Video: Santorum Positions Himself As a "True Conservative"

Speaking to supporters at the Derryfield Country Club in Manchester late on Tuesday, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum positioned himself as a "true conservative" who can take on President Barack Obama in November.

"We have an opportunity to be the true conservative--a true conservative who can go out and do what's necessary not just to win this race. we can win this race," he said. "We need a conservative who understands that at the foundation of our country are institutions that are crucial for us to be a successful nation--families, families that are bounded together as the foundation, that instill virtue and faith in our children, to build strong communities and to build a great nation from the bottom up."

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney easily won the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary with 39 percent of the vote. Santorum came in a distant fifth with nine percent, but he assured supporters that his campaign would continue onto South Carolina.

The social conservative faced increased scrutiny in the days leading up to the primary over his strong opposition to marriage for same-sex couples. A group of Occupy protesters labeled him a "bigot" as he, his wife and two of his children left a downtown Manchester campaign rally on Jan. 9. A woman asked Santorum at a Salem town hall earlier the same day whether his positions make him an electable candidate.

Joyce Haas, vice chair of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania, said Santorum's statements have "been misunderstood" at the very least. She went so far to say that the social conservative would actually support civil unions for same-sex couples.

“I haven’t heard him say it in exactly those terms, but he does believe that for instance, every insurance, going into hospitals, inheritance rights," said Haas. "He supports those civil union type rights. The only thing that’s different is the 3,000 year institution of marriage being one man and one woman.”

Postcards from the First-in-the-Nation Primary State

Here are a few snapshots from the first-in-the-primary state.

I will continue post more pictures from New Hampshire over the next couple of days.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich supporters gather outside the Dana Center at St. Anselm's College in Manchester on Jan. 7 ahead of the Republican presidential debate.

Occupy protesters also made their presence known outside the debate.

A Fred Karger for president sign in front of the Radisson Hotel in downtown Manchester on Jan. 8.

Some political theater in Veteran's Park in downtown Manchester on Jan. 8.

The Associated Press' press room adjacent to the Radisson Hotel.

Campaign signs along Granite Street in downtown Manchester on Jan. 8.

"Morning Joe" broadcasting live from JD's Tavern at the Radisson Hotel on Jan. 9.

The famous Red Arrow Diner on Lowell Street in Manchester.

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at a town hall at the Derry-Salem Elks Club in Salem on Jan. 9.

Arriving at the GOProud breakfast reception at the Radisson Hotel on Jan. 9.

Poll: Romney Remains N.H. Frontrunner

A new poll from WMUR and the University of New Hampshire indicates that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney remains the clear frontrunner, but a third of likely Republican primary voters remain undecided.

Forty-four percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Romney, up from 39 percent two weeks ago. Texas Congressman Ron Paul came in second place with 20 percent, while eight percent of likely GOP primary voters said they would vote for either former House Speaker Newt Gingrich or former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Santorum, who has come under fire for his opposition to marriage for same-sex couples, has seen his support increase by five percentage points since he nearly won the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3. Gingrich's support, however, has dropped by nine percentage points over the last two weeks.

The UNH Survey Center surveyed 631 likely Republican primary voters between Jan. 2-5.

Santorum Once Again Booed in N.H. for Opposition to Marriage Equality

In the second time in two days, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum has found out that New Hampshire voters are not afraid to go there with him on his opposition to marriage for same-sex couples.



A group of college students challenged Santorum at New England College in Henniker on Thursday after he defended his opposition to marriage equality in a town hall.

Only eight percent of New Hampshire Republicans who responded to a WHDH/Suffolk University poll said they would vote for Santorum in the Jan. 10 primary, compared to 41 percent who said they support former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Santorum needs far more than adamant opposition to marriage equality to court libertarian-minded Granite Staters.

Students Challenge Santorum on Opposition to Marriage Equality

He certainly had it coming!

