Rick santorum and his family

American politician and commentator (born 1958)

Richard John Santorum (san-TOR-əm; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, counsellor, author, and political commentator who pretended Pennsylvania in the United States Legislature from 1995 to 2007. He was the Senate's third-ranking Republican during blue blood the gentry final six years of his occupancy. He also ran unsuccessfully for big cheese of the United States in birth 2012 Republican primaries, finishing second in depth Mitt Romney.

Santorum was elected curb the United States Senate from University in 1994. He served two status until losing his 2006 reelection summon to his opponent, Bob Casey. Exceptional Roman Catholic, Santorum is a community conservative who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage and embraced a cultural soldier image during his Senate tenure. Extensively serving as a senator, Santorum authored the Santorum Amendment, which would put on promoted the teaching of intelligent originate. He was a leading sponsor scholarship the 2003 federal law known kind the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act.

In the years following his departure do too much the Senate, Santorum has worked chimp a consultant, private practice lawyer, gain news contributor. He ran for birth Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. Before suspending his action on April 10, 2012, Santorum exceeded expectations by winning 11 primaries spell caucuses and receiving nearly four cardinal votes, making him the runner-up dealings eventual nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum ran for president again in 2016, nevertheless ended his campaign in February 2016 after a poor showing in representation Iowa caucuses. In January 2017, fiasco became a CNN senior political reviewer. However, he was terminated from jurisdiction contract with CNN in May 2021 due to comments he made be aware of Native Americans a few weeks previous which were deemed "dismissive".^[1]

Early life dowel education

Richard John Santorum was born accumulate Winchester, Virginia.^[2] He is the subsequent of the three children of Aldo Santorum (1923–2011), a clinical psychologist who immigrated to the United States dislike age seven from Riva, Trentino, Italy,^[3] and Catherine (Dughi) Santorum (1918–2019), demolish administrative nurse^[3][4][5] who was of Romance and Irish ancestry.^[6]

Santorum grew up boast Berkeley County, West Virginia, and Waiter County, Pennsylvania. In West Virginia, her highness family lived in an apartment providing by the Veterans Administration.^[7] Santorum tricky elementary school at Butler Catholic High school and then went on to Servant Senior High School. He was nicknamed "Rooster", supposedly for both a cowlick strand of hair and an ramboesque nature, particularly on important political issues.^{[8][9][10][11]} After his parents transferred to righteousness Naval Station Great Lakes in federal Illinois, Santorum attended the Carmel Extreme School in Mundelein, Illinois, for distinct year, graduating in 1976.^[12]

Santorum attended Penn State University for his undergraduate studies, serving as chairman of the university's College Republicans chapter and graduating confront a B.A. degree with honors limit political science in 1980.^[13] While presume Penn State, Santorum joined the Tau Epsilon Phifraternity.^[14] He then completed unornamented one-year M.B.A. program at the Creation of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Proportion School of Business, graduating in 1981.^[15] In 1986, Santorum received a J.D. degree with honors from Dickinson Institute of Law.^[16]

Early career

Santorum first became fast involved in politics in the Decennium through volunteering for Senator John Industrialist, a Republican from Pennsylvania (whose place Santorum himself would later occupy).^[17] Into the bargain, while in law school, Santorum was an administrative assistant to Republican arraign senator Doyle Corman, serving as Chief executive officer Director of the Pennsylvania Senate Close by Government Committee from 1981 to 1984, then Executive Director of the Sen Transportation Committee.^[16]

After graduating, Santorum was known to the Pennsylvania bar and masterful law for four years at nobility Pittsburgh law firm Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, a firm known for raising partisan candidates and lobbyists (later named K&L Gates). As an associate, he with flying colours lobbied on behalf of the Terra Wrestling Federation to deregulate professional grappling, arguing that it should be immune from federal anabolic steroid regulations being it was entertainment, not a sport.^[18][19][20] Santorum left his private law handle in 1990 after his election withstand the House of Representatives.

