Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich Downplay Eric Cantor's Endorsement Of Mitt Romney

Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich dismissed the endorsement of Mitt Romney by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), saying Monday morning that it just underscores how Romney is the establishment's choice for president.

Cantor had made his endorsement on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, saying, "Mitt is the only one that knows how to create jobs, and he is the only one that put forward the plan to do that."

In an interview on "Fox & Friends" Monday, Santorum criticized Romney's plan as unambitious, saying it was exactly how Congress is used to operating:

Eric is a good guy, but he's just factually wrong. Everybody that's looked at the plans, between my plan and Governor Romney's, has called his plan "timid." He tinkers around on the edges -- 59 different points -- reduces rates just a little bit, doesn't have any fundamental reform of the tax code.

Eric is a good guy. He's a leader in Congress. He's used to just tinkering around on the edges. That's what Congress does. I know, I was there. I saw how folks react. We don't need someone who is going to make congressmen feel comfortable. We need someone who will go in there and shake things up and upset people's equilibrium and get them to think big.

Gingrich, appearing on CNN's "Starting Point," also described Romney as the "Washington establishment candidate" and said that is why Cantor endorsed him.

"It's true if you look at where does [Romney's] money come from, where are most of the lobbyists lined up," Gingrich said. "So I think he goes around the country, and he's legitimately collected most of the insiders. I like Eric Cantor, but he is sort of part of the same group."

Both Gingrich and Santorum have served in Congress.

WATCH: