Rick Santorum | |
---|---|
Chair of the Senate Republican Conference | |
In office January 3, 2001 – January 3, 2007 | |
Leader | Trent Lott Bill Frist |
Preceded by | Connie Mack III |
Succeeded by | Jon Kyl |
United States Senator from Pennsylvania | |
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2007 | |
Preceded by | Harris Wofford |
Succeeded by | Bob Casey Jr. |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania's 18th district | |
In office January 3, 1991 – January 3, 1995 | |
Preceded by | Doug Walgren |
Succeeded by | Mike Doyle |
Personal details | |
Born | Richard John Santorum May 10, 1958 Winchester, Virginia, U.S. |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse(s) | Karen Garver (m. 1990) |
Children | 8 |
Education | Pennsylvania State University, University Park (BA) University of Pittsburgh (MBA) Dickinson School of Law (JD) |
Signature | |
Website | Official website |
Richard John "Rick" Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. He served as the United States senator of Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007. He ran for President of the United States in 2012 and in 2016.
Santorum was born in Winchester, Virginia. He is of Italian American descent.[1][2][3] He was raised in West Virginia, Butler, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. He went to college and to law school at Penn State University. Soon after, he became a lawyer in Pittsburgh.
Santorum served in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. With the 1994 elections that elected many Republicans, he was elected to the United States Senate. He served in the Senate for two terms, from 1995 to 2007. In the Senate, Santorum was known for having very conservative views about abortion and gay marriage.[4] Santorum lost in the 2006 election for a third term as a Senator to State Treasurer Bob Casey, Jr and C. Richard Semple II. After being in the Senate, he worked in a think tank and for Fox News.
In 2011 and 2012, Santorum ran for President of the United States in the Republican primaries. He based his campaign on social issues. He dropped out of the race in 2012. Today, Santorum writes a political column for the conservative news website World Net Daily.
See the main article: Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2016 |
Santorum announced his candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on May 27, 2015.[5] He dropped out of the race on February 3, 2016 after poor polling numbers and loosing the Iowa caucuses.[6] He later announced his endorsement for Marco Rubio.[7]
Santorum married Karen Garver in 1990. Together, they have seven children.