A group of students repeatedly challenged former Pennsylvnia Sen. Rick Santorum on his opposition to marriage for same-sex couples during a town hall at New England College in Henniker, N.H., on Jan. 5.



Only eight percent of likely Republican primary voters said they would vote for Santorum in a WHDH/Suffolk University poll that was published earlier in the day. Forty-one percent of respondents said they would vote for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Romney Ekes Out Narrow Victory Over Santorum in Iowa Caucuses

What a nail biter!

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney eked out an eight-vote victory over former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum in the Iowa Republican caucuses.

Santorum and Romney were tied throughout the night, and Iowa Republican Chair Matt Strawn only announced the results in the wee hours. Texas Congressman Ron Paul came in third with 21 percent of the vote. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich came in fourth; while Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman rounded out the pack.

Is Santorum About to Become Iowa’s Comeback Kid?

Will former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum become Iowa’s comeback kid?

Santorum came in third in the Des Moines Register’s latest poll with 15 percent of likely Republican Iowa caucusgoers saying they will vote for him. The Family Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats’ pre-Christmas endorsement certainly bolstered Santorum’s then-overlooked campaign. Will it be enough for him to gain enough traction to move beyond the Hawkeye State on Jan. 3?

A CNN/Time-ORC poll conducted between Nov. 29 and Dec. 6 found only two percent of likely Republican and Independent New Hampshire voters said they would vote for Santorum in the primary. His socially conservative message against marriage equality, the end of the Pentagon’s ban on openly gay and lesbian servicemembers, abortion and other issues will resonate far less with New Hampshire voters than their Iowa counterparts.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the economy will continue to dominate this year’s election cycle. Will Santorum determine otherwise (at least for a little while?)

Iowa caucusgoers will have their say tomorrow.

Candidates Prepare for Final Push in N.H.

Downtown Manchester was largely quiet on this post-Christmas Monday, but Republican presidential candidates’ staffers and volunteers were hard at work 15 days before the first-in-the-nation GOP primary.

Two volunteers with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s campaign stressed that presidential candidates should stay out of the ongoing debate over a bill that would repeal the state’s marriage equality law. A vote on the proposal could potentially coincide with the Jan. 10 primary, but a University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll in October found that 62 percent of likely voters oppose efforts to repeal the law that took effect in Jan. 2010.

Less than a mile south on Elm Street, staffers and volunteers were busy in former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign office. (An ad that features Romney talking about fiscal responsibility and another from Texas Congressman Ron Paul that specifically attacks the former Massachusetts governor, President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi just aired on WMUR. Another spot touted former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman as a “true conservative” compared to Gingrich and Romney. A fourth ad that features three Republicans and one Democrat who oppose the marriage equality repeal bill also ran towards the end of WMUR's 6 p.m. newscast.)

Less than two miles away, volunteers with former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman were busy bringing signs and other supplies into the campaign’s Elm Street office. Signs for former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and Texas Gov. Rick Perry also lined the street. Others for Paul greeted drivers at the intersection of Queen City Avenue and South Willow Street.

Hordes of shoppers who descended upon the Mall of New Hampshire seemed oblivious to the upcoming vote.

On Elm Street.

Outside the Romney campaign's New Hampshire headquarters on Elm Street.

Gingrich touts his "21st Century Contract with America" in downtown Manchester.

Huntsman's campaign headquarters on Elm Street.

Santorum: I Condemn the People Who Booed That Gay Soldier

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum told Fox News' Megyn Kelly earlier on Friday, Sept. 23, that he "condemns" those who booed the gay soldier who asked about the repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' during last night's Republican presidential debate.

LGBT and pro-DADT repeal activists immediately blasted Santorum after he said he would reinstate the Clinton-era policy if elected president.

“No service member defending our freedoms in Iraq should be booed for expressing his or her views as an individual," said Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network. "I regret that this brave patriot was not defended last night in Orlando and that no candidate spoke up to say ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ repeal has been settled by Congress and our nation’s senior military leaders – and is supported by more than eighty percent of the American people.

