Murdoch backs Santorum for US president Media magnate Rupert Murdoch on Monday urged Iowans to back firebrand social conservative Rick Santorum, one day before they cast the first votes of the 2012 White House race. Can't resist this tweet, but all Iowans think about Rick Santorum. Only candidate with genuine big vision for country," Murdoch, 80, said on his official Twitter feed on the eve of the heartland state's nominating caucuses. Santorum has surged into third place in recent days on the strength of his take-no-prisoners social conservative ideology and seemed poised for a strong finish in the largely symbolic first-in-the-nation ballot. Frontrunner Mitt Romney, whose vast campaign war chest and high-profile endorsements have fed his image as the candidate to beat, still faces doubts about his conservative credentials and has yet to crack 30 percent support from Republicans nationwide. Veteran Texas congressman Ron Paul, whose libertarian policies and anti-interventionist foreign policy have earned him a devout following, has been running third here.