query: what state is rick santorum from?

title: Rick Santorum

text: Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third-ranking Republican from 2001 to 2007. Santorum ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, finishing second to Mitt Romney. Santorum was elected to the United States Senate from Pennsylvania in 1994. He served two terms until losing his 2006 reelection bid. A Roman Catholic, Santorum is a social conservative who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and embraced a cultural

title: Rick Santorum

text: a Democratic strategist, reflected on Santorum's campaign and his connection to the unpopular president, "In 2006, we were doubly blessed—we could run against George W. Bush and Rick Santorum". Santorum chose to campaign alongside George W. Bush, and called him a "terrific president", hurting his popularity. Also problematic was Santorum's 2004 endorsement of his Republican Senate colleague Arlen Specter over conservative Congressman Pat Toomey in the primary for Pennsylvania's other Senate seat. Many socially and fiscally conservative Republicans considered the endorsement a betrayal of their cause. Santorum's opponent was Democratic State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr., the son of popular former

title: Rick Santorum 2016 presidential campaign

text: Santorum commented that Rubio and Cruz would have been inferior to Trump as party nominees. Rick Santorum 2016 presidential campaign The 2016 presidential campaign of Rick Santorum, former United States Senator from Pennsylvania, was formally announced at a rally in Pittsburgh on May 27, 2015. His campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 was his second bid for the office, after having been a candidate in 2012, where he received the second most delegates after 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016, and endorsed Marco Rubio. Santorum was a

text: Rick Santorum 2016 presidential campaign The 2016 presidential campaign of Rick Santorum, former United States Senator from Pennsylvania, was formally announced at a rally in Pittsburgh on May 27, 2015. His campaign for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2016 was his second bid for the office, after having been a candidate in 2012, where he received the second most delegates after 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016, and endorsed Marco Rubio. Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election. He announced his campaign on "Good

title: Rick Santorum

text: College Republicans chapter and graduating with a BA degree with honors in political science in 1980. While at Penn State, Santorum joined the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. He then completed a one-year MBA program at the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, graduating in 1981. In 1986, Santorum received a JD degree with honors from Dickinson School of Law. Santorum first became actively involved in politics in the 1970s through volunteering for Senator John Heinz, a Republican from Pennsylvania. Additionally, while working on his law degree, Santorum was an administrative assistant to Republican state senator Doyle

title: Rick Santorum 2012 presidential campaign

text: Nine delegates cast their votes for Santorum anyway. Rick Santorum 2012 presidential campaign Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president of the United States in April 2011. He had been preparing for a run since shortly after the 2008 presidential election. Santorum lagged in the polls for all of 2011 until he surged in the week before the Iowa caucuses, propelling him to a narrow victory over Mitt Romney in the first contest of the presidential primaries. Santorum's presidential hopes received another boost when he surprisingly swept all three votes

text: Rick Santorum 2012 presidential campaign Former Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania began a campaign for the 2012 Republican Party nomination for president of the United States in April 2011. He had been preparing for a run since shortly after the 2008 presidential election. Santorum lagged in the polls for all of 2011 until he surged in the week before the Iowa caucuses, propelling him to a narrow victory over Mitt Romney in the first contest of the presidential primaries. Santorum's presidential hopes received another boost when he surprisingly swept all three votes held on February 7, 2012, in Minnesota, Missouri,

title: Rick Santorum

text: Following the hospitalization of his daughter Bella and losses in Wisconsin, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on April 10, 2012, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He had won 11 state primaries and nearly 4 million votes, more than any other candidate except Romney. Santorum topped Romney in polls for a brief period. Upon the conclusion of Santorum's run, Romney called him "an important voice" in the GOP. Santorum received a primetime speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention. He was originally slated to speak early in the evening, but convention organizers moved him

title: Rick Santorum

text: County, Pennsylvania. In West Virginia, his family lived in an apartment provided by the Veterans Administration. Santorum attended elementary school at Butler Catholic School and then went on to the Butler Senior High School. He was nicknamed "Rooster", supposedly for both a cowlick strand of hair and an assertive nature, particularly on important political issues. After his parents transferred to the Naval Station Great Lakes in northern Illinois, Santorum attended the Roman Catholic Carmel High School in Mundelein, Illinois, for one year, graduating in 1976. Santorum attended Pennsylvania State University for his undergraduate studies, serving as chairman of the university's

title: Rick Santorum

text: last for centuries". In 2012, Santorum said that half of all euthanizations in the Netherlands are involuntary, that Dutch hospitals euthanize elderly patients for financial reasons, and that 10% of all deaths in the Netherlands are the result of such involuntary euthanizations. Santorum's claims were called "bogus" by both "The Washington Post" fact-checker Glenn Kessler and FactCheck.org, which noted that no evidence supported the claims. Santorum's comments caused a significant backlash in the Netherlands. As U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, in each year from 1992 through 1994, Santorum received a grade of B, and as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Santorum received

title: Rick Santorum

text: after his election to the House of Representatives. Having been groomed by Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Santorum decided Democratic congressman Doug Walgren was vulnerable, and took up residence in Walgren's district. Needing money and political support, he courted GOP activist and major donor Elsie Hillman, the chair of the state Republican Party. In 1990, at age 32, Santorum was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. He scored a significant upset in the heavily Democratic district, defeating seven-term Democratic incumbent Doug Walgren by a 51%–49% margin. During his

title: Rick Santorum

text: in November 2011 about his views on evolution, Santorum stated that he believes that evolution occurred on a tiny, micro level. Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005, which aimed to prohibit the National Weather Service from releasing weather data to the public without charge where private-sector entities perform the same function commercially. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association was organizing a lobbying effort in opposition to the legislation, but it never passed committee. The motivations for the bill were controversial, as employees of AccuWeather, a commercial weather company based in Pennsylvania, donated $10,500 to Santorum and

title: Rick Santorum

text: presidential primary. Santorum criticized John McCain, questioning his pro-life voting record and conservative values. Santorum later said he endorsed Romney because he saw him as the "best chance to stop John McCain", whom he considered too moderate. In September 2008, Santorum expressed support for McCain as the nominee, citing McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate as a step in the right direction. Santorum was mentioned as a candidate for Governor of Pennsylvania in 2010. At one point, he was said to have "quietly but efficiently put his fingerprints on a wide array of conservative causes in the

