The 2016 presidential campaign of

Rick Santorum Richard John Santorum ( ; born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third ...

, former

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, was formally announced at a rally in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...

on May 27, 2015. His campaign for the Republican nomination for

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

was his second bid for the office, after having been a candidate in 2012, where he received the second most delegates after 2012 nominee Mitt Romney. Santorum suspended his campaign on February 3, 2016, and endorsed Marco Rubio.

Background

2012 election

Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election. He announced his campaign on '' Good Morning America'' on June 6, 2011. He won 11 contests and received 4 million votes, putting him in second place to nominee Mitt Romney. Facing a tough challenge by Romney, lagging poll numbers and the poor health of his daughter, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on April 10, 2012.

2016 campaign

Santorum has been considered a potential presidential candidate in the 2016 election since at least the suspension of his 2012 campaign. A ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'' article about Santorum's 2012 campaign suspension mentioned that his strong second-place showing in that election would bolster any effort to get the nomination in 2016 or 2020. During an interview with

Greta Van Susteren Greta Conway Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator, lawyer, and television news anchor for Newsmax TV. She was previously on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. She hosted Fox News's ''On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren'' for 14 ...

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

on May 6, 2015, Santorum commented that he was the underdog in the 2012 election and that he would likely be the underdog again in the 2016 election, saying "We're very comfortable there." However, eight months in, Santorum failed to get his campaign going, with polling numbers dropping, and staying, below 1.0%. After a poor showing in the

Iowa Caucuses The Iowa caucuses are biennial electoral events for members of the Democratic and Republican parties in the U.S. state of Iowa. Unlike primary elections in most other U.S. states, where registered voters go to polling places to cast ballot ...

, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on February 3, 2016, giving his endorsement to Marco Rubio. During an April 25, 2017 question and answer session, however, Santorum commented that Rubio and Cruz would have been inferior to Trump as party nominees.

Endorsements

;U.S. Representatives (current) * Pennsylvania:

Lou Barletta Louis John Barletta (born January 28, 1956) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2010. ...

;State legislators ;Businesspeople *

Foster Friess Foster Stephen Friess (April 2, 1940 – May 27, 2021) was an American investment manager and prominent donor to the Republican Party and to Christian right causes. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor of Wyoming in ...

(investor)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rick Santorum presidential campaign, 2016 Presidential campaign, 2016 Santorum