Rick Santorum Campaign Owed $2 Million 10 Days Before He Quit Race

WASHINGTON -- Scaling up is hard to do. Rick Santorum, the scrappy presidential candidate who quit the race on April 10, found that out as his campaign went from a small operation that mainly involved the candidate driving around Iowa to a major effort aimed at knocking off a well-financed rival, the now presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney.

At the end of March, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, Santorum's campaign found itself nearly broke, with $1.8 million cash on hand and $2 million in debts.

The report, covering receipts and expenses for the month of March, showed Santorum raising $5 million and spending $6 million as he sought to beat Romney.

The biggest expense, as with most campaigns, was media at $1.6 million. Direct mail was the second biggest expense at $1.1 million. The latter was likely designed to increase Santorum's fundraising, which lagged that by Romney (and much of the rest of the field) until January.

Santorum's campaign also spent $617,825 on chartered air flights, $447,441 on phone communications and $398,620 on list rentals.

The campaign's debt had increased by $1 million from February to March, which must have been a concern when Santorum decided to drop out of the race in April. The majority of that debt must be paid to Santorum's longtime top political and media consultant John Brabender. The campaign owes Brabender's firm $760,008, up from $489,383 at the end of February.

This story has been revised to make clear that the Santorum campaign owed $2 million but still had $1.8 million to cover its debts at the end of March.

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Comments

[dvmflorida]

07:33 PM on 04/30/2012

Liberals are truely the most vile people I have ever met. I served over 28 years in the military and most were conservatives, you don't meet many liberals risking thier lives to save others. They also are not willing to use their own money either, they want to spend ours, as Obama has shown. If Chrsitians want to support Santorum, so be it. At least they aren't picking your pocket like so many liberals want to do and while they are at it they are breaking the piggy banks of our children and grandchildren. Shame on you! Spend your own money.

[AMan Bloom]

07:34 AM on 04/24/2012

Another danger averted, yes.
Oh, but there's a typo on the first line of this article. Somehow an 's' got put in, so the word was spelled 'scrappy' when describing his candidacy...

[flinkmeister]

01:14 PM on 04/21/2012

Newt and Rickie, the face of fiscal responsibility.

[RichieB]

11:04 AM on 04/22/2012

The conservative version.

[JimNast]

01:04 PM on 04/21/2012

This is what happens when a book tour turns into a Presidential campaign....

[hkurte]

12:56 PM on 04/21/2012

Santorum will endorse Romney only if Romney will pay Santorums debt.

[leftcoastindy]

01:13 PM on 04/21/2012

Actually I cant imagine any Santorum lovers would NOT vote for Romney if he doesn't get his endorsement. They all think Obama is the anti-christ

[arthrbaum]

12:54 PM on 04/21/2012

Ricks brain has been taken over and occupied by the Religion of the cult crazed!

[Marilyn Gott]

12:38 PM on 04/21/2012

Maybe Mitt will bail him out.

[guitartapper]

12:15 PM on 04/21/2012

Ego is an expensive flaw

[ramsha]

12:12 PM on 04/21/2012

He believes that Jesus will drop off that money at his door step like the tooth fairy.

[haval2]

12:11 PM on 04/21/2012

another deadbeat christian who stayed in because of hi ego. you and newtie are really something. all that lecturing n how people didn't see things as you do. many others have morals but dead beat people seem to be GOPrs. YOU, Newtie and that horror Joe Walsh...just forget the people who need to be paid...my Big Christian Ego is more important...what part of Jesus' story is that from?

[heavencent]

12:25 PM on 04/21/2012

Yeah-----these are the people we are supposed to turn our economic future over to........LMAO!!!!

[haval2]

01:28 PM on 04/21/2012

F&F

[lynn1219]

12:10 PM on 04/21/2012

I'm sure all of Rick's loyal, devoted Christian followers will be sending him money to pay the debt. Or, he could appeal to the Pope to open the coffers of the Church and clear this debt for him.

[Lou on Vancouver Island]

12:07 PM on 04/21/2012

Pride...and campaign debts...goeth before a fall. Millions of women will be smiling.

[rtrout9496]

12:00 PM on 04/21/2012

Mitt will dig into his deep pockets to pay it back for him JUST to get him out of the race...cant beleive that this guy wated to be president and he cant even manage his campaign budget !

[99er2049er]

11:58 AM on 04/21/2012

How is it these candidates like Newt and Santorum are able to run up millions in credit lines. Who extends this much credit to them in the first place and why?

[haval2]

12:12 PM on 04/21/2012

faved again...such good christians ...they just let others hold the bag cause their egos are so lacking and pathetic.

[Carolyn LeBeauf]

11:58 AM on 04/21/2012

Couldn't have happen to a nicer hater. What made him think he had a chance of becoming president of the united states? ha ha Love to see these washed up liars taken down to their knees.