title: Rick Santorum

text: domestic front, Santorum supported home ownership tax credits, savings accounts for children, rewarding savings by low-income families, funding autism research, fighting tuberculosis, and providing housing for people with HIV/AIDS. He supported increased funding for Social Services Block Grants and organizations like Healthy Start and the Children's Aid Society, and financing community health centers. Santorum supported partial privatization of Social Security, and following President Bush's reelection, he held forums across Pennsylvania on the topic. The Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies identified Santorum, during his U.S. Senate tenure, as having a mostly pro-free trade and mostly anti-subsidies voting record. Santorum

title: Rick Santorum

text: to the firm's clients. In 2007, he joined the Board of Directors of Universal Health Services, a hospital management company based in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. He also began writing an Op-Ed column, "The Elephant in the Room", for "The Philadelphia Inquirer". Santorum earned $1.3 million in 2010 and the first half of 2011. The largest portion of his earnings—$332,000—came from his work as a consultant for industry interest groups, including Consol Energy and American Continental Group. Santorum also earned $395,414 in corporate director's fees and stock options from Universal Health Services, and $217,385 in income from the Ethics and

title: Rick Santorum

text: Corman, serving as director of the Pennsylvania Senate's local government committee from 1981 to 1984, then director of its transportation committee. After graduating, Santorum was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar and practiced law for four years at the Pittsburgh law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, a firm known for raising political candidates and lobbyists (later named K&L Gates). As an associate, he successfully lobbied on behalf of the World Wrestling Federation to deregulate professional wrestling, arguing that it should be exempt from federal anabolic steroid regulations because it was entertainment, not a sport. Santorum left his private law practice in 1990

title: Santorum Amendment

text: Santorum Amendment The Santorum Amendment was a failed proposed amendment to the 2001 education funding bill (which became known as the No Child Left Behind Act), proposed by Republican Rick Santorum (then a United States Senator for Pennsylvania), which promoted the teaching of intelligent design while questioning the academic standing of evolution in US public schools. In response, a coalition of 96 scientific and educational organizations wrote a letter to the conference committee, urging that the amendment be stricken from the final bill, arguing that evolution is, in the scientific fields, regarded as fact and that the amendment creates the

title: Santorum Amendment

text: mind" and thereby return Christian creationism in the guise of intelligent design to public school classrooms. Along with the Academic Bill of Rights, the Santorum Amendment and its "Teach the Controversy" approach is viewed by some academics as a threat to academic freedom. Santorum Amendment The Santorum Amendment was a failed proposed amendment to the 2001 education funding bill (which became known as the No Child Left Behind Act), proposed by Republican Rick Santorum (then a United States Senator for Pennsylvania), which promoted the teaching of intelligent design while questioning the academic standing of evolution in US public schools. In

title: Rick Santorum

text: coordinated, never did anything—with Grover Norquist and the quote K Street Project." In January 2012, "The Washington Post"'s "Fact Checker" concluded that "we can't prove definitively whether or not Santorum collaborated on the K Street Project", saying that it "depend[ed] on how you define the initiative". In 2006, Santorum sought reelection to a third Senate term. He ran unopposed in the Republican Party. His seat was considered among the most vulnerable for Republicans and was a prime target of the Democratic Party in the 2006 elections. George W. Bush had a 38% approval rating in Pennsylvania in 2006. Mary Isenhour,

text: Jeff Zeleny, who questioned his remarks about Romney. Santorum finished second in Wisconsin with 37% to Romney's 44%. With campaign money drying up, losses in all 3 contests held on April 3, Romney chipping away at his lead in Pennsylvania polling, and his daughter Bella hospitalized, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on April 10, 2012. The "Los Angeles Times" wrote, Santorum won around 250 delegates (counts vary between 240–270 in various reports and delegate estimates throughout the web). In his first interview after dropping out of the race, Santorum attributed problems his campaign had had in gaining traction

text: Rasmussen Reports' daily presidential tracking poll showed Santorum leading President Barack Obama 45%–44% in a potential general election matchup, the first time a Rasmussen poll showed him beating Obama. The Santorum campaign decided against committing substantial resources to the Nevada caucuses, where Santorum took 10% of the vote on February 4 in a 4th-place finish. A focus on the states holding votes on February 7 paid off as the former Pennsylvania Senator won all three. Santorum edged out Romney by 5 points in the Colorado caucuses in a significant upset, beat second-place finisher Ron Paul by 45% to 27% in

title: Rick Santorum

text: business executives, and says that while he supports free trade, Republicans need to look at its impact on the average person and consider whether existing laws are fair. In January 2015, Santorum announced "Bella's Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation", a book about his daughter Bella, who lives with a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18. The book is authored by Santorum and his wife, Karen Santorum, and co-authored by their daughter, Elizabeth Santorum. It was released February 10, 2015. Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney,

title: Rick Santorum

text: his campaign, Santorum shifted his theme to the threat of radical Islam. In October 2006 he gave a "Gathering Storm" speech, invoking British Prime Minister Winston Churchill's description of Europe prior to World War II. As evidence that Islamists were waging a more than 300-year-old crusade against the Western world, Santorum pointed to September 11, 1683, the date of the Battle of Vienna. Casey responded, "No one believes terrorists are going to be more likely to attack us because I defeat Rick Santorum." Noting that he had been "even more hawkish" during this time period than President Bush, Santorum later

title: Rick Santorum

text: (2012); "Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works" (2014); and "Bella's Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation" (2015). In addition to Santorum's books, a collection of his speeches as a U.S. senator was published and released by Monument Press in 2005 under the title "Rick Santorum: A Senator Speaks Out on Life, Freedom, and Responsibility". Santorum also wrote a foreword to William A. Dembski's 2006 "Darwin's Nemesis: Phillip Johnson and the Intelligent Design Movement" and a 2006 autobiography. In "It Takes a Family", Santorum argues that the traditional family is the foundation

text: limited government, fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and unflagging devotion to life and traditional marriage." Other endorsements included Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Cornerstone Church pastor and evangelical leader Cary Gordon, and bestselling thriller novelist Brad Thor. In November 2011, conservative commentator Glenn Beck said, "If there is one guy out there that is the next George Washington, the only guy that I could think of is Rick Santorum. I would ask that you would take a look at him." After support for Newt Gingrich faded in Iowa, Santorum received a late surge in polling in the week prior

