The race may be essentially over and his campaign suspended, but former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum appears to be in no hurry to back presumed nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum held a conference call with supporters tonight to thank them for their work and discuss his future plans.
Supporters could submit questions for the former Pennsylvania senator, and one asked if Santorum might “un-suspend” his campaign if he got enough votes in upcoming primaries. “Is there a reason why [supporters] shouldn’t vote for you still?” One asked, specifically referring to next week’s Pennsylvania primary?
Santorum didn’t say no. “Well, I would just say this. This best thing they could do is stay tuned. We really are serious about making sure that the issues that we brought up during this campaign are continued going forward.” “As far as who you vote for for…it’s really up to you as to who you support in the upcoming elections,” he said.
As for his own activities, Santorum vowed to be a “voice” in the presidential campaign, but it’s unclear for whom he’ll be speaking. “You’ll see me active and engaged,” he said, “but as far a specific presidential candidate, I haven’t had a chance yet to talk to Newt [Gingrich] or to Governor [Mitt] Romney, but we’ll be talking to both of them, and we’re going to go out and do what we think is best for our country and winning this election and making sure that we have a conservative…who will follow through with that conservative message after the election.”
Mitt Romney’s name was hardly mentioned during the entire call.
He also hinted at perhaps starting an independent grassroots organizing group, like fellow ex-candidate Herman Cain’s. “We will have a place to organize and to rally to make a difference. And we’re working on something right now about how to best make that happen,” he said. “So I would just encourage people to stay tuned,” he added.