Although only polling at 2 percent among Republicans in the U.S. Presidential race, Rick Santorum is optimistic.

“He’s very confident where he is,” said Matt Beynon, senior adviser and communications director for Santorum’s campaign.

Santorum, who was a Pennsylvania U.S. Senator from 1995 to 2007, announced his campaign at the end of May at Penn United Technologies in Jefferson Township. He also ran for president in 2012.

While he was born in Virginia, Santorum spent much of his childhood in Butler when his parents worked at VA Butler Healthcare.

Beynon noted that in a New York Times poll in October 2011, Santorum polled at 1 percent in a seven-candidate field. Now, four years later, he is at 2 percent in a 15-candidate field.

Santorum shares the 2 percent polling with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.

In 2012, Santorum won the Iowa caucuses — the first primary in the race — by 34 votes. He later went on to win 11 primary races before suspending his campaign.

Because of his win in Iowa last time, Beynon said the campaign is focusing strongly on Iowa and said Santorum has to do well there.

“He’s the defending champ,” Beynon said.

He said the campaign also has a team in South Carolina where the third presidential primary is held. Additionally, he said Santorum is spending time in states like Alabama, Texas and Tennessee.

In early primary states — Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina — Beynon said Santorum does about four to seven events and appearances per day.

Beynon said that Santorum is in a good position in the polls because he has room for growth.

Beynon said in talking to Iowa voters, most are undecided. But, he said they place Santorum on their short list of top candidates.

In such a large field, Beynon said Santorum can stand out from the others because of his ability to speak to everyday people — and not just business owners or CEOs — about issues such as capital gains taxes and EPA regulations and how they relate to them.

“How does this affect you,” Beynon said.

Beynon characterized Santorum’s campaign as a “Field of Dreams” effort, saying “if they come, he will build it.”

“The senator understands he has to build a campaign out,” Beynon said, rather than starting big and having to cut back later.

With reports of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush cutting salaries in his campaign, Beynon said the Santorum campaign — which he said is hiring and expanding offices — is looking better.

Beynon said the campaign has about three dozen paid employees and about 6,000 volunteers nationwide.

On Oct. 8, Santorum’s campaign raised more than $280,000 in 24 hours during a “Day of Giving.”

“That was a huge day for him,” Beynon said.

Beynon said the campaign has a large amount of cash, but he could not provide a number.

Although Santorum often is strongly associated with being a Christian conservative and little else, Beynon said people in the early primary states have a different view of him.

“He’s a blue collar guy,” Beynon said is the perception of Santorum in those states.

He said Santorum’s reputation as solely a religious conservative is partially the fault of the national media as well as Santorum being open to answering questions about his faith and how it relates to political issues.

With real estate mogul Donald Trump and surgeon Ben Carson at the top of the GOP polls, political outsiders are a big deal in this election.

Beynon said the campaign focuses on Santorum as an “outsider with insider experience.” He said in the U.S. Senate, Santorum took on his own party, but also was able to accomplish goals, such as helping to get welfare reform legislation passed in 1996.

“He knows how to do it,” Beynon said.

He said this contrasts with someone like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who spent 21 hours filibustering to halt legislation related to the Affordable Care Act in 2013, but ultimately did not stop that legislation.

At his campaign announcement at Penn United, Santorum said as president he would focus on creating jobs. He also said he wanted to shrink the government, reduce spending, and “revoke every executive order and regulation that costs American jobs.”

Additionally, he spoke against the Common Core education standards.

Beynon said Santorum also wants to cut the level of legal immigration by 25 percent.

On Oct. 12 at an event in Texas, Santorum unveiled a tax reform plan that would, among other things, feature a flat tax of 20 percent on all income — including individual income, interest and capital gains.

“It simplifies the tax code significantly,” Beynon said.