title: Rick Santorum

text: Santorum for reimbursement in 2005, but won reimbursement from the state in September 2006 in the amount of $55,000. In response, Santorum asked county officials to remove the homestead tax exemption from his Penn Hills property, saying he was entitled to it but chose not to take it because of the political dispute. Since 2006, Santorum has been home-schooling his seven children. Santorum responded to the dispute saying that his children should not be implicated in the "politics of personal destruction". One of his children appeared in a 2006 reelection campaign ad saying, "My dad's opponents have criticized him for

title: Rick Santorum

text: classroom. What we should be teaching are the problems and holes ... in the theory of evolution." Later that year, Santorum resigned from the advisory board of the Christian-rights Thomas More Law Center after the Center's lawyers lost a case representing a school board that had required the teaching of intelligent design. Santorum, who had previously supported the school board's policy, indicated he had not realized that certain members of the board had been motivated by religious beliefs. Santorum critics said he was backtracking from his earlier position because he was facing a tough reelection fight in 2006. When asked

text: to that of Mike Huckabee, who surprisingly won Iowa despite similarly poor performance in the polls. Several Republican strategists in Iowa described Santorum as a "natural fit" for 2008 Huckabee supporters in Iowa. "The Washington Times" reported in November 2011 that conservatives had gone on a "carousel" of supporting different candidates against Mitt Romney, from Michele Bachmann to Rick Perry to Herman Cain to Newt Gingrich. As such, Santorum would be next on the "carousel". In December 2011, when Gingrich achieved frontrunner status in the race, Santorum became increasingly critical of him and his speakership. Santorum said Gingrich's Contract with

title: Rick Santorum

text: rights activist Dan Savage, who launched a contest to coin a "santorum" neologism among his blog's readers. Since 2004, the website Savage set up for the campaign has regularly been among the top search results for Santorum's surname, leading to what commentators have dubbed "Santorum's Google problem". Santorum has characterized the campaign as a "type of vulgarity" that was spread on the Internet. In September 2011, Santorum unsuccessfully requested that Google remove the content from its search engine index. In 2015, during an interview on the Rachel Maddow Show, he expressed regret for making the "man-on-dog" statement, which he described

title: Rick Santorum

text: all we want to talk about is what happened to business, there are people that work in those businesses.'" On his official website, Santorum said that the "Obama Administration has turned a blind eye" to pornography, but promised that that "will change under a Santorum Administration." According to "USA Today", some conservatives believe Santorum's opposition to pornography could "hurt the party politically." On March 23, 2012, Santorum wrote on his campaign website that there is "a wealth of research" demonstrating that pornography causes "profound brain changes" and widespread negative effects on children and adults, including "violence to women." Researchers say

title: Rick Santorum

text: leave the issue to local authorities. Santorum later "clarified" his statement, writing that he "meant to express empathy", and "not a change in public policy." In July 2015, Santorum reaffirmed his support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, contending that "... we need a national standard for marriage." In June 2011, Santorum said he would continue to "fight very strongly against libertarian influence within the Republican Party and the conservative movement." In an interview with NPR in the summer of 2005, Santorum discussed what he called the "libertarianish right", saying "they have this idea that people should be left

title: Rick Santorum

text: bid of 2006, he lost to Democrat Bob Casey, Jr. by a 59–41% margin. After his election to the Senate in 1994, Santorum sought to "practice what [he] preached" and hired five people for his staff who were on welfare, food stamps, or other government aid. In 1996, Santorum served as Chairman of the Republican Party Task Force on Welfare Reform, and contributed to legislation that became the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act. Santorum was an author and the floor manager of the bill. In 1996, Santorum endorsed moderate Republican Arlen Specter in his short-lived campaign for president. Reporters

title: Rick Santorum

text: I would definitely agree with that. I would certainly suggest there probably should be some further limits on what we use it for." In January 2012, Santorum said, "when there is certainty, that's the case that capital punishment can be used", but "if there is not certainty, under the law, it shouldn't be used." Santorum used cannabis in college, but later said, "Even during that time, I knew that what I was doing was wrong." He is against the legalization of cannabis, and believes that the federal law against it should be enforced in Colorado. He has voted in favor

title: Rick Santorum

text: state." Santorum declined to seek the gubernatorial nomination and instead endorsed eventual winner Tom Corbett. In the fall of 2009, Santorum gave a speech at the University of Dubuque on the economy, fueling speculation that he would run for president in 2012. Santorum later recalled, "It got a lot of buzz on the Internet, so I thought, 'Wow, maybe there's some interest'". He decided to campaign after multiple conversations with his wife, who was not enthusiastic at first. On September 11, 2009, Santorum spoke to Catholic leaders in Orlando, Florida, saying that the 2012 presidential elections were going to be

text: his father was a popular governor there, commentators predicted disaster for Romney if he lost to Santorum in the state, which was considered an easy win for Romney prior to Santorum's surge. Santorum and Gingrich briefly considered forming a unity ticket to run against Romney at what both viewed as a critical juncture in the primaries, but they were unable to agree on who would lead the ticket. Both campaigns fought hard, and Romney went on to edge Santorum 41%–38%. went on to finish second in Michigan, getting 14 delegates and no delegates in Arizona. Santorum received 27% in Arizona

title: Rick Santorum

text: runner-up to eventual nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum ran for president again in 2016, but ended his campaign in February 2016 after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses. In January 2017, he became a CNN senior political commentator. Richard John Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia. He is the middle of the three children of Aldo Santorum (1923–2011), a clinical psychologist who immigrated to the United States at age seven from Riva, Trentino, Italy, and Catherine (Dughi) Santorum (b. 1918), an administrative nurse who is of Italian and Irish ancestry. Santorum grew up in Berkeley County, West Virginia, and Butler

title: Rick Santorum

text: as "flippant," but added: "[T]he substance of what I said ... I stand by that." In the same appearance, Santorum argued that Congress could reverse the Supreme Court's decision simply by passing a law declaring the decision to be erroneous and overriding it. In 2011, during his bid for the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential election, Santorum attended a Republican primary debate held two days after the official end of the Clinton-era Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy that effectively banned homosexuals from open service in the United States Armed Forces, and fielded a question from Stephen Snyder-Hill, a gay

text: to the caucuses; a CNN poll released December 28, 2011 showed Santorum jumping to third place with 16%, behind only Mitt Romney (25%) and Ron Paul (22%) and ahead of Newt Gingrich, who was first in the previous CNN poll. CNN said, "Most of Santorum's gains have come among likely caucus participants who are born-again or evangelical, and he now tops the list among that crucial voting bloc, with support from 22% of born-agains compared to 18% for Paul, 16% for Romney, and 14% for Gingrich." Mike Huckabee said, "Rick Santorum, I believe, is being greatly underestimated in this race.

