Rick Santorum Gets Some Help From His Friends in the Battle for Michigan

PHOENIX, Ariz. -Rick Santorum is getting some help from his friends in his battle for Michigan.

His superPAC is pouring $600,000 into Mitt Romney's home state and unlike their previous television ad there this one is negative. The ad, titled "Vital Decisions", compares Romney to President Obama

"How can Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama when on the vital decisions they're not much different?," the announcer says over photographs of Romney and Obama. "Like Obama, Romney drastically increased spending. Increased state taxes and fees. Even worse, RomneyCare is the blueprint for ObamaCare." The ad then shows photos of Santorum campaigning and with his family and touts Santorum as a "principled leader" with a "bold" jobs plan.

Watch the ad here.

This is the second ad buy for the "Red, White, and Blue Fund" making the total the group has spent in the state $1.3 million.

Wednesday, a NBC/Marist Michigan poll showed Romney with 37% and Santorum 35% support. A new Quinnipiac poll also out Wednesday showed Santorum over Romney nationally 35 % to 26%.

The pro-Romney superPAC "Restore Our Future has spent about $6 million in both Arizona and Michigan, almost all on negative ads attacking Santorum and Newt Gingrich.

On Thursday the conservative group, the Susan B. Anthony List will launch a six-day bus tour in Michigan supporting Santorum, with representatives of several other conservative groups and local leaders campaigning for him throughout the state.

The former Pennsylvania senator is campaigning in Arizona today and will face off against his opponents this evening in the CNN debate in Mesa. He's expected to head back to Michigan by the end of the week. Both states vote on Feb 28th.