VIDEO: Santorum Takes Family Values Message to Spartanburg

Rick Santorum, a former United States senator from Pennsylvania, took his presidential campaign to the Upstate on Wednesday, using a Spartanburg homeless shelter as the backdrop as he vowed to restore traditional family values in America. 

Attributing many social ills to the deterioration of the American family, Santorum's remarks ran the gamut of traditional conservative stances, such as aversion to gay marriage and the support of children being raised by both their father and mother. 

Santorum's visit was in response to the Palmetto Family Council's challenge to presidential hopefuls to explain where they stood on the issue of "rebuilding" the traditional family structure in America. He spoke at Homes For Life, a shelter in Spartanburg that provides support services to young men in the area. 

The significance of the Palmetto State as it pertains to conservative political strategy isn't lost on Santorum, who made light of the state's track record of correctly selecting Republican candidates in its primary that go on to win the party's nomination. Alexia Newman, chairperson of Santorum's social coalition, acknowledged South Carolina's status as one of the keys to the candidate's White House vision.

"He does well in Iowa, and he comes to South Carolina, we win South Carolina and go to Florida - we go to the White House," Newman said.