Iowa secretary of state endorses Santorum
UPDATED 12:12 p.m. ET
Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz on Friday endorsed former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum for the Republican nomination for president.
The move is a much-needed pickup for Santorum but a disappointment for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who had received the backing of Schultz -- who like Romney is a Mormon -- during the 2008 presidential race.
The endorsement also comes on the eve of Saturday's GOP debate in Des Moines. Despite an energetic push in Iowa -- he has visited all 99 of the state's counties -- Santorum has been in the low single digits in polls there.