PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Front-runner Mitt Romney was prepared to launch a media blitz this week against Rick Santorum in his home state with this attack ad.

“Rick Santorum lost his home county by 30 points. He lost across the board with voters — Democrats and independents, women, and men, blacks and whites, young and old.”

But word that Santorum had hospitalized his daughter Bella prompted Romney to pull the ad temporarily from Pennsylvania’s airwaves.

Santorum’s campaign now reports that Bella is doing well which means Santorum is back on the campaign trail in Bedford and Lancaster on Tuesday.

So Romney’s$2.9 million media attack is expected to begin shortly.

“We fired him as senator. Why promote him to president. I’m Mitt Romney, and I approve this ad.”

But Romney may be conceding southwestern PA to Santorum. Jis ad buy is much stronger in other parts of the state than here even though 20 percent of the state’s Republicans live in this region.

That also may be part of an effort to discourage Santorum supporters here from voting, although election officials say local Republican turnout is not likely to exceed 30 percent.

Four years ago, 56 percent of Democrats turned out to vote in the primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but nobody really expects that many Republicans to show up in what could be the political life-and-death battle for Rick Santorum.

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