Santorum launches 2016 campaign

Rick Santorum announced his second campaign for the White House on Wednesday, striking a populist tone as he railed against “big government” and “big money.”

The former Republican Pennsylvania senator made his announcement surrounded by factory workers on the floor of a business near his western Pennsylvania hometown, a setting designed to showcase his focus on the working class.

He held up a piece of coal in one hand — highlighting his family’s working roots — and an American flag in the other. In announcing “I’m running for president,” he vowed to get rid of executive orders and regulations that are costing Americans jobs, as well as scrap the “corrupt federal tax code.”

While hoping to build off his solid performance in 2012, Santorum begins the race as a heavy underdog facing a crowded field.

The former senator was the Republican runner-up in the 2012 presidential primaries and beat out nominee Mitt Romney in the Iowa caucuses. He also won 11 state races during the primaries. But Santorum faces a steep challenge this cycle in carving out a political niche for himself – as one of several social conservatives in contention.

As of Wednesday, the RealClearPolitics average of polls showed him ranking 10th, behind such social conservatives as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Ben Carson, both declared candidates.

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