COTTLEVILLE, Mo (Reuters) ? Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said on Monday that his three-year-old daughter was getting better at a hospital in Philadelphia, and he returned to the campaign trail in Missouri to try to boost his flagging White House bid.
Santorum left the campaign on Sunday, just two days before the important Florida Republican primary, to be with his daughter Issabella, hospitalized over the weekend with pneumonia.
His Missouri appearance was the first since then and he spoke to an overflow crowd at a community college in the St. Louis suburbs, thanking the supporters for "all your prayers" for his daughter.
"Bella," as the Santorum family calls her, was born with a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition often results in the death of the child.
Santorum told the crowd that his daughter had improved starting on Sunday. "She made a turn. She's gotten good," he said.
Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator who won the Iowa caucuses over Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney, stressed economic issues during his Missouri stop.
Missouri, considered a crucial swing state on the November general election, has a presidential preference vote on February 7. Results will be used to recommend to party leaders who make the final decision on the makeup of the state Republican delegation to the nominating convention.
Republicans are not bound by the results of the "beauty contest" but several Santorum supporters said a good vote for their candidate could be used as a wedge to gain delegates.
The state party leadership has said that former Massachusetts governor Romney has the edge in the Missouri delegates sweepstakes. Santorum was the first of the remaining four candidates to appear in the state.
"In Missouri, you have an opportunity to send a message," Santorum said, drawing a standing ovation from about 300 people in an auditorium.
Another 200 enthusiasts were turned away but heard some comments from the candidate through a bullhorn before he left for another event in Nevada.
Santorum is trailing behind Romney and former U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Newt Gingrich in Florida.
(Editing by Greg McCune)
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