MUSCATINE, Iowa -- Rick Santorum has spent more time campaigning for president in Iowa than any Republican, but he’s like the annoying uncle at the annual holiday party, invited because he’s family, not because he’s funny or charismatic.

He’s been an afterthought during nationally televised debates, whining for attention from his podium at the end of the stage, and at the bottom of polls.

But Thursday as he stepped into a restaurant on the bank of the Mississippi River, Santorum breathed in his sudden status, observing for a packed crowd all the “machines” in the back of the room, meaning TV cameras.

With days before Tuesday’s caucuses, the first nominating contest in the country, Santorum is surging. A CNN poll this week showed him in third place, not far behind Ron Paul and Mitt Romney, his support tripling in a month. He’ll need to finish at least in that range to continue.

“You’ve got perfect timing,” a man who stood up at Button Factory Woodfire Grille said, a smile breaking across Santorum’s face.

Santorum is the last guy on the bench. Social conservatives have embraced then discarded a string of anti-Romneys: Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry and Herman Cain. The upside is, last may be best with time running out.

His rise is a test of the durability and legitimacy of retail politics, the face-to-face contact Iowans say make their state special. A top-three finish could underscore the value of the approach most candidates have abandoned in favor of national TV appearances, social media and campaign commercials.

A poor finish, however, would amplify arguments from states like Florida that want more say in picking presidential nominees. To many, Iowa is too small, rural and white to play such an important role, and the diminished contact with candidates makes it even more unremarkable.

So Santorum, 53, was imploring his audience Thursday to do its duty.

“Do not defer,” he said. “Do what you are supposed to do, and that’s lead.”

The blur of campaign stops across Iowa this week are not indicative of how the candidates have approached the caucuses. There have been fewer extended visits than past elections.

One reason is the debates. There have been 13, giving candidates widespread exposure on cable news shows. Internet attack ads allow candidates to spread their messages faster and more aggressively.

“It’s disappointing. There’s just so many more outlets,” lamented Chuck Laudner, a veteran Republican operative and Santorum supporter.

“We would be naïve if we didn’t recognize that things are changing,” said Bill Schickel, co-chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. But he argued that it makes personal connections more important, not less.

“As a candidate, if I can get that face time in, that’s pure gold,” Schickel said.

Santorum, a two-term U.S. senator from Pennsylvania who lost his 2006 re-election bid, has been plying the state relentlessly. Thursday was his 358th town hall meeting. He has visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties, portraying himself as a consistent conservative who can win in a swing state by appealing to independents and “Reagan Democrats.”

Santorum advocated for a law ending partial-birth abortion and played a role in the 1996 welfare reform. When a young man supportive of gay marriage spoke up Thursday, Santorum, a father of seven, did not flinch to say he considers marriage to be between a man and a woman, drawing applause.