Rick Santorum

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.

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 (1958-05-10) May 10, 1958 (age 67) 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

Early life

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.

U.S. senate (1995-2007)

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.

2012 presidential campaign

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.

2016 presidential campaign

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]

Personal life

Santorum married Karen Garver in 1990. Together, they have seven children.