Add Santorum's Name to 2012 List

The list of Republican presidential hopefuls just keeps getting longer. Former Sen. Rick Santorum will make the first of several scheduled trips to Iowa in October, reports Politico. The conservative Santorum, of course, isn't explicitly calling it a scouting trip for 2012, but he acknowledged he wants a bigger role in the party. “Your voice becomes more amplified when you go to a place like Iowa or New Hampshire,” he said.

“This is an opportunity for me to go out and talk about things I think we need to be doing to turn this country in the right direction.” He's not alone. Politico rounds up the others who have visited Iowa since November: Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Haley Barbour, Mike Pence, George Pataki, and (pre-affair) John Ensign. For Mitt, Sarah, and Newt, it's probably just a matter of time. (More Rick Santorum stories.)