Santorum, who is announcing whether he’ll run for president on May 27, has made a series of speeches across the state over the weekend. On Sunday afternoon, he visited Quirks Grill and Bar in Nevada to speak with Story County Republicans about the need to support blue-collar American families and small towns in rural regions.

“For so many small towns across the state and across the country, we’ve lost that manufacturing edge,” Santorum said. “Go down main street of this town and you see what? You don’t see the energy, revitalization. Why? Because things that created wealth in these small towns left.”

One of the things that’s helped rural small towns and farmers, particularly in Iowa, is the Renewable Fuel Standard, Santorum said.

By using ethanol to create independent energy and stable prices, Santorum said, not only can the manufacturing industry thrive in America, it can geopolitically assist other countries. He gave the example of the U.S. importing corn to Kenya.

“We need to do risk management and stop picking winners and losers,” Santorum said. “We need the RFS to allow market access. To me, to provide that market access is a no-brainer.”

The Republican Party also needs to take a closer look at how poor policies and laws have caused the disintegration of the American family, Santorum said. He cited Wisconsin, saying a single mother with two children can make $38,500 a year in welfare, but loses it all once she gets married.

“We can’t create this horrible trap,” Santorum said. “We make it impossible for them to form meaningful relationships because the economics don’t work and it’s government doing it. We have to stop.”

Christine Heintz, 39, of Nevada co-owns Quirks and allowed Santorum to speak at the restaurant after the Story County GOP asked for space. Heintz said she’s still evaluating all of the candidates, but she will vote for a Republican.

“He brought up the importance of family. That’s very substantial,” Heintz said. “Having him here made me really think about different issues.”

Jake Dagel, 22, of Des Moines, on the other hand, said he was disappointed by the lack of economic talk by the presidential hopeful.

“I think young people are very concerned with the economy,” Dagel said. “We’re graduating, and we’re not seeing jobs available. This time, I think young people will play a vital role in the 2016 election.”