AFP/Getty Images(ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.) — In a suburb just outside Chicago, Rick Santorum urged a crowd of over a thousand voters to take Tuesday’s Illinois primary seriously, arguing that he is the only candidate who is capable of beating Barack Obama and that Illinois holds the potential to greatly influence the outcome of the race.

“Everyone says Illinois, Barack Obama’s home state, won’t have any impact on this election. You have a chance on Tuesday. You want to defeat Barack Obama. There’s only one guy in this race who can do it, and you need to make sure he wins Illinois on Tuesday,” said Santorum at a rally in the gymnasium of the Christian Liberty Academy.

“I’m asking you, I’m pleading, that you understand that your honor is on the line. You uphold the honor of the people of Chicago and Illinois, and the great statesmen that have come from here,” said Santorum adding that these statesman were “in the past,” a direct jab at President Obama. “You have a unique duty here in Illinois to correct a wrong.”

Santorum criticized the president for not only underestimating the amount that his health care plan would cost the American taxpayers, but also accused him of masquerading the truth behind eloquent speeches. “I know all of you are shocked at this revelation. I know you all thought that it would come in less and that the president’s persuasive speeches about how he was going to save money and premiums would go down and costs would go down,” said Santorum. “The seas would recede. The sun would always shine. All of these great predictions of the president have remarkably not come to pass. I know that shocks you because you here in Illinois have such experience with his truthfulness.”

Santorum took the opportunity to tie Obama’s alleged untruthfulness to Mitt Romney, saying that his Massachusetts healthcare plan demonstrates that he is akin to Obama.

“We already have someone in Washington who doesn’t tell us the truth. We don’t need anybody else there to do the same,” said Santorum.

Aside from hitting Obama and Romney, Santorum’s event focused primarily on social issues, while also delving into foreign relations, specifically Iran.

Two male Occupy protesters interrupted Santorum’s speech with a mic check and kissed each other in the bleachers before they were escorted out as the crowd chanted “USA! USA! USA!”

Santorum campaigned in the St. Louis, Missouri area Saturday morning ahead of the state’s primary and will be traveling throughout southern Illinois for the remainder of the day.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Ron Paul’s inability to win a single state through this election season is now affecting his ability to raise money.

February fundraising figures show Paul raised about $3.3 million for the month, less than the $4.5 million in January and beginning March with $1.6 million on hand.

The Texas congressman’s campaign filed the report with the Federal Election Commission Friday night, four days before the March 20 deadline.

Paul had been a prolific fundraiser. By the end of January he had raised $31 million, placing him second to Mitt Romney among his GOP rivals.

The bulk of the money came from small-dollar donations, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan, non-profit research group dedicated to tracking money in U.S. politics.

Paul’s campaign does not have “bundlers,” people assigned to raise large amounts of money for the campaign.

Politico reported earlier this month that Endorse Liberty, one of the large Super PACs supporting Paul was reassessing its heavy financial support.

Endorse Liberty has tried to use online advertisements to broaden Paul’s appeal. But the Super PAC is also running thin on available cash. Through January, it reported less than $61,000 on hand.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images(SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico) — Landing in Puerto Rico on the eve of the island’s weekend primary, Mitt Romney reiterated his stance on its quest for statehood, saying he would support whatever the majority of the citizens desired and would not impose preconditions on the U.S. territory should it decide to try to become a state.

“My view is that the people of Puerto Rico should have, as they will have, the opportunity to make their own wishes felt,” said Romney, who stood beside Puerto Rican Gov. Luis Fortuno as he addressed the press on a tarmac. “If a majority of Puerto Ricans wish to become a state, then I will support that effort in Washington and will help lead that effort in Washington.”

Asked whether he believed making English the official language of the territory would be necessary for it to become the 51st state — a question that plagued Sen. Rick Santorum during a trip here earlier this week — Romney said he doesn’t have “preconditions” that he would impose.

“I’ll go back to what I said before … I will support the people of Puerto Rico if they make a decision that they would prefer to become a state,” said Romney. “I don’t have preconditions that I would impose. I instead will stand and work with your governor to help carry out the will of the people of Puerto Rico.”

Santorum, who campaigned around San Juan this week, dialed back comments he made to a local reporter suggesting that he would require Puerto Rico to adopt English as its official language in order to achieve statehood. Santorum later said he believed the country should place importance on both languages.

Romney also made clear his preference for all children to master English, referring to it as the “language of opportunity.”

“Well, as you know, English has been an official language of Puerto Rico for 100 years and I think selecting the words of your governor, Spanish is the language of Puerto Rico’s heritage, English is the language of opportunity,” he said. “I would hope that young people would learn both languages, but particularly English so that as they trade throughout the country and participate in educational opportunities, and economic opportunities throughout the country, that their English skills would make it even easier for them to travel and be effective in trade in the United States and, of course, abroad.”

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call(WASHINGTON) — Rep. Cory Gardner (Colo.), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee says in this week’s Republican Address that President Obama has failed to deal with rising gas prices and that Americans are fed up.  But, he says, the president can still correct the problem by encouraging the Democratic-run Senate to act on energy bills already passed in the House.

Gardner criticizes Obama’s approach to the soaring gas costs, saying, “The most forceful thing the president has done about the high gas prices is try to explain that he’s against them.  Americans have the right to expect more from their leaders.”

While Rep. Gardner says that, in fairness, the President has agreed in the past that he’d be willing to work with Republicans on an ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, he adds that the Obama administration has “consistently slowed down or shut down domestic energy production.”  An all-of-the-above approach, Gardner says, would mean developing “our own resources — both traditional and renewable” — to lower costs and improve energy security.

As of now, Congressman Gardner says, there are at least seven bipartisan, House-passed energy bills awaiting a vote in the Senate.

“Unfortunately, the president has yet to follow through and urge the Senate to act.  He’s just carried on with more of the same,” Gardner says.  

Instead, the president has pushed to prevent construction on the Keystone Pipeline, and “called for raising energy taxes, which the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service says would actually lead to higher prices,” the congressman adds.

“The longer we let politicians like President Obama continue to block responsible American energy production, the longer our nation will continue to suffer with high gas prices and limited energy security,” Gardner warns.

“Let’s seize this moment, expand freedom instead of government, and secure our energy future once and for all,” he says.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Obama continues to hammer home his “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, calling for additional investments in green energy and attacking “career politicians” promising a “quick-fix” to bring down high gas prices.
 
“If we’re truly going to make sure we’re not at the mercy of spikes in gas prices every year, the answer isn’t just to drill more — because we’re already drilling more,” Obama says in his weekly address.
 
Instead, the president calls for additional investments in green energy to lessen dependence on foreign oil and ease the pain at the pump.

“If we don’t develop other sources of energy, and the technology to use less energy, we’ll continue to be dependent on foreign countries for our energy needs,” he explains.
 
While the president does not call out his Republican rivals by name, he repeats a thinly veiled stab at GOP candidate Newt Gingrich who has claimed his energy plan would return gas prices to $2.50 a gallon.
 
“It’s easy to promise a quick fix when it comes to gas prices.  There just isn’t one.  Anyone who tells you otherwise — any career politician who promises some three-point plan for two-dollar gas — they’re not looking for a solution.  They’re just looking for your vote,” he says.
 
Obama reiterates his call for Congress to end $4 billion in oil and gas subsidies. “Your member of Congress should be fighting for you. Not for big financial firms. Not for big oil companies,” he says.
 
“I expect Congress to vote on ending these subsidies. And when they do, we’re going to put every single Member of Congress on record: They can either stand up for oil companies, or they can stand up for the American people,” Obama concludes.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio