While he may have lost out to Mitt Romney in the battle for the Republican nomination to challenge Barack Obama, Rick Santorum said on Friday that he intends to remain politically active and will do all he can to defeat the Democrat incumbent in November.

Santorum, who surprised the political world by winning 11 states in his battle with Romney, launched a new organization dubbed Patriot Voices on Friday. The former senator from Pennsylvania insists that his new group will help rally and organize 1 million conservatives to be active in the political process.

"Patriot Voices is committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity, Santorum said on Friday. We believe that we're one nation under God and all we do must be consistent with the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. We support candidates who share our convictions and hold those accountable that serve us in elected office. The defeat of Barack Obama, and those who support his policies, will be our first priority."

Santorum said that the new group would be involved in a wide array of issues including supporting free-market policies, astrong military, a friendly relationship with Israel andtraditional marriage while opposing the federal health-care law Obama signed in 2010 and abortion.

"Patriot Voices believes that family is the foundation for a healthy society and a strong economy, Santorum said. We believe in freedom and American exceptionalism; entrepreneurship and opportunity; and personal responsibility. We are also a voice for those who often cannot fight for themselves -- the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, and those struggling economically in these difficult times."

While there has been speculation that Santorum is interested in running again for the Republican presidential nomination, he insisted that his main political priority was seeing Obama go down to defeat in November.

"With a goal of 1 million voices united, Patriot Voices will transform the political landscape of our country, and we will defeat President Obama this November," Santorum said.

The former presidential candidate was very active on Friday, making an appearance on Fox News to announce the launching of the group before speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) event in Chicago later that morning and addressing the Republican Party of Texas in Fort Worth that night.

While polls of Republicans have shown that Santorum is one of the more popular picks with the party faithful to end up as Romneys running mate, most pundits have not ranked him as a top contender to wind up on the ticket.

Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.