Former Presidential Candidate Endorses Sanford Rival

Former GOP presidential nominee contender Rick Santorum will endorse Curtis Bostic as he vies with the former South Carolina governor for the First Congressional District, according to Bostic's campaign.

See the endorsement scorecard for SC1 candidates here. 

Santorum was the last man standing in the GOP presidential race against eventual nominee Mitt Romney. The former Pennsylvania senator won 11 states in total during the primary contest and fetched 3.2 million votes. In South Carolina, he placed third behind Newt Gingrich and Romney. 

Bostic finished second behind former Gov. Mark Sanford for the GOP nomination to the congressional seat, left open by now-Sen. Tim Scott who accepted an appointment to fill in for Sen. Jim DeMint after he resigned. A runoff between the candidates is April 2. The winner will go on to face Democratic nominee Elizabeth Colbert Busch. 

"I’m honored to have the support of Rick Santorum, this is further evidence conservatives are rallying behind our cause and the momentum is on our side as we enter the final week," Bostic said in a statement.

Bostic's campaign released this statement from Santorum:

I’m pleased to announce our endorsement of Curtis Bostic in South Carolina’s first congressional district. Curtis’ groundswell finish to a runoff spot signals a win for the strength of his grassroots supporters and his robust conservative values. We must continue that momentum for Curtis into the runoff election, and I look forward to joining conservatives across South Carolina in helping to elect Curtis Bostic to the U.S. House of Representatives.