134 Facts About Rick Santorum

Richard John Santorum is an American politician, attorney, author, and political commentator who represented Pennsylvania in the United States Senate from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third-ranking Republican during the final six years of his tenure.

Rick Santorum ran unsuccessfully for President of the United States in the 2012 Republican primaries, finishing second to Mitt Romney.

Rick Santorum was elected to the United States Senate from Pennsylvania in 1994.

Rick Santorum served two terms until losing his 2006 reelection bid.

Rick Santorum was a leading sponsor of the 2003 federal law known as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

Rick Santorum ran for the Republican nomination in the 2012 US presidential election.

Rick Santorum ran for president again in 2016, but ended his campaign in February 2016 after a poor showing in the Iowa caucuses.

Rick Santorum is the middle of the three children of Aldo Santorum, a clinical psychologist who immigrated to the United States at age seven from Riva, Trentino, Italy, and Catherine Santorum, an administrative nurse who was of Italian and Irish ancestry.

Rick Santorum grew up in Berkeley County, West Virginia, and Butler County, Pennsylvania.

Rick Santorum attended elementary school at Butler Catholic School and then went on to Butler Senior High School.

Rick Santorum was nicknamed "Rooster", supposedly for both a cowlick strand of hair and an assertive nature, particularly on important political issues.

In 1986, Rick Santorum received a JD degree with honors from Dickinson School of Law.

Rick Santorum first became actively involved in politics in the 1970s through volunteering for Senator John Heinz, a Republican from Pennsylvania.

Additionally, while in law school, Rick Santorum was an administrative assistant to Republican state senator Doyle Corman, serving as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Senate Local Government Committee from 1981 to 1984, then Executive Director of the Senate Transportation Committee.

Rick Santorum left his private law practice in 1990 after his election to the House of Representatives.

In 1990, at age 32, Rick Santorum was elected to the US House of Representatives to represent Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh.

In 1993, Rick Santorum was one of 17 House Republicans who sided with most Democrats to support legislation that prohibited employers from permanently replacing striking employees.

Rick Santorum joined a minority of Republicans to vote against the North American Free Trade Agreement that year.

Rick Santorum served in the United States Senate representing Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007.

In 1996, Rick 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.

Rick Santorum was an author and the floor manager of the bill.

In 1996, Rick Santorum endorsed moderate Republican Arlen Specter in his short-lived campaign for president.

In 2002, Rick Santorum was a co-sponsor of that year's attempt to pass the Workplace Religious Freedom Act.

Once signed on as a co-sponsor, Rick Santorum remained so throughout his tenure in the Senate.

Rick Santorum founded the Congressional Working Group on Religious Freedom in 2003.

Rick 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 the pseudoscience of intelligent design alongside evolution.

In 2002, Rick 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.

Rick 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.

Rick Santorum critics said he was backtracking from his earlier position because he was facing a tough reelection fight in 2006.

Rick 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.

In support of the bill, Rick Santorum criticized the National Weather Service in September 2005, saying its evacuation warnings for Hurricane Katrina were "insufficient".

Rick Santorum felt the War in Iraq was justified and in 2006 declared that weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq.

Rick Santorum made the declaration regarding WMDs based in part on declassified portions of the US Army Intelligence and Security Command.

Rick Santorum has said the war on terror can be won and is optimistic about US involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan in the long term.

In 2005, Rick Santorum sponsored the Iran Freedom and Support Act, which appropriated $10 million aimed at regime change in Iran.

Rick 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.

Rick 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.

Rick Santorum stated that Iran was the creator of Hezbollah and the driving force of Hamas.

Rick Santorum said Iran was at the center of "much of the world's conflict" but he was opposed to direct military action against the country in 2006.

Rick Santorum was one of only two senators who voted against confirming Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense.

Rick Santorum 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.

Rick Santorum became chairman of the Senate Republican Conference in 2000, the party's third-ranking leadership position in the Senate.

Rick Santorum was the youngest member of the Senate leadership and the first Pennsylvanian to hold such a prominent position since Senator Hugh Scott was Republican leader in the 1970s.

In January 2005, Rick Santorum announced his intention to run for Senate Republican Whip, the second-highest post in the Republican caucus after the 2006 election, saying he expected the incumbent whip, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, to run for Senate Republican leader to succeed Bill Frist of Tennessee, who was planning to retire.

In 2006, Rick Santorum sought reelection to a third Senate term.

Rick Santorum's seat was considered among the most vulnerable for Republicans and was a prime target of the Democratic Party in the 2006 elections.

For most of the campaign, Rick Santorum trailed Casey by 15 points or more in polls.

