U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum is accompanied by his wife Karen (L) and his daughter Elizabeth (R) as he addresses supporters at his Michigan primary night rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 28, 2012. (Photo: REUTERS/John Gress)
Rick Santorum, the second place finisher in the 2012 nomination, will announce his plans to run for president on May 27 in his hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania. The former senator made the announcement while speaking to Greta Van Susteren during an appearance “On The Record” Wednesday.
Santorum ran an underdog, come-from-behind campaign against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012, effectively painting himself as the conservative alternative to a moderate Northeastern liberal. In truth, he was shafted when the Iowa Republican Party failed to call the contest correctly on Election Day, blunting the very-much needed momentum that comes from winning the first-in-the-nation caucus.
However, competition will be much stiffer this cycle, as Santorum joins a growing GOP field that already includes Sens. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Historically, finishing second in the Republican primary for president puts a candidate in line to hold frontrunner status the following cycle. But this is not the historical Republican Party, and Santorum has already lost a significant donor in the form of a wealthy Arkansas family, who jumped ship for Huckabee.
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, the parents of the reality TV clan from “19 Kids and Counting,” endorsed Huckabee for president after supporting Santorum financially and vocally in the last presidential election.
Santorum acknowledged his underdog status again this cycle, saying “we are quite comfortable there.” He said the campaign will emphasize “Blue Collar Conservatism,” the philosophy that also serves as the title of his book. It promotes the rebuilding of the American manufacturing sector, which has all but been dismantled over the last six years. He said we need to make the sector and the nation more competitive on the global scale through tax reform, but also focus on solutions to rebuild the most important institution in America — the family.
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And the conservative vote is spread even thinner. We, PPD, are more bullish on Jeb Bush, who just raised over $100 million, than ever before.