Santorum's influence on White House race revamped

Former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum started a new conservative group on Friday to help get President Barack Obama out of the White House.

The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania said the group, Patriot Voices, is committed to promoting "faith, freedom and opportunity" and will offer financial and other support to conservative candidates this November, Reuters said.

"We're going to be holding candidates accountable and getting involved with candidates, supporting them and, of course, supporting Mitt Romney and making sure Mitt is the next president of the United States," Santorum said on Fox News.

It will also focus on "people left behind."

Patriot Voices is an IRS-designated group focused on social welfare and allowed to participate in political activity, CBS News said.  It has a goal of gaining one million members to "transform America's political landscape."

Santorum dropped out of the presidential race in April after the better-funded Romney racked up a series of wins.  A social conservative, Santorum's rise in the Republican primary campaign highlighted social conservative issues like birth control and role of religion in public life, Reuters said.

The new campaign was announced to 300,000 Santorum supporters via email Friday morning, CBS said.