Santorum mulling 2012 presidential run
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HARRISBURG - It will be months before former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum decides whether to run for president in 2012, but all the recent talk that he might be a candidate has gotten him a lot more attention from the public and the news media.
"It does give me a chance to have an influence on the (national political) debate," he told the Pennsylvania Press Club at its monthly luncheon Monday.
Since Fox News, where he works as a commentator, first mentioned that Mr. Santorum might run in 2012, "I am amazed and surprised at the response I am getting," he said. "But I am a long way from making a decision about whether that (2012 race) is something I will do."
His decision on the presidency will come "in the months that follow the mid-term elections" in November. "We will wait and see how it all shakes out."
Mr. Santorum, who served two terms in the Senate before losing a re-election bid in 2006, said that before the presidential speculation began, he would travel to other states to campaign for candidates and neither voters nor reporters paid a whole lot of attention to what he said.
But now, he's been traveling to states that have early presidential primaries in 2012, such as New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa, and a lot of people are interested in his views, such as the urgent need to reduce federal spending and do more to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon.
"There needs to be a voice (for conservative issues), to say it in a way that the American public needs to hear," he said.
"Our federal deficits are enormous," he complained, adding that federal "entitlement" programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security, need to be less costly, a move that would carry political risks. But the first program he wants to get rid of is "Obamacare," the new national health care program that President Barack Obama pushed to enact.
"That needs to be repealed," he said. "It will cost the federal government at least $1 trillion."
He was optimistic that Republicans will make gains in Congress this fall. "There is better than a 50-50 chance that Republicans can take the House," he said, with an outside chance the GOP could pick up a net gain of 10 seats in the Senate and control it.
He said there are 11 Democratic seats in the Senate that will be "in play" in November, including the one now held by U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, who lost last week's primary election to Democratic challenger Joe Sestak. He's facing a strong contest against Republican Pat Toomey.
Mr. Santorum said, "I think you will see some dramatic things happen in the coming months, some great electoral swings." He said the November election "is one of the most important elections in our lifetimes" because Republicans could regain power.
First Published May 25, 2010 12:00 am