title: Rick Santorum

text: phase out fossil fuels, Santorum said in 2015: "The church has gotten it wrong a few times on science, and I think we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists and focusing on what we’re good at, which is theology and morality." Santorum has consistently held socially conservative views and has advocated "compassionate conservatism". He has a more mixed record on fiscal issues. As a member of Congress, he voted for the Bush tax cuts, favored a balanced budget amendment and sought to curb entitlements, playing a key role in enacting welfare reform. He has been criticized for

title: Rick Santorum

text: Santorum cites his own family's history (his father immigrated to the U.S. from Italy) as proof of how to immigrate "the right way". At the 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit, Santorum said the volume of legal immigration into the United States is also too high, and stated that the number of immigrants lawfully entering the country was "affecting American workers" by taking jobs and lowering wages. Santorum claimed that all "net new jobs" created in the United States economy since 2000 have gone to immigrants (both legal and illegal). At the Iowa Freedom Summit, Santorum said: "We need an immigration policy

text: at 18 percent. Romney remains the same, at 24 percent." The "Register"'s pollster said, "Momentum's name is Rick Santorum." The Iowa caucuses were held on January 3, 2012, and the count that evening put Romney in first with just eight more votes than Santorum out of 125,000 cast (Romney received 30,015 votes to Santorum's 30,007). Though he finished in second, Santorum's finish was still seen as a stunning victory, which could give him some momentum going forward in an uphill battle of a race. Santorum's campaign reportedly raised over $1 million in less than 24 hours after his finish in

title: Rick Santorum

text: marriage flies in the face of the Constitution and is contrary to the natural created order. As people of faith we pledge obedience to our Creator when the State directly conflicts with higher law." In April 2015, Santorum stated on Hugh Hewitt's radio program that he would not attend a same-sex wedding, saying: "as a person of my faith, that would be something that would be a violation of my faith." In May 2015, Santorum made a statement that was seen as supportive of Caitlyn Jenner. At a Republican convention in South Carolina, in response to a question about Jenner,

title: Rick Santorum

text: campaign Santorum repeatedly criticized Walgren for living outside the district for most of the year. Although the 18th District was redrawn for the 1992 elections, and the new district had a 3:1 ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans, Santorum still won reelection with 61% of the vote. In 1993, Santorum was one of 17 House Republicans who sided with most Democrats to support legislation that prohibited employers from permanently replacing striking employees. He also joined a minority of Republicans to vote against the North American Free Trade Agreement that year. As a member of the Gang of Seven, Santorum was

title: Rick Santorum

text: warrior image during his Senate tenure. While serving as a senator, Santorum authored the Santorum Amendment, which would have promoted the teaching of intelligent design. He was a leading sponsor of the 2003 federal law known as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act. In the years following his departure from the Senate, Santorum worked as a consultant, private practice lawyer, and news contributor. He ran for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Before suspending his campaign on April 10, 2012, Santorum exceeded expectations by winning 11 primaries and caucuses and receiving nearly four million votes, making him the

title: Rick Santorum

text: bought a $640,000 house in Leesburg, Virginia, sold it in 2007 for $850,000, and purchased a $2 million home in Great Falls, Virginia. According to "The Washington Post", Santorum has paid $50,000 per year out of pocket for medical expenses not covered by insurance for his daughter Isabella. The Santorums once paid $25,000 to have Isabella airlifted from a Virginia hospital to a children's hospital in Philadelphia. In his free time, Santorum is an avid fantasy baseball player. Santorum has written four books: "It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good" (2005); "American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom"

title: Rick Santorum

text: Jack Abramoff scandal broke in late 2004. Although some sources indicate that Santorum played a key role in the K Street Project, he has denied any involvement. In November 2005, several months after the indictments of Abramoff and DeLay, Santorum told the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette", "The K Street project is purely to make sure we have qualified applicants for positions that are in town. From my perspective, it's a good government thing." A few months later, however, Santorum emphatically denied any connection with either the K Street Project or Norquist, saying: "I had absolutely nothing to do—never met, never talked, never

text: that we have in this country today that ordinary folks can defy the odds day in and day out?" Santorum supporters began pushing Gingrich to drop out of the race, saying he was taking votes away from Santorum and thus giving an advantage to Romney. Santorum finished second in Illinois on March 20, 2012 with 35% to Romney's 47%. Santorum won the largely middle class and rural parts of the state, while Romney won the cities and wealthy areas. Romney pounded the airwaves with attack ads against Santorum, especially in and around Chicago. Romney's 12-point victory led to questions of

title: Rick Santorum

text: focused on trying to win the war" in Afghanistan, and said he was against any withdrawal in Iraq in 2012, saying, "We want victory." Santorum supports U.S. political intervention and economic sanctions against state sponsors of terrorism. He views "Islamic-fascism" in Iran as the center of the "world's conflict", and his geopolitical strategy for peace involves the United States promoting "a strong Lebanon, a strong Israel, and a strong Iraq." He sponsored the Syria Accountability Act of 2003 to require Syria to cease all activity with Lebanon and end all support for terrorism. In 2005, Santorum sponsored the Iran Freedom

title: Rick Santorum

text: lost the Republican Catholic vote in most states to Romney. Exit polls found only 42% of those Catholics and less than a third of Protestant evangelicals knew Santorum was Catholic. After Santorum won Protestant-majority states Alabama and Mississippi, but lost in heavily Catholic Puerto Rico, "The Huffington Post" said he "seemed exasperated by the trend" and said his base support came from "people who take their faith seriously", not necessarily fellow Catholics. Santorum has written for Catholic publications and frequently comments on political issues from a religious standpoint. He has said, "I don't believe in an America where the separation

title: Rick Santorum

text: grades of A from 1995 through 1997, B+ in 1998 and 1999, B in 2000, A from 2001 through 2004, B in 2005, and B+ in 2006 from the National Taxpayers Union, a conservative taxpayers advocacy organization. Santorum, who received nearly $116,000 from the gun lobby from 1990 to 2017, has consistently supported gun rights. Santorum is an advocate of the right to bear arms. He is also a defender of gun manufacturers, and voted for the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (Bill S 397), which prevents civil suits from being brought against gun manufacturers for criminal

