Rick Santorum may be ready to run for president — again.
The former Pennsylvania senator and 2012 Republican presidential hopeful has set up a testing the waters account ahead of a possible 2016 White House run.
The account allows Santorum to raise and spend money under the same guidelines as an actual campaign committee; however, a “testing the waters” account does not have to disclose its finances.
“He just formed the testing the waters account this week,” Santorum adviser Matt Beynon told CBS News. “His timeframe for making a formal decision on a bid is still what it was — by late spring, he’ll make an announcement.”
Santorum has been “very encouraged by the support that he’s received from folks all across the country,” Benyon said.
Santorum already has a political action committee and a 501(c)(4) nonprofit advocacy group — both named Patriot Voices — that have raised a combined $10 million in the past two years, Benyon said.
Before Santorum eventually dropped out of the race for the 2012 Republican presidential candidate race in favor of Mitt Romney, he won the Iowa caucuses and 10 other states.
Should Santorum decide to run, he has a long way to go. In a 12-deep person race for the nomination, he places tenth, with 1.8 points. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leads the field in that same RealClearPolitics average of polls with 17 points, followed by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker with 16.
