Speaking just briefly, Santorum’s oldest daughter urged a crowd waving little American flags in a hangar to believe in her father’s campaign  and help turn out his supporters for Tuesday’s primary. “Stand up, Florida. You have three days left. Let’s take this all the way,” she said.

She stuck around for photos and autographs until there was no one left waiting, just as her father often does. Unlike him, she did not come with her own Sharpie. Santorum, who smiles frequently and warmly, appeared grim as she left the event.

Without the candidate, the rally was turned over to surrogates, including Santorum’s most devoted supporters, the Duggar family, stars of cable television’s “19 Kids and Counting.” With their parents at home in Arkansas, two of the family’s self-possessed children took the stage.

Josh Duggar, who owns two auto dealerships, stepped smoothly into the candidate’s role, dressed smartly in a tie and dark suit. Duggar has been taking political science classes online, plans to go to law school and is thinking he might run for office.

Duggar, who set off in the family tour bus for Iowa on New Year’s Eve, has campaigned for Santorum for most of the month. On Sunday, he hit all of Santorum’s faith, family and freedom talking points much more succinctly than Santorum. And he questioned the conservatism of the front-runners in the Republican presidential primaries, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. 

“Both of these men have been on opposite sides of the issues that you and I hold dear. There’s only one candidate in this race who embraces our values, and that man is Rick Santorum,” he said, drawing cheers. “There’s only one man that has stood by his principles, who has stood by his convictions, who has stood by his family, like he is today. He’s standing with his family.” 

Duggar was followed by his sister, Jill, who is studying to be a midwife. “Every vote counts. We learned that in Iowa, when we won,” she said.

Zach Bates, who has been campaigning for Santorum with the Duggars, came next. He introduced himself by saying he was the oldest of 18 children, sparking laughter from the audience. Then he noted that his mother is pregnant, triggering applause. 

Noting that all  the candidates “can give the conservative speech,” Bates said he prayed for guidance. “So I said, ‘What’s something different? What’s something going to set them apart, not just what they’re saying?’ And the Lord laid something on my heart, you know, just, I think, Scripture, just principle: 'He that’s faithful in little things can be trusted with much.' And I think that’s one thing that’s characterized Rick Santorum’s life, a faithful man of courage.” 

Bates urged the audience to stick with the true conservative in the race. “We cannot fight Obama with someone who’s a little bit better than Obama,” he said.

He urged Santorum’s supporters to reach out to their friends in the final days before the primary to make the case. “Get on your Twitters. Get on your Facebooks,” he said.

When the Duggars and Bates finished, Joe Gruters, the GOP chairman for Sarasota County, asked, “What do you think? You think we have some future elected officials here?”

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