Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) spoke to the New York Times Tuesday before Mitt Romney won the Michigan and Arizona primaries, voicing skepticism about the former Massachusetts governor's campaign.
She said that she thought he was having a tough time gathering "support" and "energy." "Whether Romney wins or loses in Michigan tonight, just the fact that he's had such a fight in his home state is evidence of that blessing not yet being given to him across the board," she said, but clarified that she would support him if he becomes the nominee.
Palin also told the Times that Santorum "has done a good job in pointing out that Achilles’ heel in Romneycare."
Palin said earlier this month on Fox News that she was skeptical of Romney's conservatism. "I am not convinced [of Romney's conservatism] and I don’t think that the majority of GOP and independent voters are convinced, and that is why you don’t see Romney get over that hump." She continued, "He is still in the thirty-percentile mark when it comes to approval and primary wins and caucus wins. He still hasn't risen above that yet because we are not convinced. ... He has spent millions and millions and millions of dollars and hasn't risen yet."
Romney responded to Palin in a subsequent Fox interview. "I'm not quite sure what she'd be referring to," he said. "I'm pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, I believe in the Second Amendment. As governor, I balanced the budget every year I was in office, put in place a $2 billion rainy day fund, cut taxes 19 times."
In addition to her concerns about Romney, Palin previously has told voters to vote for Newt Gingrich in an effort to keep the GOP primary race going.