DES MOINES, Iowa — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is courting young voters as he seeks to surprise his rivals with a strong showing in Iowa's leadoff precinct caucuses.

Santorum is set to join a couple of other candidates at a Rock the Vote event in suburban Des Moines on Tuesday, one of a series of events looking to get high school students involved in the presidential campaign.

The event is being sponsored in part by Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, who has endorsed Santorum and has been traveling with him. Schultz calls Santorum the most consistent conservative in the field, a point Santorum hammers on the campaign trail.

Heading into the caucuses Tuesday night, Santorum vows to stay in the race past the first votes of the presidential campaign.