Myrtle Beach, S.C. (CNSNews.com) – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum told CNSNews.com that a candidate’s record matters with regard to where they stand on abortion in reference to GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney.

Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, has been a leader on pro-life legislation. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, was pro-abortion until 2005, when he was 58 years old. However, he now opposes abortion except in the cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother.

On Monday, Santorum told a crowd gathered at an event sponsored by the Faith and Freedom Coalition that he has been a fighter “in the foxholes” for conservative issues, as someone who sponsored the law banning partial-birth abortion, and having pushed welfare reform in the 1990s.

CNSNews.com asked Santorum after the event, “Do you think Governor Romney can be trusted on the life issue in this campaign?”

Santorum said that voters should pay attention to Romney’s past position.

“Track record matters,” Santorum told CNSNews.com. “Like I said, when push comes to shove in Washington, it’s what your priorities are and we’ve been very clear about our priorities.”

Most polls show Romney now leading in South Carolina, which holds its primary on Saturday, Jan. 21. Santorum, who became a top-tier candidate after essentially tying Romney for first place in Iowa – losing by just eight votes statewide – is running in third or fourth place in most polls.