Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's trip to Iowa to speak to conservative activists early next month throws a spotlight on his possible run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

Those Oct. 1 appearances have been on Santorum's calendar for a while, but earlier this week he affirmed that he is thinking about a campaign, calling President Obama's policies "injurious to America."

Iowa's caucuses are the nation's first presidential nominating contests, and several potential GOP candidates already have trooped to the state.

Santorum is scheduled to speak at a Right to Life event in Des Moines, appear on talk radio there, and then travel to Dubuque to headline events for the conservative America's Future Fund PAC.

"This is not part of a master plan to run for president by any means," said John Brabender, Santorum's longtime media strategist, "but it would be fair to say he has a much more open mind to the possibility than he did before."

Santorum has been out of office since 2006, when he lost his bid for a third term to Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.) by 18 percentage points. Recently Santorum has been raising his profile in debate about the future of the GOP.

'Take a look'

"The dynamic has changed," Santorum said Tuesday on a Republican National Committee conference call with reporters to respond to Obama's fund-raiser for Sen. Arlen Specter (D., Pa.).

Indeed, Obama's approval rating has declined amid furor over his plans to overhaul health care; the massive federal spending on the stimulus package; and bailouts for banks and auto companies. Republicans have been emboldened in their opposition.

"A lot of people are going to take a look and see what they can do to confront this presidency, which many of us - as you are seeing from the tea parties and the like - which many of us believe is injurious to America," Santorum said. He said he was among those who would look at a 2012 race.

"I went from not considering it at all to saying I would consider it - and that's as far as I'm willing to go 31/2 years out," Santorum said.

'Major players'

Santorum, known nationally for his outspoken opposition to abortion, could find support among the Christian conservatives who dominate Iowa's GOP caucuses, analysts say.

Members of the religious right made up about 60 percent of participants in last year's Republican caucuses, said Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines.

"These folks are major players . . . big enough to exercise veto power in caucuses," Goldford said.

Brabender said Santorum's electoral loss had not dampened enthusiasm for the trip. "It's not lost on the conservative community that Rick was one who didn't change what he believed in," Brabender said.

Santorum, 51, practices law and is a senior fellow at a conservative think tank. He guest-hosts William Bennett's nationally syndicated radio show Friday mornings, is a commentator for Fox News, and writes a column for The Inquirer.

Contact staff writer Thomas Fitzgerald at 215-854-2718 or tfitzgerald@phillynews.com.