Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the last Republican standing against 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is planning to huddle with former advisers next week in Washington to discuss a possible run at the White House in 2016, CNN said.
“As you probably know, RJS is seriously considering a run for the White House in 2016,” Santorum adviser Matt Beynon wrote an e-mail invitation. “With the midterms and the new year behind us, he is beginning the final stages of preparation and consideration of another campaign.”
Mr. Santorum, who has a significant following among evangelical Christians, recently told The Washington Times that a would-be candidacy would be very different this time around.
A recount handed the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses to Mr. Santorum in 2012, and he went on to win 10 other states.
“After Florida, it was Romney and me, and all the guns were trained on me,” he said. “We were still able to win states despite being outspent and being a target. So I sort of feel like we have sort of been through the fire a little bit more than Gov. Huckabee ended up going through in the 2008 race. That I think is an advantage for us.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee won Iowa in 2008 and recently said he was ending his Fox News show as he weighs a possible White House run in 2016. Should both men enter the race, they could end up competing for the same bloc of religious conservative voters that comprise much of the GOP presidential primary electorate.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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