Rick Santorum's oldest daughter, Elizabeth, has written her first post on the conservative blog Hot Air, reflecting on the campaign's victories and ultimate collapse:
In the fall, we were sitting at two percent in the polls and running a presidential campaign with a handful of incredible, dedicated staff and volunteers. So, is it shocking that we did what we did? Absolutely. Did I believe if anyone could make this happen, it would be my Dad? Yep. We overcame the odds in this race, which is similar to every race he’s won, beating democratic incumbents in the blue state of Pennsylvania.
Elizabeth does not mention her dad's 2006 senate reelection race, which he lost by a landslide to now-Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) with no odds to overcome. She goes on to describe salt of the earth voters she met on the campaign trail, such as an Iowa man named Chuck who "volunteered to drive my Dad around to all of his events in a Dodge Ram pickup truck." She concludes:
So when people ask me how we ran a grassroots campaign for president and re-wrote the history books on how presidential races are run, well, the answer is simple: we did it together, against all the odds. But, who doesn’t like a good underdog story? Thank goodness for the Ricks, Rockys and Rudys of this world who remind us of what’s really significant and that all things are possible.
Elizabeth served as a top surrogate to her father throughout his campaign, working the crowds and delivering short speeches.
She is not the only daughter of a former candidate who has come forward to praise a parent's campaign. Earlier this week Bristol Palin wrote a blog post claiming that her mom helped John McCain "a lot" in his 2008 presidential bid.
"Mom answered the call to serve her country, energized the base, and inspired millions," Bristol wrote. "Plus, she did it with good humor and grace. I don’t know what else she could’ve reasonably be expected to do."
Here's a look at the highs and lows of the Santorum campaign:
