone. Santorum was pegged with glitter, in what is known as a "glitter bomb" during his campaign stop. Just as Santorum was finishing up his speech and about to begin shaking his supporters' hands, someone threw a huge handful of glitter or "pixie dust." Santorum stepped back before he got covered in it.
Lake County Sheriff's deputies say it wasn't a surprise because of the past incidents from critics of Santorum's conservative views. Three individuals, who made statements suggested Santorum was homophobic, were issued trespassing warnings and released.
Deputies believe they were protestors from an Occupy Tampa group. No arrests were made.
Santorum's appearance follows competitors Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich's campaigning on Sunday in Volusia and Lake counties, respectively.