Rick Santorum on Tuesday morning pushed back against calls to drop out of the GOP presidential race in order to unite the conservative vote.
Santorum told Fox News that people like fellow GOP candidate Newt Gingrich shouldn't tell other candidates to "get out of my way."
Gingrich, earlier in the morning, called for conservatives to unite behind one candidate. In the past, he has suggested other GOP candidates drop out of the race in order to avoid splitting the vote.
"My message is everybody should run," Santorum told Fox News. "I don't think people should be telling other folks to get out of the race and get out of my way. If you want to run a race, run a race. You don't ask someone to quit just because you think you're the better candidate. I think I'm the better candidate, but Newt has every right to run."
He also shrugged off the persistent speculation over businessman Donald Trump's possible Independent bid for president. "I can't be diverted by someone who is obviously promoting himself and promoting his brand," said Santorum.
Santorum is trailing well behind Gingrich and Mitt Romney in the polls, so far unable to recapture momentum after his win in the Iowa caucuses. He has collected a number of conservative and socially conservative endorsements over the past month, including prominent names such as James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Tony Perkins and Michelle Malkin.
The Republican presidential candidate, back on the campaign trail this week after a health scare for his baby daughter, Bella, also said, "I hate to do this, but I want to thank the national media for bugging me to get my taxes done and get them out, because had I not done that, I wouldn't have been home."
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich both released their tax returns earlier this month. Romney was under some pressure to do so because he originally indicated he didn't consider it necessary. Presidential candidates traditionally release their tax forms during the campaign.
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