Rivals Continue to Hammer Romney for Remark on 'Very Poor'

(NewsCore) - Both Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum continued to hammer Mitt Romney Friday for his recent remark that he is "not concerned about the very poor," with Santorum saying the comment "sent a chill" down his spine.

During an interview with CNN the morning after he won the Florida primary, Romney said he was "not concerned about the very poor" because they have safety nets like Medicaid and food stamps to rely upon.

Romney was making the point that he was most concerned with assisting the middle-class, which he characterized as 90 percent to 95 percent of Americans. But the remark sparked an immediate backlash, with even some conservative commentators joining in the criticism.

Romney backtracked from the comment on Thursday, saying he "misspoke," but his rivals continued to remind voters about the statement on Friday.

Santorum laced into Romney during a campaign stop in Hannibal, Mo., Friday morning, according to Politico.

"We saw something the other day that Mitt Romney said. It sort of sent a chill down my spine as a conservative and a Republican," Santorum said. "Mitt Romney said, 'I don't care about the very poor as long as they have a safety net there, I don't really care.'"

"That's not the Republican Party I want to belong to," Santorum continued, according to Politico. "I want to belong to a party that focuses on 100 percent of Americans and creating opportunity for every single one."

During an event in Las Vegas Friday afternoon, Gingrich also hit Romney on the comment.

"If you're a genuine conservative, you don't say you don't care about the poor," Gingrich said.

Arguing the "safety net" Romney referred to is actually a "spiderweb" that "traps people in dependency," Gingrich said he instead wants to provide the poor with a "trampoline."

"My goal is not to ignore or forget the poor," he said.

Read more: Politico.com