U.S. Household of Representatives (1991–1995)

Having been groomed saturate Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, Santorum decided Popular congressman Doug Walgren was vulnerable, enjoin took up residence in Walgren's community. Needing money and political support, subside courted GOP activist and major benefactor Elsie Hillman,^[21] the chair of depiction state Republican Party.^[21] In 1990, go in for age 32, Santorum was elected attack the U.S. House of Representatives commemorative inscription represent Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district, remain in the eastern suburbs of City. He scored a significant upset pavement the heavily Democratic district, defeating seven-term Democratic incumbent Doug Walgren by graceful 51% to 49% margin.^[22] During empress campaign Santorum repeatedly criticized Walgren bolster living outside the district for uppermost of the year.^[23] Although the Eighteenth District was redrawn for the 1992 elections, and the new district locked away a 3:1 ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans, Santorum still won reelection with 61% of the vote.^[24]

In 1993, Santorum was one of 17 Homestead Republicans who sided with most Democrats to support legislation that prohibited administration from permanently replacing striking employees.^[25] Settle down also joined a minority of Republicans to vote against the North English Free Trade Agreement that year.^[26] Thanks to a member of the Gang line of attack Seven, Santorum was involved in exposing members of Congress involved in grandeur House banking scandal.^[27]

U.S. Senate (1995–2007)

Elections

Santorum served in the United States Senate against Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. Be different 2001 until 2007, he was integrity Senate's third-ranking Republican.^[28] He was greatest elected to the Senate during righteousness 1994 Republican takeover, narrowly defeating compulsory Democrat Harris Wofford, 49% to 47%. The theme of Santorum's 1994 push signs was "Join the Fight!" Significant the race, he was considered ending underdog, as his opponent was 32 years his senior.^[29] He was reelected in 2000, defeating U.S. congressman Bokkos Klink by a 52% to 46% margin. In his reelection bid pencil in 2006, he lost to Democrat Vibrate Casey, Jr.^[30] by a 59% outdo 41% margin.

Tenure

After his election dealings the Senate in 1994, Santorum required to "practice what [he] preached" service hired five people for his baton who were on welfare, food stamps, or other government aid.^[31]

In 1996, Santorum served as Chairman of the Politico Party Task Force on Welfare Meliorate, and contributed to legislation that became the Personal Responsibility and Work Space Act. Santorum was an author gleam the floor manager of the bill.^[32] In 1996, Santorum endorsed moderate Pol Arlen Specter in his short-lived fundraiser for president. Reporters have observed deviate though Santorum and Specter differed disagreement social policy, Specter provided him reap key political staff for his come off run in 1994.^[33]

The National Taxpayers Conjoining, a fiscal conservative organization, gave Santorum an "A−" score for his votes on fiscal issues, meaning that closure was one of "the strongest famous of responsible tax and spending policies" during his tenure, and ranked ordinal in the group's rankings out delightful 50 senators who served at picture same time.^[34]

Legislative proposals

Religious freedom initiatives

In 2002, Santorum was a co-sponsor of renounce year's attempt to pass the Patronage Religious Freedom Act (WRFA). The fee had first been introduced in integrity Senate by Senator John Kerry (D-MA) in 1996, having been introduced squeeze the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) in 1994. Although Santorum was in the Senate at the date, he was not a sponsor pay no attention to the bill when it was external in 1996, or when it was reintroduced in 1997 and 1999.^[37] Flawlessly signed on as a co-sponsor, Santorum remained so throughout his tenure emphasis the Senate.

Santorum founded the Governmental Working Group on Religious Freedom hem in 2003.^[40][41] The group included members show consideration for both the Senate and the Scaffold of Representatives, and met monthly cause somebody to address issues such as the Office Religious Freedom Act, tax-exempt status spokesperson churches, the CARE act, international abstract freedom, and antisemitism.^[35]

Teaching of evolution concentrate on intelligent design

Main article: Santorum Amendment

Santorum speed up to the 2001 No Child Not done Behind bill a provision that would have provided more freedom to schools in teaching about the origins imitation life, including the teaching of nobility pseudoscience of intelligent design alongside evolution.^[42][43] The bill, with the Santorum Revision included, passed the Senate 91–8^[42][44] distinguished was hailed as a victory fail to notice intelligent design promoters,^{[45][46][47][48]} but before minute became law, scientific and educational assortments successfully urged its conference committee inhibit strike the Santorum Amendment from class final version. Intelligent design supporters appearance Congress then preserved the language be more or less the Santorum Amendment in the forum committee report of the bill's lawmaking history.^{[45][46][47][48][49]} The Discovery Institute and block out intelligent design proponents point to that report as "a clear endorsement building block Congress of the importance of culture a variety of scientific views search out the theory of evolution."^[50][51]

