Washington (CNN) - Rick Santorum's political travels will take him back to the first-in-the-south primary state of South Carolina next week as he prepares for a likely presidential bid.
The former Pennsylvania Senator will travel to Republican-heavy Greenville and Spartanburg next Monday for two days of glad-handing with party activists and a meeting at the home of South Carolina Republican Party Chairwoman Karen Floyd, a Santorum adviser told CNN.
While other Republicans in the early presidential field have barely set foot in South Carolina, which has voted for every GOP presidential nominee in every primary going back to 1980, Santorum will be making his tenth visit in the state.
Santorum, an unapologetic conservative on social issues, has scheduled a series of private meetings with conservative activists in Greenville, a hub for the state's evangelical community. And on Monday evening, he will address a dinner sponsored by the Palmetto House Republican Women's Club in Spartanburg.
The following day, Santorum will speak to the students and faculty of Oakbrook Preparatory School, a Christian academy in Spartanburg.
That appearance will be followed by a lunchtime meet-and-greet with activists at Floyd's home in Spartanburg.
Floyd recently sparked controversy by holding a private meeting at her consulting firm with Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who is also seriously considering a presidential bid.
Republican critics accused Floyd, whose term ends in May, of using her position as party chair to line up a job with a presidential candidate. Floyd dismissed the accusation and said she planned to meet with other candidates in the coming weeks and months.
Floyd will also host a meet and greet for Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann at her consulting firm on Saturday. Bachmann is traveling to South Carolina on Friday evening, her first visit to the state as she contemplates a presidential run.
From CNN Politics
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Go and mingle with your confederate, treasonous brothers Ricky. I don't see you making it out of Iowa.
People , he's just posturing for a speech at the convention. Then he will run in 2016 !
He doesn't have a chance at the White House !
This is the guy who sent his children to one school district while living in another, and making the government pay for it. Do as I say, not as I do.
This phoney doesn't know that Pennsylvania was NOT one of the Confederate States. You betcha !
Correctly said – "Santorum is an unapologetic biggotted conservative on social issues."
Keep collecting the frequent flyer miles Rickie! YOU ARE UN-ELECTABLE!
This RACIST CLOWN can only be a hero in a state like South Carilina which is full of RACIST CLOWNS.
rick, you couldn't even win re-election in a PA senate race. in fact, bob casey slaughtered you. youve got no chance on the national level, no matter how bad you want to be president.
This guy knows he's unelectable but does all this campaigning in hopes of being elected in the "far away" future.
Nice picture. I'd be smiling like a mindless religious fundamentalist whackjob too if I never had to work for a living other than traveling around to tell carefully selected demographic groups precisely what they want to hear and that all their magical man-in-the-sky fairy tales are not only true, but that everyone else shoudl have to live in them with you. Good on ya, Oh Frothy One.
Why doesn't this clown just get a job at Fox? He will never be president.
Like we don't already have waaaaay tooooo many of their kind in our state. We don't need more-even as visitors. All of them can go back to their home states and STAY there! Believe it or not fellow citizens-we aren't all racist bigots.
Someone needs to investigate and determine if this guy is having an affair – TOO MUCH TRAVELING for something he knows he will not succeed in!!!
@ one voice...
I agree with you 100%
The perfect ticket. This idiot paired with either Sarah or Michelle.
What an exciting candidate!! Lets hope the Republicans nominate him.
All these conservative shoulded started work at age six of seven and went to school half days in the spring and early fall like a lot of us had had to do. He would glade to make sure his fellow citizen would get the best education possible. Bless.
The above people who made slanderous comments calling Rick a bigot should look in the mirror – and aspire to more than an 8th grade education. Upstate SC has the largest international business community per capita in the US. Strategic place to build support.