Ohio's Mike DeWine: 'I was wrong' to back Romney over Santorum Reporting from Columbus, Ohio - Rick Santorum continued to pick up momentum in Ohio on Friday, as Ohio Atty. Gen. Mike DeWine dropped his support of Mitt Romney and endorsed Santorum for the Republican nomination for president. At an announcement before a small crowd in front of the Ohio Statehouse, DeWine said he had endorsed Romney in October because he believed the former Massachusetts governor stood the best chance of beating President Obama, and that "my friend Rick Santorum" had no chance of beating Romney. "I was wrong," DeWine said, as Santorum stood next to him smiling and, at times, closing his eyes in what appeared to be either beatific reflection or sheer exhaustion. When DeWine finished his remarks, Santorum hugged him, kissed his wife, and spoke briefly, saying he knew how difficult it was for DeWine to switch support. "We feel good about how things are going in this state," he said. Polls have shown Santorum overtaking Romney in Ohio, a key state both in the March 6 Super Tuesday primary and in the November general election. As Santorum noted during his remarks, he and DeWine have something of a common history, having both been defeated in U.S. Senate reelection bids in 2006. DeWine was elected attorney general of Ohio in 2010. His endorsement is significant, if only because it reflects momentum shifting from Romney to Santorum. Besides a large media contingent, perhaps 50 people turned out to hear the announcement, warmly applauding Santorum and calling out encouragement to him afterward. "Beat Obama," yelled one man in an Iraq veterans baseball cap as he held out a meaty hand for Santorum to shake. "I'm working on it, buddy," Santorum said. James and Christine Dunn brought two of their three children to see Santorum, whom both said they were leaning toward supporting. "There's really nothing he's said that I disagree with," said Christine, 36. I haven't heard any of the wavering from him that I've heard from the other candidates. She said she was still considering a vote for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, but considered Romney too liberal. Her husband said he hadn't ruled out either Gingrich or Romney. Neither said DeWine's endorsement would influence their decision. James Dunn, a 37-year-old bill collector, described DeWine as "a career politician," and said endorsements didn't mean that much to him. Christine Dunn, a stay-at-home mom, had stronger words: "I don't like DeWine. I didn't like him before and I don't like him now. ...To me, it doesn't matter who endorses [Santorum] and who doesn't. For me, it's whether I can look at my kids at the end of the day and say ... 'We tried to leave you something better.""