title: Rick Santorum

text: soldier then serving in Iraq, about the progress made by gay and lesbian soldiers in the military. The soldier was booed by some in the audience, and Santorum said his administration would reinstate the ban on gays in the military. Santorum was roundly criticized for not supporting the soldier, and he later asserted he had not heard the booing from the stage. In 2015, Santorum signed an online pledge vowing not to respect any law, including any decision by the United States Supreme Court, conferring legal recognition on same-sex marriage. The pledge states, in part: "A decision purporting to redefine

title: Rick Santorum

text: address issues such as the Workplace Religious Freedom Act, tax-exempt status for churches, the CARE act, international religious freedom, and antisemitism. Santorum added to the 2001 No Child Left Behind bill a provision that would have provided more freedom to schools in teaching about the origins of life, including the teaching of intelligent design alongside evolution. The bill, with the Santorum Amendment included, passed the Senate 91–8 and was hailed as a victory by intelligent design promoters, but before it became law, scientific and educational groups successfully urged its conference committee to strike the Santorum Amendment from the final version.

title: Rick Santorum

text: actions on education, including school choice and student loans. Santorum concluded his speech to a standing ovation, saying, In June 2012, Santorum launched Patriot Voices, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit with a mission to "mobilize conservatives around this country who are committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity" in support of causes and candidates across the country. Santorum supported U.S. Senate candidates Ted Cruz in Texas and Richard Mourdock in Indiana in their respective Republican primaries; both won. In the general elections, Patriot Voices endorsed eight U.S. Senate candidates and four House candidates. In Iowa's 2012 retention elections Santorum lent support

title: Rick Santorum

text: finish in the history of the Iowa caucuses, the count on the night put Romney as winner by a margin of eight votes, but the final result announced two weeks later showed that Santorum had won by 34 votes. Santorum later focused on the states holding votes on February 7, a strategy that paid off as he won all three. Santorum surged in polls taken shortly after, ranking first in some and a close second in others. In the March 13 primaries, Santorum narrowly won both Mississippi and Alabama and followed up with a victory in Louisiana on March 24.

title: Rick Santorum

text: Public Policy Center. In 2010 he was paid $23,000 by "The Philadelphia Inquirer" for his work as a columnist. In January 2017, Santorum became a CNN senior political commentator. Before the 2006 election, Santorum was frequently mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate. Such speculation faded when, during the 2006 campaign and in light of unimpressive poll numbers in his Senate race, he declared that, if reelected, he would serve a full term. After he lost, Santorum once again ruled out a presidential run. On February 1, 2008, Santorum said he would vote for Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican

title: Rick Santorum

text: book, "It Takes a Family", including his denunciation of 1960s "radical feminism", which he said had made it "socially affirming to work outside the home" at the expense of child care. In the book, Santorum also compared pro-choice Americans to "German Nazis." John Brabender, an adviser to Santorum's Senate and Presidential races, reflected back on the book's controversies and said Santorum was warned that sections could bring political damage, and Santorum was not willing to change much of it simply to gain moderate supporters. In addition, a past article Santorum wrote to "The Catholic Online" resurfaced in 2005, in which

text: states held contests on Super Tuesday on March 6, 2012. Santorum won in North Dakota (where he took 40% of the vote), Oklahoma (34%), and Tennessee (37%). He finished second in Ohio, Alaska, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Vermont. He finished third in Georgia, and did not campaign in Virginia, where only Romney and Paul qualified for the ballot. Santorum and Romney campaigned heavily against each other in Ohio, a crucial battleground state for the general election. Santorum slammed Romney for "Romneycare" and made it a focus of his campaign against Romney in the state. Romney barely edged out Santorum in the

title: Rick Santorum

text: Santorum said: "if [Jenner] says he's a woman, then he's a woman. My responsibility as a human being is to love and accept everybody. Not to criticize people for who they are." Because of Santorum's consistent opposition to same-sex marriage, his apparent acceptance of Jenner's transition was considered surprising. At the same time, however, some people criticized Santorum for continuing to use the male pronoun in reference to Jenner. Santorum declined to take a position on whether transgender people should be allowed to use restrooms of the gender of their choice, saying only that he believed the federal government should

title: Rick Santorum

text: and it is...genetically completely human"'. During a 2016 presidential debate, Santorum said, "'Twice in my life we were counseled to have an abortion — once with our son Gabriel and one with our little girl, Bella... Neither time did Karen (Santorum's wife) and I even think about [an abortion], because we know life begins at conception'". In 1996, Santorum led the unsuccessful attempt to override President Bill Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995, He also sponsored a similar bill in 1999. Santorum was a lead sponsor of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which was signed into

title: Rick Santorum

text: his PAC. The liberal advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington cited the bill as one of several reasons for listing Santorum as one of its "most corrupt politicians". In support of the bill, Santorum criticized the National Weather Service in September 2005, saying its evacuation warnings for Hurricane Katrina were "insufficient". Santorum is a supporter of the War on Terror and shares the views of neoconservatives and the Bush Doctrine in regard to foreign policy. He felt the War in Iraq was justified, and, in 2006, declared that weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) had been found in

title: Rick Santorum

text: of freedom of conscience." He told a group of college students in 2008 that the United States had been founded on "Judeo-Christian" ethics, and now "it is a shambles, it is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it." Santorum has said he values faith over politics and considers politicians' faith significant. He questioned whether Barack Obama truly has a religion, alleging that he may have chosen Christianity as a politically expedient platform for power. Santorum stated, "if the President says he's a Christian, he's a Christian", but has stated that Obama's agenda is based on a "phony

title: Rick Santorum

text: appeared with their parents on "Piers Morgan Tonight" in January 2012. Elizabeth, who was five at the time of Gabriel's death, said she was glad to have seen him, and that he holds a place in her heart. In 2008, Karen Garver Santorum gave birth to their eighth child, Isabella, who was diagnosed with Edwards syndrome (Trisomy 18), a serious genetic disorder, with only a 10% chance of survival past one year old. Following her second hospitalization in a few months, Santorum officially suspended his campaign for the 2012 United States presidential election. Santorum traveled, in 2002, to Rome to

title: Rick Santorum

text: that." In a position paper circulated in March 2012, Santorum said he would order his attorney general to "vigorously enforce" existing laws that "prohibit distribution of hardcore (obscene) pornography on the Internet, on cable/satellite TV, on hotel/motel TV, in retail shops and through the mail or by common carrier." While in Congress, Santorum supported efforts to fight global HIV/AIDS, provide assistance to orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries, combat genocide in Sudan, and offer third world debt relief. In 2006, rock musician and humanitarian Bono said of Santorum, "he has been a defender of the most vulnerable." On the

title: Rick Santorum

text: eventually led the Court to recognize a constitutional right to abortion in "Roe v. Wade" (1973). In critiquing "Griswold", Santorum emphasized that he did not support laws banning contraceptives. Santorum has, however, described contraception as "a license to do things in [the] sexual realm that [are] counter to how things are supposed to be." In March 2005, Santorum expressed misgivings about the death penalty in light of wrongly convicted individuals who were sentenced to death. He went on to say, "I agree with the Pope that in the civilized world ... the application of the death penalty should be limited.

