Santorum forms account to test ’16 waters

Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) has formed an account with the Federal Election Commission to test the waters for a potential 2016 presidential campaign, according to a Thursday report.

“He just formed the testing the waters account this week,” Santorum adviser Matt Beynon told CBS News.

{mosads}”His timeframe for making a formal decision on a bid is still what it was — by late spring, he’ll make an announcement,” Beynon added. 

Santorum, who has a political action committee and advocacy nonprofit, can use the “testing the waters” account to raise funds as allowed for an actual campaign committee without having to disclose the finances, CBS noted.

His PAC and 501(c)4 nonprofit, each named Patriot Voices, have already raised a combined $10 million since 2013, Beynon told CBS. The testing the waters account, like the one already announced by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), stops short of an exploratory committee, though. 

Santorum, who was runner-up in 2012 to eventual nominee Mitt Romney, is expected to launch another White House bid, but has so far not found as much traction in a more crowded GOP field. 

Still, he has recently traveled to early voting states like Iowa and South Carolina to speak out against President Obama on foreign policy issues.