Santorum Banks on Iowa for Possible Run for Pres

Former Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Rick Santorum is banking on the early caucus state of Iowa as he prepares a run for the 2012 presidential nomination. He has visited the state more than any other 2012 hopeful, The Hill reports.

“Any opening for Santorum would have to come from the evangelical conservative wing of the party’s base, particularly in Iowa,” the news service states. “A staunch opponent of abortion and gay marriage, if Santorum can find a path to mobilizing and coalescing social conservatives in 2012, he could find a built-in base of support.”

But that effort could fail if former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, or Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., decide to run.