Santorum: Reinstate 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum said during the Republican presidential debate in Orlando, Fla., earlier on Thursday, Sept. 22, that he would reinstate the ban on openly gay and lesbian servicmembers if elected president.

"What we're doing is playing social experimentation with our military right now, and it's tragic," said Santorum in response to a question from Stephen Hill, a gay soldier stationed in Iraq.

GOProud urged Santorum to apologize to Hill in a statement it released shortly after the debate ended.

“That brave gay soldier is doing something Rick Santorum has never done – put his life on the line to defend our freedoms and our way of life," said the conservative gay organization. "It is telling that Rick Santorum is so blinded by his anti-gay bigotry that he couldn’t even bring himself to thank that gay soldier for his service."

R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans, also blasted Santorum.

"Santorum's shameful response to the combat soldier's question regarding open service was incoherent and out of touch. America's uniformed leaders support gays and lesbians serving alongside their colleagues with dignity and respect. Santorum's divisive and homophobic remarks do not befit a commander-in-chief." said the Iraq combat veteran who is currently an Army Reserve officer. "Americans want to hear about how our next President is going to cut our national debt, advocate for a confident foreign policy and most importantly help let the private sector thrive to create jobs."

Change.org has also launched a petition that urges Santorum to "immediately apologize" to Hill and "all soldiers that he insulted by insisting they had no place in our armed services."

"'Don't ask, don't tell' is history now, and these brave men and women do not deserve Senator Santorum's disrespect nor his bigotry," reads the petition.

The repeal of 'don't ask, don't tell' became official on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Does Huntsman Signal the Return of the Moderate Republican?

Does former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman signal the return of the moderate Republican?

He and the seven other Republican presidential candidates certainly clashed on the economy, jobs, Social Security and other bread and butter issues during last night’s debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif., but Huntsman provided a potentially uncomfortable reality check for his more well-known GOP opponents who actually need to court mainstream voters to defeat President Barack Obama.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum seemed an oddly placed sidebar to the Texas-sized showdown between Congressman Ron Paul and Texas Gov. Rick Perry—the Emergency Alert System alerting Washingtonians that the District of Columbia and surrounding areas were under a flash flood warning actually pre-empted Santorum’s comments on immigration. Romney tried to sow his own Tea Party bonafides while refusing to explicitly own the populist label.

"If we're going to win in 2012, we've got to make sure that we have somebody who can win based upon numbers of the math that will get us there," said Huntsman, referring to Perry’s comments about climate change and evolution. "And by making comments that basically don't reflect the reality of the situation, we turn people off."

The next debate will be in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 12.

Those Gotcha Questions

It was apparently a night for gotcha questions!

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich certainly let his displeasure with his former Fox News colleagues known during last night’s Republican presidential debate in Ames, Iowa. The thrice-married social conservative’s scorn aside, the spectacle that took place at Iowa State University proved somewhat interesting and even entertaining for this native Granite Stater who watched it unfold from his parents’ home in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Congresswoman Michele Bachmann arguably proved she does have a titanium spine as she deflected pointed questions about her personal life and defended her record against former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney appeared rather presidential as he tried to rise above the intra-GOP fray that unfolded on the Ames stage, although his assertion at the Iowa State Fair earlier in the day that “corporations are people” and his support for a Constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman confirm questions about his convictions. Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum should have looked in the mirror before he criticized the Iranian government for trampling the rights of gays and women.

The debate was equally as newsworthy for those who did not participate—most notably former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Perry will make his presidential aspirations official in a speech he is scheduled to deliver in South Carolina on Saturday, Aug. 13. Palin’s national bus tour will roll into the Hawkeye State just in time for the Iowa Straw Poll.

Should we anticipate even more gotcha questions from those annoying journalists in the coming days and weeks?

You betcha!