In a brief Dec. 31 interview, Santorum said his fundraising has picked up a "little bit" since his polling uptick.
"We're able to start running ads in New Hampshire and South Carolina and hopefully things will pick up as, you know, we see what happens on Tuesday and obviously that will be the real determinant," he said.
Asked if a third-place finish in Iowa would be good enough to make him a more significant factor in the nomination race, he said: "I think it will be a great thing."
In Sioux City yesterday, Santorum took a swipe at Paul, saying he and Obama share a similar foreign policy. Paul has called for a dramatic reduction of U.S. military forces outside the country's borders.
"I predict that if President Obama has four years where he's not looking to re-election, his foreign policy will not be any different than Ron Paul's foreign policy," he said.
Conservative Views
Doris Ung, 55, said that after initially thinking about supporting Gingrich, she's now behind Santorum because of his conservative views and position on foreign policy.
"I always had a sense that I might go that direction but I had to be convinced," said Ung, who lives in Sioux City.
She said she saw him speak at her church and was impressed with his drive to fight partial birth abortions.
"I feel like he has the ability to continue pushing through," she said.
Santorum is also appealing to the self interest of Iowans who want to keep their first-in-the-nation caucus tradition alive in subsequent elections by suggesting that the candidate who spends the most time on the ground should be rewarded.