Even Iowa Republicans Are Pretty Lukewarm About Another Santorum Run

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Rick Santorum keeps visiting Iowa constantly, but that hasn’t translated to a groundswell of support in the Hawkeye State.

The latest Des Moines Register poll released Sunday found only tepid support for another Santorum presidential bid among Iowa Republicans who handed him a narrow victory in the state’s 2012 caucuses.

Forty-eight percent of Republicans in the state said it would be a good idea for Santorum, while 30 percent said it would be a bad idea and 22 percent said they weren’t sure.

By comparison, 67 percent of Iowa Republicans said it would be a good idea for Paul Ryan to run, while 65 percent said the same of a potential Mike Huckabee bid.

It’s clear that Santorum is still considering a run in 2016, and just as obvious that he’s counting on Iowa to serve as a launching pad for a candidacy.

He visited all 99 counties in Iowa during the 2012 cycle, leading to an upset win over Mitt Romney in the caucuses. And as Yahoo’s Chris Moody noted in a January profile, Santorum still visits the state regularly.

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