Reportedly, several of Rick Santorum's supporters had funded and petitioned for Romanelli to siphon away Democrats from Casey.

Rick Santorum was mired in controversy and spent much of his time on the campaign defending his past statements and positions.

Rick Santorum faced criticism from Casey and others for several statements in his 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.

Rick Santorum responded to the dispute saying that his children should not be implicated in the "politics of personal destruction".

Rick Santorum ran a television ad suggesting that Casey's supporters had been under investigation for various crimes.

Rick Santorum's campaign countered that those donations were not kept and had been donated to educational institutions.

Toward the end of his campaign, Rick Santorum shifted his theme to the threat of radical Islam.

In January 2007, Rick Santorum joined the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a DC-based conservative think tank, as director of its America's Enemies Program focusing on foreign threats to the United States, including Islamic fascism, Venezuela, North Korea and Russia.

Rick Santorum began writing an op-ed column, "The Elephant in the Room", for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rick Santorum earned $1.3 million in 2010 and the first half of 2011.

Rick Santorum earned $395,414 in corporate director's fees and stock options from Universal Health Services and $217,385 in income from the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

In January 2017, Rick Santorum became a CNN senior political commentator.

On February 1,2008, Rick Santorum said he would vote for Mitt Romney in the 2008 Republican presidential primary.

Rick Santorum criticized John McCain, questioning his anti-abortion voting record and conservative values.

Rick 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, Rick 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.

Rick Santorum was mentioned as a candidate for governor of Pennsylvania in 2010.

Rick Santorum decided to campaign after multiple conversations with his wife, who was not enthusiastic at first.

On January 15,2010, Rick Santorum sent an email and letter to supporters of his political action committee, saying, "I'm convinced that conservatives need a candidate who will not only stand up for our views, but who can articulate a conservative vision for our country's future".

Rick Santorum formed a presidential exploratory committee on April 13,2011.

Rick Santorum mentioned his grandfather's historical encounter with Italian fascism as an inspiration for his presidential campaign.

Rick Santorum surged in polls taken shortly after, ranking first in some and a close second in others.

Rick Santorum had won 11 state primaries and nearly 4 million votes, more than any other candidate except Romney.

Rick Santorum received a prime time speaking slot at the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Rick Santorum spoke of the American dream his immigrant grandfather worked to give his family and said Obama was turning the dream into a nightmare.

Rick Santorum talked about his experiences on the presidential campaign trail, speaking with emotion about his daughter Bella and meeting disabled people and their families.

Rick Santorum emphasized the importance of strengthening marriage and the family.

Rick Santorum condemned Obama's actions on the welfare reform law, of which he was one of the chief proponents in Congress, and his actions on education, including school choice and student loans.

In June 2012, Rick Santorum launched Patriot Voices, a 501 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.

Rick Santorum supported US Senate candidates Ted Cruz in Texas and Richard Mourdock in Indiana in their respective Republican primaries; both won.

In Iowa's 2012 retention elections Rick Santorum lent support to the "NO Wiggins" effort to oust Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins, who they say promulgated a personal political agenda in the court.

In June 2013, Rick Santorum became Chairman and CEO of EchoLight Studios, a Dallas-based Christian movie company.

Rick Santorum has produced the Christmas-themed movie The Christmas Candle and the religious liberty film One Generation Away.

Rick Santorum is a part owner of Plasma Technologies LLC.

In May 2021, Rick Santorum stated that America was founded by white Europeans and that prior to their arrival, America was populated by nothing more than a handful of primitive warring Native American tribes.

Rick Santorum was dropped from CNN over these remarks, with some responses referring to them as "classic white supremacist rhetoric" and being "dangerous manipulation".

Rick Santorum opposes both same-sex marriage and civil unions, saying the American public and their elected officials should decide on these "incredibly important moral issues" rather than the Supreme Court.

The website Savage set up for the campaign became one of the top search results for Rick Santorum's surname, creating a situation that commentators dubbed "Rick Santorum's Google problem".

Rick Santorum has characterized the campaign as a "type of vulgarity" spread on the Internet.

In September 2011, Rick Santorum unsuccessfully requested that Google remove the content from its search engine index.

In 2011, during his bid for the Republican nomination in the upcoming presidential election, Rick 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 gays and lesbians from open service in the United States Armed Forces and fielded a question from Stephen Snyder-Hill, a gay soldier then serving in Iraq, about the progress made by gay soldiers in the military.

The soldier was booed by some in the audience, and Rick Santorum said his administration would reinstate the ban on gay soldiers in the military.

Rick Santorum was roundly criticized for not supporting the soldier, and he later asserted he had not heard the booing from the stage.

