Washington ( CNN ) -- They say you always remember your first . That 's why , as election results pour in Tuesday night , Rick Santorum will be ready with a fully-charged cell phone and a spreadsheet loaded with names and numbers of Republican candidates to call as soon as their victories -- or defeats -- are announced . `` We 'll be hitting the phones , '' Santorum told CNN . `` I 'm one of the folks who calls either way . Sometimes it 's more important to call the folks who did n't win than it is the folks who did because the folks who did get a lot of calls and the folks who did n't do n't get many . '' For the possible 2016 hopefuls , Election Night calls are about much more than who controls the Senate . This is an early â€ ” and important â€ ” opportunity to build relationships with candidates at all levels of politics who might come in handy should they decide to campaign for the White House . Beyond just being a kind gesture , Election Night calls are an opportunity to subtly remind candidates -- especially those in early-voting states such as Iowa , New Hampshire and South Carolina -- of their support . In Santorum 's case , his effort wo n't stop with top-of-the-ballot governors or congressional races , either . His aides plan to monitor state and local races online throughout Iowa , such the State Auditor and Agriculture Secretary elections , so he can be one of the first to be in touch . He 's hardly alone . Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul , one of the most dogged campaign travelers this cycle , will spend Tuesday night at an event in Louisville for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other statewide candidates . Doug Stafford , a Paul adviser , will be at his side and will have cell phone numbers ready to dial . `` We will call a bunch but will also probably end up talking to more over the subsequent days when they have time to take a breath , '' Stafford told CNN . `` It has been my experience the most difficult time to reach anyone is on their election night . '' New Jersey Gov . Chris Christie plans to be in his home state on Election Night with the numbers handy for every GOP gubernatorial candidate on the ballot this year . He 's kept an ambitious campaigning and fundraising schedule this year in his role as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association . For their part , representatives for Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden would n't detail their Election Night plans , although both have invested time on the trail campaigning for their party candidates . Other prominent Republicans will stay busy even if they 're not going to such great lengths as Santorum 's phone call spreadsheet . Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan , the GOP 's 2012 vice presidential candidate , will keep tabs on the election results with local candidates and supporters in Burlington . Louisiana Gov . Bobby Jindal will spend the night in Baton Rouge . Meanwhile , in Texas , there will be plenty of 2016 intrigue at a gathering to celebrate Greg Abbott 's expected win in the governor 's race . That party , at the Moody Theater in Austin , will attract three possible 2016 White House contenders Cruz , Perry and former Florida Gov . Jeb Bush under one roof . The election night phone call tradition , of course , is just a small part of the effort that goes into fostering goodwill for presidential contenders . Many potential 2016ers , including Paul , Santorum , Jindal , Texas Gov . Rick Perry and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz , have logged tens of thousands of miles supporting candidates this election cycle . Those efforts kicked into hyper-drive in final days of campaign season . Christie , for instance , stumped in 15 states in the last week of the race . Over the weekend , Santorum traveled to Kansas , Texas , North Carolina and Iowa , where his advocacy organization , Patriot Voices , bussed in volunteers to knock on doors for candidates in the first-in-the-nation caucus state . Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio went to to Iowa to promote Senate candidate Joni Ernst and others . And Cruz hoofed it to Alaska to support Republican Senate candidate Dan Sullivan . They 're betting that it will all be worth the effort when the presidential primary season begins in earnest , a time when each contender will be making a very different round of phone callsâ€ ” asking for support for their own campaigns .
Rick Santorum will call candidates across the country when their races are decided . Score: 6