Former Sen. Rick Santorum feels so at home at the Conservative Political Action Conference that he was joined onstage by nearly his entire family for his speech this morning.

The presidential hopeful came to the gathering fresh off three primary wins this week and with an aura of momentum not felt since the week before the Iowa caucuses. With his wife, sons and daughters standing behind him, Santorum made the case to the conservative activist crowd in Washington, D.C., that he is the GOP candidate they could trust.

“I know you, and you know me,” Santorum said. “And that’s important.”

Santorum also sought to knock one of frontrunner Mitt Romney’s major strengths and the conventional wisdom that the former Massachusetts governor’s nomination is inevitable.

“President Obama will have more money than whoever our nominee is,” Santorum said. “So just think about what it’s going to take. It’s going to take ideas, visions, contrast, a record of accomplishment that can go up against the failed policies of Barack Obama. That’s going to be the winner.”

Santorum followed that up by pointing out that the “Obamacare” issue is effectively taken off the table if Romney is the nominee, thanks to health care reform Romney signed into law as governor.

Santorum volunteers passed out campaign signs and stickers as CPAC attendees entered the main ballroom for the first major speech of the day. Santorum was introduced by Foster Friess, a major backer of his super PAC, who sported a sweater vest with Santorum’s name on it.

Two more presidential candidates are scheduled to speak at CPAC today, Romney at 1 p.m. and ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich at 4:10 p.m.