Rick Santorum Greeted by Supporters, Protesters in Cuyahoga Falls

Rick Santorum stuck to familiar themes Monday night in Cuyahoga Falls, choosing to play up his Rust Belt roots on the eve of the Ohio primary.

The GOP presidential hopeful picked this suburban northeast Ohio city for his last campaign stop before voting begins Tuesday morning. He’s been out-spent in the state, he told the group, but , he and opponent Mitt Romney are practically even.

“It’s gut check time,” Santorum said. “Who wants it the most?”

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who is supporting Santorum, set the tone when introducing the former Pennsylvania senator, focusing on his steep climb up the polls.

DeWine called Romney the “establishment candidate.”

“But Rick Santorum is the people’s candidate,” DeWine said to cheers.

Inside the pavilion, the message was met with loud approval. The crowd of about 250 cheered his plans to eliminate taxes on manufacturing companies, his allusions to religion and his strikes on President Barack Obama’s healthcare plan.

“We like what he stands for,” JoAnn Arambasick, of Nelson, said before the speech. Arambasick called Santorum a “middle-class, good old-fashioned American.”

Other fans gave similar reasons for supporting Santorum: He’s conservative. He's religious. He’s sincere. He speaks his mind.

“He stands for our own beliefs,” said Xinia Tobias, of Akron.

Outside the rally, protesters stood with fans who couldn’t get inside the packed pavilion. The protesters held signs denouncing Santorum’s policies on gay rights and women’s issues, topics the candidate did not address in the evening’s speech.

Shane May, who has recently found himself at the , was one of the protesters who decided to come to the rally.

The Akron resident said he had heard Santorum wants to nullify same-sex marriages — and he doesn’t want to spend his first year as a newlywed worried that status could be taken away.

Amber O’Shea, of Cuyahoga Falls, another protester, came out to support equality in marriage for gay couples.

“For some people, it’s a privilege, not a right,” she said.

Santorum made no mention of the protesters and stayed away from topics that have attracted controversy in recent weeks. He instead kept the focus on the economy and healthcare, calling himself a strong “foil” to Obama’s  stances.