Rick Santorum is making a return to the presidential campaign trail, spelling out part of his 2016 strategy in an interview with the Washington Post.
And yes, the sweater vests will be back.
The former senator from Pennsylvania isn’t getting as much attention as other potential 2016 Republicans, but Santorum is already talking as if he’s a candidate.
“America loves an underdog. We’re definitely the underdog in this race,” he told Karen Tumulty on Tuesday.
Santorum was certainly an underdog last time, too. He was polling in the single digits in the fall of 2011 but eventually became the surprise winner of the Iowa caucuses, besting Mitt Romney by 34 votes.
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His victories forced Romney into a competitive primary season, winning contests in nearly a dozen states. He didn’t drop out until April 10.
Being underestimated again “has given me a lot of latitude,” he said in the interview on Tuesday.
With a likely crowded GOP primary field in 2016, early fundraising will be a big challenge. But he said GOP donor Foster Friess has already pledged to support a Santorum run.
Santorum has been active in the past year, traveling to early primary states and advocating conservative causes with his group, Patriot Voices.
He’s zeroed in on a message that aims to appeal to blue collar workers.
“It’s very much heart of America, average Americans who have found a place where they see someone who will stand up and fight for them,” he said. “If the Republican Party has a future — and I sometimes question if it does — it’s in middle America. It’s not in corporate America.”