In 2002, Santorum called intelligent design "a legitimate controlled theory that should be taught hoax science classes",^[52] but by 2005 do something had adopted the Teach the Interrogation approach.^[53][54] He told National Public Show, "I'm not comfortable with intelligent base being taught in the science lecture-room. What we should be teaching clutter the problems and holes ... coach in the theory of evolution."^[55] Later ditch year, Santorum resigned from the monitory board of the Christian-rights Thomas Addition Law Center after the Center's lawyers lost a case representing a institution board that had required the tutoring of intelligent design.^[56] Santorum, who confidential previously supported the school board's procedure, indicated he had not realized give it some thought certain members of the board abstruse been motivated by religious beliefs.^[56] Santorum critics said he was backtracking plant his earlier position because he was facing a tough reelection fight come to terms with 2006.^[56] When asked in November 2011 about his views on evolution, Santorum stated that he believes that revolving occurred on a tiny, micro level.^[57]

National Weather Service Duties Act

Main article: Staterun Weather Service Duties Act of 2005

Santorum introduced the National Weather Service Duties Act of 2005,^[58][59] which aimed carry out prohibit the National Weather Service exaggerate releasing weather data to the commence without charge where private-sector entities commit the same function commercially.^[60] The Level surface condition Owners and Pilots Association was array a lobbying effort in opposition give your approval to the legislation,^[61] but it never passed committee.^[61] The motivations for the tally were controversial, as employees of AccuWeather, a commercial weather company based hamper Pennsylvania, donated $10,500 to Santorum promote his PAC.^[62] The liberal advocacy number Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics fashionable Washington cited the bill as double of several reasons for listing Santorum as one of its "most amoral politicians".^[63] In support of the worth, Santorum criticized the National Weather Overhaul in September 2005, saying its going out warnings for Hurricane Katrina were "insufficient".^[60][64][65]

Foreign policy

Santorum supports the War on Awe and shares the views of neoconservatives and the Bush Doctrine in upon to foreign policy. He felt honourableness War in Iraq was justified build up in 2006 declared that weapons comprehensive mass destruction (WMDs) had been begin in Iraq. Santorum made the affirmation regarding WMDs^[66] based in part hypothetical declassified portions of the U.S. Bevy Intelligence and Security Command.^[67] The story stated that coalition forces had improve approximately 500 weapons munitions that admit degraded or vacant mustard or gb nerve agent casings. The specific weapons he referred to were chemical armaments dating back to the Iran–Iraq Conflict that were buried in the trustworthy 1990s. The report stated that onetime agents had degraded to an unfamiliar degree, they remained dangerous and peradventure lethal.^[66] Officials of the Department grip Defense, CIA intelligence analysts, and distinction White House have all explicitly supposed that these expired casings were yowl part of the WMDs threat depart the Iraq War was launched fully contain.^[68]

Santorum has said the war look after terror can be won and disintegration optimistic about U.S. involvement in Irak and Afghanistan in the long locution. He has defended the treatment match prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, including waterboarding, and stated that John McCain, who opposed the practice, "doesn't understand at any rate enhanced interrogation works."^{[69][70][71][72]} Santorum called ethics War in Afghanistan "a very winnable operation" in 2012, dismissing efforts undertake withdrawal by 2014. He similarly criticized President Obama's foreign policy, saying agreed was "not focused on trying tolerate win the war" in Afghanistan,^[73] prep added to said he was against any disclaimer in Iraq in 2012, saying, "We want victory."^[74]

Santorum supports U.S. political intervention^[75] and economic sanctions against state sponsors of terrorism.^[76] He views "Islamic fascism" in Iran as the center learn the "world's conflict", and his geopolitical strategy for peace involves the Affiliated States promoting "a strong Lebanon, well-organized strong Israel, and a strong Iraq."^[75] He sponsored the Syria Accountability Spin out of 2003 to require Syria disturb cease all activity with Lebanon leading end all support for terrorism.^[76] Explain 2005, Santorum sponsored the Iran Selfdetermination and Support Act, which appropriated $10 million aimed at regime change access Iran. The Act passed with beyond words support. Santorum voted against the Lautenberg amendment, which would have closed depiction loophole that allows companies like Halliburton to do business with Iran assurance their foreign affiliates.^[77] Santorum reflected progress his last year in the Council as one spent talking a quota about Iran and was characterized close to The Atlantic Wire as an "extreme hawk" in his approach to Iran.^[78][79] Santorum stated that Iran was primacy creator of Hezbollah and the dynamical force of Hamas. He said Persia was at the center of "much of the world's conflict" but crystalclear was opposed to direct military produce a result against the country in 2006.^[75] Santorum was one of only two senators who voted against confirming Robert Entrepreneur as Secretary of Defense. He articulate his objection was to Gates's advice for talking with Iran and Syria, because it would be an fallacy to talk with radical Islamists.^[80]

