Santorum talks presidential race in Harrisburg

Former Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum met with top state Republicans and supporters in Harrisburg Tuesday to discuss a possible 2016 campaign for the White House, the latest sign that he wants another shot after finishing second to GOP nominee Mitt Romney three years ago.

The private conclave at the Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association was arranged by Frederick W. Anton, the advocacy group's president and a pillar of the state Republican establishment.

In a letter inviting attendees, Anton wrote that Santorum and his "senior team" would lay out what a 2016 campaign could look like. "His message of fighting for working Americans, manufacturing, and our conservative values resonated – and still does – with voters all over the country," Anton wrote, adding that he was urging Santorum to run.

Santorum also has invited about two dozen former advisers for a "private briefing" on his plans in Washington next Tuesday. The meeting is scheduled to be held at American Continental Group, a lobbying and public-affairs firm, according to an email invitation circulated by Matt Beynon, a spokesman for Santorum's 2012 presidential campaign.

Santorum won 4 million votes and carried primaries or caucuses in 11 states, making him the last Republican standing against Romney. A favorite of grassroots conservatives who mistrusted the former venture capitalist and Massachusetts governor, Santorum dropped out of the race in April, just before the Pennsylvania primary.

If he runs, Santorum could face a crowd of competitors for the votes of the social conservatives that launched him in 2012, starting with a come-from-behind win in the Iowa caucuses. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, recently quit his Fox News show to explore a campaign of his own. Huckabee won Iowa in 2008 with overwhelming backing from social conservatives.

Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon and conservative pundit, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz also have appeal on the right.

Though he became well-known as an opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage, Santorum has spent the past couple of years stressing the need for conservatives to reach out to working-class voters with policies to restore U.S. manufacturing and address income inequality. (He is one of the few GOP leaders backing a minimum wage hike, for instance.)

Santorum talked about manufacturing and the working class in the last presidential campaign, though those themes sometimes were overshadowed by discussions of social issues.

At the time Santorum dropped out in 2012, much of Pennsylvania's GOP hierarchy was for Romney, and polls suggested the former senator was a heavy underdog. He represented the state in the U.S. Senate from 1995-2007, and held a suburban Pittsburgh U.S. House seat for four years before that.

On Tuesday, Santorum traveled to Harrisburg to attend the opening session of the legislature, and celebrate the ascension of his friend state Sen. Jake Corman (R.,Centre) to majority leader.  Santorum's political career began as an aide to Corman's father, former state Sen. Doyle Corman, when he was a Penn State undergraduate.