In 2015, Rick 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.

Some people criticized Rick Santorum for continuing to use the male pronoun in reference to Jenner.

Rick 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 leave the issue to local authorities.

Rick Santorum now considers himself a devout Catholic and acknowledges his faith as the source of his politics and worldview.

Rick Santorum attends Mass almost daily and organized a Catholic study group for lawmakers while in Congress.

Rick Santorum proudly calls himself a culture warrior and true Christian conservative.

Rick Santorum has written for Catholic publications and frequently comments on political issues from a religious standpoint.

Rick Santorum has said he values faith over politics and considers politicians' faith significant.

Rick Santorum has said that "if the president says he's a Christian, he's a Christian" but has stated that Obama's agenda is based on a "phony theology", not the Bible.

Rick Santorum 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.

Rick Santorum has consistently held socially conservative views and has advocated "compassionate conservatism".

Rick Santorum has a more mixed record on fiscal issues.

Rick Santorum has been criticized for supporting costly federal programs in education and transportation and for using earmarks to fund Pennsylvania projects.

Rick Santorum says he regrets many of his votes for such programs and opposes earmarks.

Rick Santorum has specifically disavowed his 2003 support for the unfunded Medicare prescription drug benefit and his vote for the No Child Left Behind Act.

Rick Santorum considered himself pro-choice on abortion throughout his early life but adopted an anti-abortion position by 1990 when he ran for Congress.

Rick Santorum has become known for his staunch opposition to abortion.

In 1996, Rick Santorum led the unsuccessful attempt to override President Bill Clinton's veto of the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 1995, He sponsored a similar bill in 1999.

Rick Santorum has condemned the term "middle class" as "Marxism talk" used by liberals, maintaining that the United States has no social classes.

Rick Santorum has said he does not believe a "right to privacy" is part of the Constitution.

Rick Santorum has criticized the Supreme Court decision in Griswold v Connecticut, which held that the Constitution guaranteed that right and overturned a law prohibiting the sale of contraceptives to married couples.

In critiquing Griswold, Rick Santorum emphasized that he did not support laws banning contraceptives.

Rick Santorum has voted in favor of increasing penalties for drug trafficking and possession and for increased spending on drug control.

Rick Santorum rejects the overwhelming scientific consensus on climate change, which states that global warming is harmful and primarily human-caused, calling it "junk science".

Rick Santorum has stated a policy of "drill everywhere" for oil and that there is "enough oil, coal and natural gas to last for centuries".

Rick Santorum's comments were met with a significant backlash in the Netherlands and were heavily criticized worldwide.

Rick Santorum, who received nearly $116,000 from the gun lobby from 1990 to 2017, has consistently supported gun rights.

Rick Santorum is a defender of gun manufacturers, and voted for the 2005 Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which prevents civil suits from being brought against gun manufacturers for criminal acts perpetrated with their weapons.

In 2006, Rick Santorum opposed the Senate's immigration reform proposal, saying the US should simply act to enforce currently existing laws.

Rick Santorum has openly stated his opposition to amnesty for illegal immigrants.

Rick Santorum believes that illegal immigrants should be deported immediately when they commit crimes and that undocumented immigrants should not receive benefits from the government.

Rick Santorum believes English should be established as the national language in the United States.

Rick Santorum cites his own family's history as proof of how to immigrate "the right way".

At the 2015 Iowa Freedom Summit, Rick Santorum said the volume of legal immigration into the United States is too high, and stated that the number of immigrants lawfully entering the country was "affecting American workers" by taking jobs and lowering wages.

Rick Santorum claimed that all "net new jobs" created in the United States economy since 2000 have gone to immigrants.

Rick Santorum supported increased funding for Social Services Block Grants and organizations like Healthy Start and the Children's Aid Society, and financing community health centers.

Karen wrote that she and Rick Santorum slept with Gabriel's body between them in the hospital that night and brought his body home the following day so that their other children could see him.

Rick Santorum traveled, in 2002, to Rome to speak at a centenary celebration of the birth of Saint Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.

In 1997, Rick Santorum purchased a three-bedroom house in the Pittsburgh suburb of Penn Hills.

Rick Santorum has written four books: It Takes a Family: Conservatism and the Common Good ; American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom ; Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works ; and Bella's Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation.

Rick Santorum criticizes alike laissez-faire conservatives and liberal proponents of social welfare for promoting a radical view of autonomy.

Rick Santorum 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.

Rick Santorum tackles education, saying the current system of government-run schools is a "relic of the late 19th century" and that children should not be pressured into going to college when a job or vocational training would be a better option.

In January 2015, Rick 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.