title: Rick Santorum

text: to the "NO Wiggins" effort to oust Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, who they say promulgated a personal political agenda in the court. They have also been vocal in opposition to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which they say threatens parental rights and U.S. sovereignty. In June 2013, Santorum became Chairman and CEO of EchoLight Studios, a Dallas-based Christian movie company. Santorum has produced the Christmas-themed movie "The Christmas Candle" and the religious liberty film "One Generation Away". Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press" on August 4, 2013, Santorum said, "I’m open to looking into

title: Rick Santorum

text: and Support Act, which appropriated $10 million aimed at regime change in Iran. The Act passed with overwhelming support. Santorum voted against the Lautenberg amendment, which would have closed the loophole that allows companies like Halliburton to do business with Iran through their foreign affiliates. Santorum reflected on his last year in the Senate as one spent talking a lot about Iran, and was characterized by "The Atlantic Wire" as an "extreme hawk" in his approach to Iran. Santorum stated that Iran was the creator of Hezbollah and the driving force of Hamas. He said Iran was at the center

title: Rick Santorum

text: been introduced in the Senate by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in 1996, having been introduced in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in 1994. Although Santorum was in the Senate at the time, he was not a sponsor of the bill when it was introduced in 1996, or when it was reintroduced in 1997 and 1999. Once signed on as a co-sponsor, Santorum remained so throughout his tenure in the Senate. Santorum founded the Congressional Working Group on Religious Freedom in 2003. The group included members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, and met monthly to

title: Rick Santorum

text: have observed that though Santorum and Specter differed on social policy, Specter provided him with key political staff for his successful run in 1994. The National Taxpayers Union, a fiscal conservative organization, gave Santorum an "A−" score for his votes on fiscal issues, meaning that he was one of "the strongest supporters of responsible tax and spending policies" during his tenure, and ranked fifth in the group's rankings out of 50 senators who served at the same time. In 2002, Santorum was a co-sponsor of that year's attempt to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act (WRFA). The bill had first

title: Rick Santorum

text: governor Robert Casey, Sr. Casey was well known for his opposition to abortion, negating one of Santorum's key issues. For most of the campaign, Santorum trailed Casey by 15 points or more in polls. Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli failed to gain ballot access in the race, further hurting Santorum's chances. Reportedly, several of Santorum's supporters had funded and petitioned for Romanelli to siphon away Democrats from Casey. Santorum was mired in controversy and spent much of his time on the campaign defending his past statements and positions. He faced criticism from Casey and others for several statements in his

title: Rick Santorum

text: of society. Santorum criticizes alike laissez-faire conservatives and liberal proponents of social welfare for promoting a radical view of autonomy. In particular, he criticizes the "bigs" – "big government, big media, big entertainment, big universities." The book became a "New York Times" bestseller. "American Patriots" tells the stories of 25 lesser-known Americans from the American Revolution. Santorum writes, "Most Americans know something about our Founding Fathers and their role in creating the government of the United States. However, most know little about the day-to-day battles fought by Americans of all backgrounds that paved the way for the high ideals of

title: Rick Santorum

text: that puts American workers first." In his 2005 book "It Takes a Family", Santorum advocated a society oriented toward "family values" and centered on monogamous, heterosexual relationships, marriage, and child-raising. He opposes same-sex marriage, saying the American public and their elected officials should decide on these "incredibly important moral issues" rather than the Supreme Court. During a 2003 interview, Santorum expressed opposition to same-sex marriage, said he favors having laws against polygamy, sodomy, and other actions "antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family", and likened homosexuality to bestiality. The remarks drew a retaliatory response from sex advice columnist and gay

title: Rick Santorum

text: acts perpetrated with their weapons. On March 25, 2018, in response to the "March for Our Lives", Santorum told CNN that rather than marching the students should "take CPR classes" instead of "looking to someone else to solve their problems." Columbia Journalism Review called the comment "asinine on its face," but said that, even so, the response from doctors, journalists and students about the "stupid" comment was excessive. In 2015, Santorum called for more restrictions on family-based immigration after warning of a "flood of legal—not illegal—immigrants to our country", which he blamed for depressing the median income of American workers.

text: with voters to what he characterized as a nonstop media narrative that the race was over, which he said had made fundraising difficult, and to the media's having in his view unfairly portrayed him as "an angry guy." He also said it was "heartwarming" to see the way people he met while campaigning had been encouraged by learning about his daughter Bella's story. After dropping out, Santorum continued raising money to settle his debt, raising half a million dollars from thousands of donors in May 2012. Santorum released his delegates ahead of the Republican National Convention to vote for Romney.

title: Campaign for the neologism "santorum"

text: things. It's unfortunate some people thought it would be a big joke to make fun of my name. That comes with the territory." In July 2011, Santorum said that news coverage of this matter would be very different if he were liberal instead of conservative: "The Mainstream Media would hit the roof—and rightly so!" "The New York Times" reported in 2004 that people had tried to use Google bombs to link the names of several American politicians, including George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Rick Santorum, to what it called "unprintable phrases". Bloggers linking to "Spreading Santorum" caused it to

text: his endorsement of Mitt Romney and endorsing Santorum, with whom he had served in the Senate. DeWine was the first Senate colleague of Santorum to endorse his candidacy. On February 18, Santorum said that Obama's agenda was based on "some phony theology. Not a theology based on the Bible. A different theology." A 2008 speech in which Santorum suggested that the "Father of Lies" has been "attacking the great institutions of America" also attracted renewed media attention, along with a statement from the same speech claiming that "mainline Protestantism" "is gone from the world of Christianity as I see it."

