Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was one of three Republican candidates to address the Conservative Political Action Conference's (CPAC) annual convention in Washington, D.C.
Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney also addressed overflow crowds in the main ballroom of the Marriott Wardman Park in Washington, D.C.
See the Santorum address to CPAC.
All three of the candidates received warm welcomes, all three assaulted President Barack Obama's record (or lack of record,) and all three received standing ovations.
The 39th annual gathering of conservatives has grown exponentially since the 1970s when CPAC was founded by the American Conservative Union and Young Americans for Freedom. CPAC received a big boost in 1974, when then California Governor Ronald Reagan addressed a small group of enthusiastic conservatives.
The annual gathering has become a "must attend" event for Republican Presidential candidates and other national Republican power brokers, although Republican Presidential candidate and Texas Congressman Ron Paul did not attend this year's event. He was represented yesterday at CPAC by his son, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul.
Santorum was introduced by his major financial supporter Foster Friess. The conservative mutli-millionaire has backed Santorum's super Pac, which has allowed Santorum the ability to stay in the race during lean financial times.
"A conservative, a liberal, and a moderate walk into a bar," Friess said in his introduction of Santorum. "The bartender says, 'hello, Mitt Romney." The crowd loved it.
Santorum was flanked by his wife and six of his seven children as his extolled his conservative principles and slammed Obama, both of which were "red meat" to the CPAC crowd in the packed ballroom.
More to come.
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