Alabama primary: Santorum is supported but not endorsed by Governor Bentley

As polls opened in Alabama this morning, Rick Santorum thought he’d received a boost that could put him over the top in a closely fought race.

Things are tight in Alabama indeed, according to Real Clear Politics, with no recent poll giving any of the three major candidates a margin of more than one percentage point but leaving Santorum at a slight disadvantage.

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Santorum posted this to his Twitter feed:

As CNN reported today, Santorum had appeared on The Rick and Bubba Show, a local radio program, where it was announced that Governor Robert Bentley had voted for Santorum.

The nod was a “big get” for Santorum, according to CNN, which initially called the news an “endorsement.”

But it wasn’t. In a subsequent news bulletin, CNN reported that Bently’s office had put out a statement saying he would be making no endorsement.

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"The Governor was asked as a voter who he would vote for, and he answered that he had personally chosen to vote for Rick Santorum. The Republican primary features a strong pool of candidates, and Governor Bentley has made it clear he will fully support the Republican nominee chosen by the people,” the statement read, according to CNN.

Sorry rick. However, according to Politico, the Santorum campaign has been touting praise of the candidate by noted conservative figures, including Rush Limbaugh (who has opposed the Santorum candidacy as unrealistic).