Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania has set up a “testing the waters” account in a clear step toward another run at the White House in 2016.
The account will allow Mr. Santorum to raise money to travel around the country as he weighs support for another run in 2016. He also has a nonprofit group called Patriot Voices and a political action committee with the same name.
Mr. Santorum came from behind to win the Iowa caucuses in 2012 and went on to win 10 other states, riding strong support from social conservatives and evangelicals to emerge as a chief rival for eventual GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
CBS News first reported the news of the account.
Mr. Santorum has talked up his foreign policy credentials ahead of a potential run in 2016, relentlessly hammering President Obama’s overseas policies, including ongoing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program.
“They want a nuclear weapon, and the president is going to let them have it,” he said Wednesday evening at an event in Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported.
The author of a book called “Blue Collar Conservatives,” Mr. Santorum has also struck a populist tone as he lays the groundwork for a possible bid.
He said earlier this year at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that he won those 11 states despite being outspent because he stood for someone — “the little guy. The American worker.”
“And if we’re gonna win in 2016, we need to stand for the little guy, too,” he said.
Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky are the only two major Republicans to have formally declared they are running for president. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has set up a similar “testing the waters” committee, while businessman Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have set up presidential exploratory committees.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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