Santorum to spend at least $1.5M on advertising blitz in South Carolina

Rick Santorum’s campaign plans to spend at least $1.5 million on advertising in South Carolina as the former senator tries to recover from a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary. 

John Brabender, a senior adviser for the Santorum campaign, told CNN that the campaign would spend at least that amount to advertise in the Palmetto State. He said that the campaign has raised about $3 million since early January. 

{mosads}Santorum is hoping for a better showing in South Carolina than in New Hampshire, where he took about 10 percent of the vote, virtually tied for fourth place with Newt Gingrich.

Multiple members of the Santorum campaign said that the plan all along was not to spend too many resources in New Hampshire, where Mitt Romney had a deep base of support. 

“I mean look, we did exactly what we wanted to do in New Hampshire,” Santorum national communications director J. Hogan Gidley said. “We didn’t spend a dime in New Hampshire on TV. Not a dime. At Christmas we were at 2 percent in the polls.”

The campaign expects a much better showing in South Carolina, a state much more likely to be receptive to Santorum’s brand of social conservatism.

Santorum beat expectations in Iowa by essentially tying Mitt Romney for first place, with the former Massachusetts governor just eight votes ahead. Santorum focused his campaign resources on doing well there and won a few notable endorsements in the state, including Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz (R) and Bob Vander Plaats, the head of the social conservative group, The Family Leader.

But Santorum couldn’t maintain the momentum in New Hampshire, where his economic message was largely overshadowed by contentious exchanges with voters about his opposition to gay marriage.