Amid the red, white and blue balloons, the patriotic music and campaign fanfare, at least 30 of Rick Santorum’s Senate staffers were helping to organize and execute their former boss’s presidential announcement.

PoliticsPA checked in yesterday evening with a group of the Senator’s staffers and supporters as they prepped for today’s event at the Somerset County Courthouse.

We wanted to tie up a few loose ends on the conservative icon’s visit to PA in our final Palin story ever (for this week).

Sarah Palin has been deliberately secretive about the details of her ongoing bus tour, leaving many Pennsylvania activists frustrated at the seeming lack of acknowledgement from the conservative icon. Privately, conservative leaders say that Palin’s radio silence reflects at best a serious lack of foresight, and at worst a sign of disrespect.

By Abhinav Parameshwar, Contributing Writer Amidst the press Rick Santorum has been dealing with over the past couple days (courtesy of teen star Miley Cyrus),

Santorum announced this week that he has received several endorsements for his presidential bid from several Republican officials in New Hampshire, the first primary state.

“IF WE ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE NEXT THING U KNOW PEOPLE WILL BE MARRYING GOLD FISH’ – Rick Santorum UO contributed $13,000 to this mans campaign” the singer and Hannah Montana star tweeted.

Santorum will officially announce his campaign for the Presidency on June 6, reportedly near the western Pennsylvania coal mines where his grandfather worked.

Mike Huckabee just made Rick Santorum’s night. The popular former Governor of Arkansas announced tonight his decision not to run for President in 2012, freeing up an important bloc of GOP primary voters – those to whom opposition to abortion and gay marriage are key issues.

Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) is the latest presidential hopeful to comment on Romney’s health care initiative saying, “Both Romneycare and Obamacare infringe upon individual freedom and exponentially increase the government’s health care cost burden.”