Santorum raises money in Alamo

ALAMO, Calif. (KGO) -- Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum came to the East Bay Thursday night to raise money for his campaign. Despite mounting pressure to drop out, he is vowing to press on.

A fundraiser took place for him at a home in Alamo. There seemed to be a good turnout, despite the fact that Santorum is way behind in delegates and money.

Supporters paid anywhere from $125 to a few thousand dollars to attend the fundraiser, held at the estate of Mark and Becky Pine.

For many people, it was money well spent, despite the fact that in their estimation, Santorum won't end up being the Republican nominee.

"He's a good guy, I think he's got some decent ideas and I have no problem giving him a final surge. I think competition is good," said Brendan, a Santorum supporter.

"Even if he doesn't get the nomination, he may still may be the vice presidential nominee in the party, so who knows?" said Allen Payton, a Santorum supporter.

Earlier Thursday, Santorum made an appearance at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. The candy was made famous by former President Ronald Reagan, who Santorum mentioned repeatedly in his speech.

"He went out and talked about cutting taxes for everyone. Not just those at the upper end, but cutting taxes for everyone, creating opportunity for everyone. That's the message I've been taking around this country," said Santorum.

In addition to comparing himself to Reagan, Santorum took jabs at front-runner Mitt Romney. He brought a mini Etch A Sketch, poking fun at a comment made by a Romney aide who said the former Massachusetts governor would be able to reset his campaign after the primary.

"Gov. Romney said that after the Etch A Sketch flap, that he was going to run as a conservative in the fall. I'm not going to run as a conservative in the fall. I am a conservative, period," said Santorum.

It's unclear how much money was raised Thursday. But overall, Santorum trails Romney by a huge margin -- $15 million to Romney's $75 million.

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rick santorum, fairfield, alamo, fundraiser, 2012 presidential race, politics, lilian kim

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