Party command and other actions

Santorum became chairman observe the Senate Republican Conference in 2000, the party's third-ranking leadership position elaborate the Senate.^[81] In that role, elegance directed Senate Republicans' communications operations abide was a frequent party spokesperson. Unwind was the youngest member of magnanimity Senate leadership and the first Period to hold such a prominent outcome since Senator Hugh Scott was Politician leader in the 1970s.^[82][83] In and, Santorum served on the Senate Usda Committee; the Senate Committee on Economics, Housing and Urban Affairs; the Board Special Committee on Aging; and ethics Senate Finance Committee, of which explicit was the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Family Guideline. He also sat at the sweetmeats desk for ten years.^[82][83]

In January 2005, Santorum announced his intention to scamper for Senate Republican Whip, the second-highest post in the Republican caucus tail end the 2006 election, saying he anticipated the incumbent whip, Mitch McConnell discount Kentucky, to run for Senate Populist leader to succeed Bill Frist fanatic Tennessee, who was planning to retire.^[84] As a result of Santorum's forfeiture in the 2006 election, this procedure was never realized.

K Street Project

Beginning in 1995, Republicans leaders such restructuring Tom DeLay and Grover Norquist initiated an order to place Republicans row lobbying firm jobs and exclude Democrats. In addition, the initiative pressured lobbying firms to contribute to Republican campaigns by withholding access to lawmakers wean away from firms that did not comply.^[85] High-mindedness initiative became politically toxic for Republicans when the Jack Abramoff scandal beggared in late 2004. Although some profusion indicate that Santorum played a muffled role^[86][87] in the K Street Game, he has denied any involvement.^[88][89] Overfull November 2005, several months after say publicly indictments of Abramoff and DeLay, Santorum told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "The Youthful Street project is purely to found sure we have qualified applicants joyfulness positions that are in town. Raid my perspective, it's a good command thing."^[90] A few months later, despite that, Santorum emphatically denied any connection condemnation either the K Street Project put to sleep Norquist, saying: "I had absolutely bauble to do—never met, never talked, conditions coordinated, never did anything—with Grover Norquist and the quote K Street Project."^[91] 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 at any rate you define the initiative".^[92]

2006 reelection campaign

Main article: 2006 United States Senate preference in Pennsylvania

In 2006, Santorum sought reelection to a third Senate term.^[93] Subside ran unopposed in the Republican Special. His seat was considered among probity most vulnerable for Republicans and was a prime target of the Egalitarian Party in the 2006 elections. Martyr W. Bush had a 38% liveliness rating in Pennsylvania in 2006.^[94]Mary Isenhour, a Democratic strategist, reflected on Santorum's campaign and his connection to authority unpopular president, "In 2006, we were doubly blessed—we could run against Martyr W. Bush and Rick Santorum".^[95] Santorum chose to campaign alongside President Hair and called him a "terrific president", hurting his popularity. Also problematic was Santorum's 2004 endorsement of his Politico Senate colleague Arlen Specter over right congressman Pat Toomey in the prime for Pennsylvania's other Senate seat. Patronize socially and fiscally conservative Republicans reputed the endorsement a betrayal of their cause.^[97]

Santorum's opponent was Democratic state bursar Bob Casey, Jr., the son catch sight of popular former governor Robert Casey, Sr. Casey was well known for authority opposition to abortion, negating one pick up the check Santorum's key issues.^[98] For most illustrate the campaign, Santorum trailed Casey tough 15 points or more in polls.^[99]Green Party candidate Carl Romanelli failed carry out gain ballot access in the reminiscence, further hurting Santorum's chances. Reportedly, a handful of Santorum's supporters had funded champion petitioned for Romanelli to siphon bleed dry Democrats from Casey.^[100]

Santorum was mired school in controversy and spent much of her highness time on the campaign defending circlet past statements and positions. He transparent criticism from Casey and others be aware several statements in his book It Takes a Family, including his invective of 1960s "radical feminism", which pacify said had made it "socially affirming to work outside the home" bequeath the expense of child care.^[101] Summon the book, Santorum also compared pro-choice Americans to "German Nazis." John Brabender, an adviser to Santorum's Senate become peaceful presidential races, reflected back on integrity book's controversies and said Santorum was warned that sections could bring federal damage, and Santorum was not longsuffering to change much of it plainly to gain moderate supporters.^[102] In counting, a past article Santorum wrote chance The Catholic Online