After his strong showing in the Iowa caucus, Rick Santorum is looking to spend his newly found political capital, and raise some actual capital for his campaign. Not long after the Iowa polls closed, Santorum sent a message to members of RedState.com’s email list, asking for their financial support. He also took the opportunity to paint frontrunner Mitt Romney as a “bland, boring, career politician.”
For most of the 2012 Presidential campaign, Santorum found himself polling in the single digits, but his sudden surge in December and Iowa finish now has him among the GOP frontrunners. However, his rise has left him short on campaign staffers, and his war chest cannot compete with the likes of Romney and Rick Perry.
In an effort to raise funds quickly, the Santorum campaign purchased an email blast from RedState.com, which routinely sends advertising emails to list subscribers who consent beforehand to receive them. The email, dated January 5th, was sent out just over 24 hours after the Iowa polls closed.
In the email, Santorum makes it clear he is a stronger alternative to Mitt Romney, without actually naming him. “We can either unite now behind one candidate and have a conservative standard bearer in 2012, or have the GOP establishment choose another moderate Republican who will have a difficult time defeating Barack Obama in November,” he said. “Now is the time to act or get stuck with a bland, boring, career politician who will lose to Barack Obama.”
Santorum finished fifth in New Hampshire, less than 100 votes behind fourth place finisher Next Gingrich. That was good enough to give Santorum momentum going in to South Carolina, where his conservative stance on issues will play much better to a largely evangelical voter base. His pitch to potential supporters makes that clear.
“I will be the most conservative President since Ronald Reagan. I am not going to Washington to blend in and hope people like me. I am running to dismantle the Obama Agenda and lead–like Reagan did. If you want to roll back the Obama Agenda with a real conservative, this is your chance.” The email then directs readers to the Santorum campaign website to make a donation.
Santorum has momentum going to South Carolina. Now, he needs the money to support it.
Source: Santorum Campaign Email, January 5, 2012