- P2016 Home « Declared
2016
Presidential
Candidate « Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
- suspended campaign Feb. 3, 2016 -
| timeline
C-SPAN organization visits to 3rd Q |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| Democracy in Action 2012 campaign |
www.ricksantorum.com Santorum for President Rick Santorum | @RickSantorum ...announced May 27, 2015 |
www.patriotvoices.com Patriot Voices ...501(c)(4) launched June 8, 2012 |
www.patriotvoicespac.com Patriot Voices PAC |
echolight.com Echolight Studios EcholightStudios | @EchoLightStudio |
|
 |
|||||
| www.workingagainpac.com Working Again PAC WorkingAgainPAC | @WorkingAgainPAC ...super PAC filed with the FEC on July 1, 2015 (+) |
Conventional Wisdom
Strengths
- Appeal to values voters.
- Reaching out to blue collar voters.
- Runner up for the Republican nomination in 2012; base of support from that campaign plus lessons learned and knows what a presidential campaign entails.
Weaknesses
- Arguably was able to do well in 2012 because of a weak field.
- Peeling off of 2012 supporters who are looking for something new.
Notes, Coverage and Speeches
- Announcement speech at Penn United Technologies in Cabot, PA, May 27, 2015.
- Speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines, IA, Jan. 24, 2015.
- Speech at The FAMiLY Leadership Summit at Stephens Auditorium in Ames, IA, Aug. 9, 2014.
- Speech at 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Gaylord National in National Harbor, MD, March 7, 2014.
2016 - Like former Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Sen. Rick Santorum suffered from the re-tread phenomenon. He participated in all seven of the presidential debates held while he was a candidate but never was able to move beyond the undercard stage. He finished a distant eleventh in the Feb. 1 Iowa caucuses, and on Feb. 3 on Fox News’ "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren" he announced he was suspending his campaign and endorsing Sen. Marco Rubio.
2015 - Former Sen. Rick Santorum has been out on the hustings in early states and at cattle shows. Through the end of the first quarter he was third among potential Republicans in visits to the key early states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and tied for second in days spent in those states. There was a bit of an imbalance, as he has made just one trip to the Granite State. The Santorums' book Bella's Gift, about their special needs daughter Bella, came on Feb. 10 (Thomas Nelson). Santorum formed a testing the waters committee on April 9 and announced his candidacy in Butler Co., PA on May 27. However, he faces a steep climb; a number of candidates
are
vying
for social conservative votes, and quite a few key figures in his 2012
effort have moved on to
other campaigns, and for the first two debates he was not on the main
stage but kept in the "B" group.The solution for Santorum is to outwork the other candidates in Iowa and South Carolina. By the end of the second quarter he had spent more days in Iowa and in South Carolina than any other candidate. His trips to Iowa are typically multi-day affairs that take him off the beaten track and far out into the rural parts of the state. On Sept. 1 Santorum celebrated completion of his second "full Grassley," visiting all 99 counties in 2015, with an event in Rock Rapids. On Oct. 12 Santorum unveiled his Economci Freedom Agenda, centered on a 20/20 flat tax (+).
2014 - Santorum has carved out a distinctive message in the field of potential Republican candidates, arguing that the party has been focusing too much of its message on businesses and job creators and not enough on the "vast number of people in America, the 70-percent of Americans who don't have a college degree, the 90-percent of Americans who work for a living for somebody else instead of owning a business." He set out that vision in his book Blue Collar Conservatives (Regnery, April 2014). On the international front, Santorum led a solidarity delegation to Israel in August (+).
2013 - After doing surprisingly well in his 2012 campaign for the Republican nomination, in which he won Iowa and ten other states, former Sen. Santorum looks as if he wants to make another run at the White House. On June 8, 2012 Santorum announced Patriot Voices, a 501(c)(4) that has continued to serve as his base throughout 2013. There is also a Patriiot Voices PAC, which has already made a few endorsements in the 2014 cycle. During 2013, Santorum made a couple of visits each to Iowa and South Carolina in addition to delivering speeches at venues such as CPAC and the Values Voter Summit. In June Santorum assumed the position of CEO of EchoLight Studios, which describes itself as "America's Fastest Growing Faith & Family Film Company."
Readings
Rick and Karen Santorum with Elizabeth Santorum. Feb. 10, 2015. BELLA'S GIFT: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation. Thomas Nelson [Harper Collins].
"Rick and Karen Santorum share the inspiring story of life with their special-needs youngest child. On May 13, 2008, the Santorum family welcomed their seventh child into the world... Over the next five miraculous years, the Santorum family adjusted to life with a special needs girl--and watched her transform the lives of everyone around her. In many days of sickness and joy, she became an inspiration to her community and, ultimately, to the nation. 'Bella's Gift' details the peaks and valleys, the joys and sufferings, and the incredible value of life with a special needs child. In a world that often measures worth according to usefulness, Bella's story is a reminder that our real value lies in our capacity to love." signings
Rick Santorum. April 28, 2014. BLUE COLLAR CONSERVATIVES. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing.
"In 2012, a mass of blue collar voters, enough to have tipped the balance of the electoral college in favor of the Republican candidate, simply stayed home on election day. Why? Despite their deeply conservative values, they had lost faith that the Republicans spoke for them and had their backs. In Blue Collar Conservatives, Rick Santorum calls for the GOP to get back in touch with this base." tour
Rick Santorum. Oct. 2, 2012. AMERICAN PATRIOTS: Answering the Call to Freedom. Carol Stream, Ill: Tyndale House Publishers.
"American Patriots highlights the heroic men and women who valiantly fought to secure our God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—not only for themselves and their children, but for countless future generations. Their stories are a true reminder of the extraordinary faith, courage, and determination that set this country on the path to greatness centuries ago, and an inspiration for future generations of great American patriots."
Rick Santorum. 2005. IT TAKES A FAMILY: Conservatism and the Common Good. Wilmington, DE: Intercollegiate Studies Institute. >
"...a fresh
rearticulation of conservative political principles in light of
contemporary
culture and society. In It Takes a
Family, his first book, Santorum emphasizes the
central role of the
family in achieving the common good."
also
Rick Santorum. 2005. RICK SANTORUM: A Senator Speaks Out on Life, Freedom, and Responsibility. Washington, DC: Monument Press. 1, 2
(collection of Senate speeches)
and
Karen Santorum. March 26, 2012. LETTERS TO GABRIEL: The True Story of Gabriel Michael Santorum. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press.
"Letters to Gabriel is the story of Gabriel Michael's short, but meaningful life, and a tribute to the sanctity of life, the deep faith of the Santorums, and strong family values. The intimate bond between mother and child is expressed by Karen with great tenderness and love. This is a deeply moving book that will touch the heart of its readers with the beauty of the gift of life, and inspire them to share it with others."
 |
 |
| ...donate.aspx Rick Santorum Presidential Testing the Waters Committee ...formed April 9, 2015 |
this
page
last revised February 4, 2015
ADVERTISEMENT
Copyright © 2014, 2015, 2016 Eric M.
Appleman/Democracy
in Action.
All rights reserved.