ROCK HILL Calling himself a consistent conservative, Republican Rick Santorum Friday cast Mitt Romney as a flip-flopper with a timid message who can't relate to key swing voters.

"He has changed his opinion on about every issue out there," the former Pennsylvania senator said in Rock Hill. "And (he) has a difficult time relating to the voters we're going to need to win this election."

Santorum spoke to around 200 people at the Laurel Creek club, a smaller crowd than rival Newt Gingrich drew to the same place on Wednesday. But eight days before the Jan. 21 GOP primary, he found a warm reception for his message of faith and family, a message driven home by the dad on a reality TV show.

"Our goal in coming here is to get the word out to folks in South Carolina that this is the family values candidate," said Jim Bob Duggar, father of 19 and star of TLC's reality show, "19 Kids and Counting."

Duggar, who brought a handful of his children - and his own bus - helped Santorum make the point: He's the values candidate.

"It's not just about the economy," Santorum told his listeners. "There's also another issue I felt was being given short shrift, and that's the importance of faith and family in our society."

Santorum is banking on York County and other Upstate counties carried by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee over Arizona Sen. John McCain in the 2008 GOP primary. Huckabee won York County by double digits.

A new poll Friday showed Santorum with the support of 14 percent of likely S.C. voters, trailing Romney, Gingrich and Texas Congressman Ron Paul. The survey, by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling of Raleigh, had Romney leading with 29 percent support.

"(One) reason Romney's doing well and that Santorum's doing poorly is that social issues just aren't at the front of voters' minds this year," said poll director Tom Jenson.

In Rock Hill, Santorum took several swipes at Romney.

Santorum said that while Romney has run three times, "as a liberal the first time, a moderate the second time and a conservative the third time," he himself has always been a conservative.

Holding up a finger as if to test the wind, he said, "There may be other people who speak the words because that's what America wants to (hear) today."

"We need people who have the strength and the core convictions to fight for what they believe is right," he added.

Some voters in the audience clearly favored a conservative alternative to Romney.

Marlene Mitchell of Rock Hill asked Santorum if he had talked to Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry about coalescing conservative support behind one of them.

"This country cannot stand four more years of (President) Barack Obama," she told Santorum. "I'm not so sure it can stand four years of Mitt Romney."

"I trust the people of South Carolina," Santorum replied. "This race is just starting. ... South Carolina can completely change the whole tenor of the race."

In a state where evangelical voters are expected to make up 60 percent of the primary electorate, Santorum holds some appeal.

"I believe you are the answer to prayer, and God's man to get this country back," the Rev. Michael Poore of Rock Hill First Wesleyan Church told him.

Asked later if he could vote for Romney, Poore said, "Absolutely not."

"Because of the fact that he's a Mormon," he added. "They don't take the Gospel as the Bible. Their Book of Mormon is in addition to the Bible and that's probably where I would have a difference with him."