title: Rick Santorum

text: When Republicans get up and talk about middle class, we’re buying into their rhetoric of dividing America. Stop it. There’s no class in America. Call them on it.” Santorum has said he does not believe a "right to privacy" is part of the Constitution. He has criticized the Supreme Court decision in "Griswold v. Connecticut" (1965), which held that the Constitution guaranteed that right and overturned a law prohibiting the sale of contraceptives to married couples. Santorum has asserted that the right to privacy set forth in "Griswold" was a "jurisprudential novelty [that] quickly become a constitutional wrecking ball" and

title: Rick Santorum

text: opposition to abortion. He and his wife have since become increasingly religious. Santorum now considers himself a devout Catholic and acknowledges his faith as the source of his politics and worldview. He attends Mass almost daily and organized a Catholic study group for lawmakers while in Congress. Santorum proudly calls himself a "culture warrior" and "true Christian conservative". In so positioning himself, he has garnered popularity among evangelicals, but his support among Catholics is not as robust. Santorum's emphasis on his "Christian roots" was especially favored by evangelicals in the Midwest and Southern states during the 2012 primaries, although he

title: Rick Santorum

text: stated that these expired casings were not part of the WMDs threat that the Iraq War was launched to contain. Santorum has said the war on terror can be won and is optimistic about U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan in the long term. He has defended the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, including waterboarding, and stated that John McCain, who opposes the practice, "doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works." Santorum called the War in Afghanistan "a very winnable operation" in 2012, dismissing efforts for withdrawal by 2014. He similarly criticized President Obama's foreign policy, saying he was "not

title: Rick Santorum

text: of church and state is absolute. The First Amendment means the free exercise of religion and that means bringing people and their faith into the public square." In an interview with the "National Catholic Reporter", Santorum said that the distinction between private religious conviction and public responsibility, espoused by President John F. Kennedy, had caused "great harm in America". He said: "All of us have heard people say, 'I privately am against abortion, homosexual marriage, stem cell research, cloning. But who am I to decide that it's not right for somebody else?' It sounds good, but it is the corruption

text: marriage, suggesting that allowing gay marriage would lead to the legalization of polygamy and other forms of marriage. The back-and-forth resulted in him being booed at the conclusion of the event. At another event, Santorum suggested that children would be better off having a father in prison than being raised by lesbian parents. Santorum focused much of his efforts on the early caucus state of Iowa. He established a solid ground operation in Iowa and visited the state the most of any of the candidates, having visited all 99 counties in the state at least once. Santorum's candidacy was compared

title: Rick Santorum

text: speak at a centenary celebration of the birth of Saint Josemaría Escrivá, founder of Opus Dei. He and his wife were invested as Knight and Dame of Magistral Grace of the Knights of Malta in a ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York on November 12, 2004. Santorum's net worth has been estimated between $880,000 and $3 million, which is mainly held as five rental properties around Penn State University, two personal homes in Great Falls and Penn Hills, and some IRAs. In 1997, Santorum purchased a three-bedroom house in the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills. In 2001, he

title: Santorum Amendment

text: Washington, D.C., to promote their agenda to lawmakers. Sen. Rick Santorum was one of intelligent design's most vocal supporters on Capitol Hill. One result of this briefing was that in 2001 Senator Santorum proposed incorporating pro-intelligent design language, crafted in part by the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture, into the No Child Left Behind bill. It portrayed evolution as generating "much continuing controversy" and not widely accepted, using the Discovery Institute's Teach The Controversy method. In proposing the amendment, Santorum addressed the Congress: Santorum then went on to quote David DeWolf, a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute's

title: Campaign for the neologism "santorum"

text: an advocacy group for same-sex marriage. In February 2011, Savage said he would revive his campaign. , the sexual term was still the top result for Santorum's name on several search engines, including Google, Bing, and Yahoo. In a July 2011 video on "Funny or Die", Savage proposed redefining Santorum's first name if Santorum did not stop criticizing homosexuality. In his column, Savage observed that "Santorum hasn't laid off the gay bashing, as it's all he's got," and endorsed a reader suggestion to re-define "rick" as a verb, thus making 'Rick santorum.' into a complete sentence. The word "santorum", as

text: Although conservative talk host Rush Limbaugh said on February 21 that Santorum would have to "answer for these" remarks, a columnist for "The Economist" called for perspective, arguing that "when the media look only at Mr Santorum's thoughts on family morality they end up with a caricature. He is in fact a more rounded candidate, with some impressive skills." The next contests were in Michigan and Arizona on February 28, 2012. Leading up to the Michigan primary, Santorum was neck-and-neck with Romney in the polls. Since Michigan is considered Romney's home state since he was born and raised there and

text: the caucuses, and Santorum immediately surged in national polls, with three showing him competing for third place with Paul. On January 20, 2012, Santorum was declared the official winner of the January 3 Iowa caucuses based on the certified results from 1,766 precincts (results from 8 precincts could not be found). Santorum (29,839 votes, 25%) had defeated Romney (29,805, 25%) by 34 votes. He finished fourth in the New Hampshire primary on January 10, 2012, ahead of Newt Gingrich. On January 14, 2012, during the run-up to the South Carolina primary, Santorum won the endorsement of the Family Research Council,

title: Rick Santorum

text: theology", not the Bible. In an interview with Glenn Beck, Santorum said Obama's desire for greater higher education rates nationwide was a veiled attempt at "indoctrination", saying that "62 percent of kids who go into college with a faith commitment leave without it." Santorum declined to provide a source for that figure. He believes colleges reinforce secular relativism and antagonize religiosity, particularly Christianity, and lists young people's support for abortion, gay marriage, and pornography as "symptoms" of indoctrination. In reaction to Pope Francis's encyclical "Laudato si'", which acknowledges man-made climate change and calls for swift and unified global policies to

title: Rick Santorum

text: a presidential race in 2016." He outlined plans for a potential 2016 run in an interview with "The Washington Post", and officially announced his candidacy on May 27, 2015. After performing poorly in the Iowa caucuses, Santorum ended his campaign on February 3, 2016, and endorsed Florida Senator Marco Rubio. After Rubio suspended his campaign, Santorum endorsed Donald Trump. Although he was raised in a nominally Catholic household, Santorum's faith began to deepen when he met his future wife, Karen. By his account, conversations with her father, Dr. Kenneth Garver, a staunch Catholic and pro-life advocate, solidified his understanding and

