Our Guide To The Best Coverage On Rick Santorum And His Record

The Basics

Rick Santorum's strong showing in the Iowa caucuses has vaulted him from obscurity to presidential contender. Just a few months ago, Santorum barely merited a mention as Republican voters fell in and out of love with Rick Perry, Herman Cain and New Gingrich.
So who is this darling of the evangelical movement?

Santorum, 53, is devout, hawkish, competitive and polarizing. Social conservatives praise him for his hardline positions. He opposes abortion, even in cases of rape and incest, believes gays should not be allowed to marry, and has said he would bomb Iran's nuclear sites if they are not opened to international inspection. Evangelicals applaud the prominence he gives to his faith. Liberals decry him for many of the same reasons.

Santorum's path along the campaign trail has been unusual by standards of modern politics. A recent New York Times profile of the candidate noted that his Iowa operation lacked a campaign headquarters, a speechwriter, advance team or advertising budget. The Times said Santorum set out to win the "old-fashioned way, through shoe-leather politicking." That involved lots of moving around. In the months leading up to the Iowa caucus, he visited all 99 counties in Iowa, often traveling by himself or with a single press aide.

The Background

If you want more than his official stance on the issues, you can take a look at NPR's recently listed the Five Things You May Not Know About Rick Santorum, including the fact that he jokes about spending his childhood in public housing, has spoken against programs that would pay for community service, and has two nieces.

A long Des Moines Register profile describes Santorum's journey from an ambitious young staffer and law student to 32-year-old U.S. representative of Pennsylvania and, four years later, senator. Here's a timeline of some key events in his life and more on his voting history. He helped author a landmark welfare reform act that gave states more responsibility for administering welfare and put time limits on how long a person could receive assistance. The bill passed with bipartisan support. Santorum was one of the Gang of Seven, a group of freshman Republicans that exposed several congressional scandals. He was elected to the Senate in 1994 and served two terms before losing by 18 points to Democrat Bob Casey in 2006. Since then he has worked as a lawyer and as a commentator on Fox News, a gig that ended when it became clear he was running for president.

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