Rick Santorum

VERONA, Pa. — Former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum is returning to the nonprofit organization he founded with his wife, Karen, in 2012.

Santorum, who was a senator from 1995 to 2007, ended his bid for the White House on Feb. 4, after a low finish in the Republican Iowa Caucuses, where he won just one percent of the vote.

He spent a number of years as a youth in Butler and attending Butler schools.

In a news release, Santorum said he will return to Patriot Voices as its chairman where he will “give a voice to hard working Americans, and ... fight for causes that protect faith, freedom, family and opportunity in America.”

The organization describes itself as a grass-roots organization that advocates for conservative policies and is “a place where conservatives can come together to have their voice multiplied and amplified in the political process.”

Santorum’s announcement of his return to the organization came coupled with its first endorsement in 2016 — Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for president.

On May 27, 2015, Santorum started his run for the presidency with his kick-off announcement rally at Penn United Technologies in Jefferson Township.

He also ran in 2012 for the GOP nomination for president.