title: Rick Santorum

text: He formed a presidential exploratory committee on April 13, 2011. Santorum also mentioned his grandfather's historical encounter with Italian fascism as an inspiration for his presidential campaign. He formally announced his run for the Republican presidential nomination on ABC's "Good Morning America" on June 6, 2011, saying he's "in it to win." He initially lagged in the polls, but gained as other conservative candidates slumped. By the weekend before the Iowa caucuses, polls showed him in the top three, along with Romney and Ron Paul. The "Des Moines Register" also noted that the momentum was with Santorum. In the closest

title: Rick Santorum

text: moving us to Washington so we could be with him more." Santorum ran a television ad suggesting that Casey's supporters had been under investigation for various crimes. The negative ad backfired, as "The Scranton Times-Tribune" found that all but a few of Casey's contributors donated when he was running for other offices, and none were investigated for anything. In fact, two of the persons cited in Santorum's campaign ad actually contributed to Santorum in 2006, and one died in 2004. Santorum's campaign countered that those donations were not kept, and had been donated to educational institutions. Toward the end of

title: Rick Santorum

text: the Senate leadership and the first Pennsylvanian to hold such a prominent position since Senator Hugh Scott was Republican leader in the 1970s. In addition, Santorum served on the Senate Agriculture Committee; the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Senate Special Committee on Aging; and the Senate Finance Committee, of which he was the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Policy. He also sat at the candy desk for ten years. In January 2005, Santorum announced his intention to run for Senate Republican Whip, the second-highest post in the Republican caucus after the 2006

title: Rick Santorum

text: of "much of the world's conflict" but he was opposed to direct military action against the country in 2006. Santorum was one of only two senators who voted against confirming Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. He said his objection was to Gates's support for talking with Iran and Syria, because it would be an error to talk with radical Islamists. Santorum became chairman of the Senate Republican Conference in 2000, the party's third-ranking leadership position in the Senate. In that role, he directed Senate Republicans' communications operations and was a frequent party spokesperson. He was the youngest member of

title: Rick Santorum

text: Intelligent design supporters in Congress then preserved the language of the Santorum Amendment in the conference committee report of the bill's legislative history. The Discovery Institute and other intelligent design proponents point to this report as "a clear endorsement by Congress of the importance of teaching a variety of scientific views about the theory of evolution." In 2002, Santorum called intelligent design "a legitimate scientific theory that should be taught in science classes", but by 2005 he had adopted the Teach the Controversy approach. He told National Public Radio, "I'm not comfortable with intelligent design being taught in the science

text: big wins in the South in March, after Romney's victory in Illinois the media painted a dim picture about Santorum's road ahead, as Romney's big lead in the delegate count after several early state wins was close to insurmountable. Santorum was also running low on cash, while Romney continued spending millions of dollars per state to edge out victories. The next big contest was in Wisconsin on April 3, 2012. Acknowledging the wide delegate gap between himself and Romney, Santorum said that he would continue fighting and would secure enough delegates to deny Romney the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch

text: whether Santorum's campaign was capable of continuing the fight against Romney's campaign, which had far more money and was much better organized. Santorum cruised to victory in Louisiana on March 24, 2012, taking 49% of the vote, trouncing Romney by 22 points. The victory further showed Santorum's underdog capability, especially in more conservative states. Santorum said his 11th victory sent shockwaves through the political world as he continued to win in the South, Midwest, and West. He told supporters in Louisiana, "You didn't believe what the pundits have said, that this race was over. You didn't get the memo." Despite

text: states." Santorum campaigned for the Florida primary but left the weekend before its primary to go home and prepare his income tax records to be released to the public. However, his three-year-old daughter Bella, who suffers from a rare genetic condition called Trisomy 18 that kills most sufferers before their first birthday, fell ill and came close to death in a bout with pneumonia. Santorum left the campaign trail for several days to be with her in the hospital. He said she made a miraculous turnaround. Santorum finished third in Florida's primary with 223,208 votes (13%). On February 5, 2012,

text: him, an underdog. There were complaints about a statement made in Sioux City, Iowa, when Santorum said, "I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money". Santorum responded saying he did not say the word "black" but rather mumbled "blah". Santorum received endorsements from several major Iowa conservative leaders in the fall of 2011. Prominent social conservatives Bob Vander Plaats and Chuck Hurley, both leaders of the Family Leader social conservative advocacy organization, praised Santorum's conservative record on social issues. Sioux City conservative talk radio host Sam Clovis cited Santorum's beliefs in "a constitutionally

text: the Minnesota caucuses, and dominated the Missouri primary, defeating Romney 55%–25% in a contest that did not include Newt Gingrich on the ballot and did not assign any delegates. Two days before the vote Public Policy Polling (PPP) had suggested that Santorum would finish second in Colorado, face a close contest with Romney and Gingrich in Minnesota, and win by a smaller margin in Missouri. Following his sweep, Santorum enjoyed a surge in national polling, with multiple polls showing Santorum in first or within the margin of error of Romney. Santorum did not do any campaigning for the Maine caucuses,

title: Rick Santorum

text: blue collar voters stayed home from the polls, and there's good reason to believe that a large majority of them would have voted Republican if they had voted." Santorum puts forward a recipe for Republican success in which Republicans advocate for workers and not just corporations. He says that many middle class workers who have been forced into part-time jobs at big box stores or even into public assistance programs are amenable to the GOP's message if it is presented in relatable terms. He tackles education, saying the current system of government-run schools is a "relic of the late 19th

text: Moines Register's" editorial board, Santorum said "I'm the only person in this race by measuring the Gallup poll from March to July, everybody else who's even in the race or a prospective in the race their name identification increase except me. And so you just sort of wonder why is the national media not talking about me when they're talking about people like Jon Huntsman who are way below me in the national polls yet he gets press every single day. Nobody seems to want to pay any attention to me." Santorum suffered from poor fund-raising and weak ground operations,

title: Campaign for the neologism "santorum"

text: Campaign for the neologism "santorum" The campaign for the neologism "santorum" started with a contest held in May 2003 by Dan Savage, a sex columnist and LGBT rights activist. Savage asked his readers to create a definition for the word "santorum" in response to then-U.S. Senator Rick Santorum's views on homosexuality, and comments about same sex marriage. In his comments, Santorum had stated that "[i]n every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may