Santorum to announce candidacy first Monday in June
(CNN) - Rick Santorum will make it official on June 6.
A source close to the Santorum campaign confirms to CNN that the former senator from Pennsylvania will formally announce his candidacy for president on that day at a location in the southwestern part of the state, near where his grandfather worked in a coal mine after coming to America from Italy.
"This location is significant because when Sen. Santorum's grandfather left fascist Italy, he came to this country for America's freedom and the opportunity our nation afforded him," the source told CNN.
Word of Santorum's June 6 announcement was first reported by Politico.
CNN was first to report Tuesday that Santorum was making preparations to formally jump into the race for the Republican presidential nomination and would make a major announcement regarding his plans for the GOP presidential nomination the week of June 5. CNN also reported that Santorum was committed to participate in the first Republican presidential debate in New Hampshire. That event, which is co-hosted by CNN, WMUR-TV and the New Hampshire Union Leader, takes place June 13 at Saint Anselm College.
Santorum is arguably the most frequent flyer in the battle for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. His trip to Iowa last weekend was his 15th to the state that kicks off the presidential primary and caucus calendar since 2009.
In the same period of time, he also made 16 trips to New Hampshire, which holds the first primary, and 14 to South Carolina, the first southern primary state on the road to the White House.
Late last year Santorum started building up staff in these crucial early voting states. On May 3 he announced the formation of a presidential exploratory committee, filing papers with the Federal Election Commission. Two days later he participated in the first GOP presidential debate, in Greenville, South Carolina.
The former two-term senator lost his 2006 re-election bid by 18 points to Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and until last year was largely out of public view except for appearances on Fox News.
Polls over the past year indicate that Santorum registers in the low single digits nationally among Republican voters when it comes to the choice for their party's next presidential nominee. But, due in part to his strong opposition to abortion rights, Santorum remains popular with many socially conservative voters who have long had an influential role in the GOP primary process. Earlier this spring, Santorum made headlines by winning a much-watched straw poll at the Greenville County, South Carolina Republican convention.
–Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
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Sorry Rick.. Sarah is starting the official "Fire in the Belly and Bats in the Belfrey" tour. Please make your checks out to SarahPac. And don't forget to tip your bartenders on the way out (RickSantorum@EpicFail.Com).
OK, so now we know the date he intends to jump in the hot grease. Now all we need to know is when he is going to bail.
some people just don't know when to stop. Heaven help us. go away Rick.
Has anyone noticed that everyone in the Republican field is currently unemployed?
And, that all of the potentials who "dropped out" already have jobs? Weird, huh?
No chance, Rick. Thank goodness.
Will he bring along his baby for everyone to see?
This whole game of announcing that you're going to announce that you're running but the announcement of the announcement doesn't count as announcing that you're running...it is 100% annoyingly asinine. It's like literally telling someone "I'm not going to tell you that the secret she told me is that she has a vestigial tail" or putting up a billboard that says "DO NOT READ THIS." Totally ridiculous...especially from some dimwit who has zero chance of winning. As far as anyone with a brain their head should be concerned, he's already announced his candidacy and the game of pretending he hasn't so the campaign finance laws don't kick in yet should be taken to task by the FEC...with anyone who plays this game.
Why not let get all the clown Into the CIRCUS. I even Heard the biggest clown Is going though the Round. The Republican party becoming the Joke of America.
His dad may have left fascist Italy, but fascism certainly hasn't left Santorum.
The former two-term senator lost his 2006 re-election bid by 18 points to Democrat Bob Casey Jr. and until last year was largely out of public view except for appearances on Fox News.
Looser !
Hard to Imagine?????? Medicare Buster,bye bye.
I think the Republicans should skip the 2012 race for President. It will be a waste of time and money for them. They should concentrate on the House and Senate.
This ought to be fun when people Google his name to see who he is.
The Republican's are getting funnier and funnier with their candidates. I just hope this isn't a ploy by the party and then they'll spring somebody who is middle of the road, (though where this person is is anybody's guess).
Another loon is about to enter the race. This one wants to take us back to the 18th century. Where does the GOP find these guys? Or is it that the loons naturally find the GOP?
America has been waiting on this anouncement. Everyone loves a good laugh
Rick Santorum, like Rudy Giuliani, is a single-issue candidate. Instead of a noun, a verb and 911, Santorum is a noun, a verb, and outlaw all abortions.
Oh, like we didn't see this coming... How many trips must a candidate take before he declares?
His bid for the presidency ended and my innocence was lost when I googled Santorum
Didn't Dan Savage have a contest using this guy's name? And wasn't there an unforgetable, but unrepeatable conjugal position named after his last name?
Snookie Palin's coming. No money or hate left for him.