Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has officially entered the race for the Republican Party’s 2012 presidential nomination. He has been campaigning in key states for months, but made his formal announcement Monday in an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“We’re in it to win and very excited about what the future holds,” Santorum said. “We’ve got a great team, and in the early primary states, we’ve got a lot of momentum.”

Santorum, a devoted Catholic and fierce anti-abortion advocate, will need every bit of faith he can muster. He polled badly in a recent Gallup survey with just 2 percent. He could have a fair chance with Iowa’s staunch conservative base, but Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachman or Sarah Palin could siphon much of that support, should either decide to enter the race.

Some people have questioned why Santorum would even want to enter politics again, after losing his Senate seat in 2006 by a stunning margin of 59-41. But Santorum says that 2006 was a bad time to be a Republican and now his chances are good.

“What people are looking for is someone who has stood by their principles in good times and bad,” he said.

(Photo: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)