Rick Santorum Super PAC Launches New Iowa Ad
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - The super Pac supporting Rick Santorum is out with a new ad in Iowa today. The television ad, titled "Devoted," pushes his conservative credentials and, like his own commercial put out Wednesday, it urges conservatives to "unite" around the former Pennsylvania senator.
"All across Iowa there's a principled Conservative uniting Republicans," the ad says over video of Iowa and photos of Santorum and voters. "Rick Santorum is ready to take on Barack Obama and restore America's greatness. He's proven, ready to lead."
The ad praises his anti-abortion platform and tough stances on Iran and ends with, "Rick Santorum, a real conservative America can trust."
Unlike most of the super PAC ads filling the airwaves here, this one does not mention his opponents. But this line is a clear swipe at his rivals, especially Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, who, Santorum has said, are in their own primary for the "moderate" vote.
Watch the ad on Santorum's YouTube channel here.
The ad launches today and will air through the caucuses in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, the Quad Cities and Mason City. The buy through Tuesday is $208,605, according to the the Red, White, and Blue Fund, which is the super PAC (political action committee) backing Santorum.
The commercial comes one day after Santorum saw a big boost in polling in the state, coming in third with 16 percent support in the CNN-Time poll, behind Romney and Ron Paul. He has barnstormed the state for months, but this is the first time he has seen real movement in the polls.
The campaign Wednesday night put out a fundraising email to supporters trying to raise money off the polling news. He is campaigning in Coralville, Muscatine and Davenport today.
A morning stop in a candy shop in Wilton was "postponed," according to the campaign, because the shop was closed. With only five days left before the state caucuses here, it's unclear when the campaign will make it back to Wilton. But it's a possible sign that an organization on a shoestring budget can run into trouble.
The candidate has been able to rise to third place with a fraction of the funding the other candidates have, but he also does not have the organization on which the others are relying.
Santorum is hoping enthusiasm and grassroots support along with the caucuses and precinct captains they are picking up every day will boost him Tuesday, but he has nothing like the machinery that the Romney and Paul teams have built in the state.
Throughout his time stumping all across the Hawkeye State, he has consistently said the caucuses are about "expectation" setting. If he stays number three, beating out Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry, he doesn't need to win for it to be a victory.