A Patriot’s Voice

A resident of Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for president of the United States in 2012 and became known as a voice for conservatives who didn’t feel their voice was being represented. His grass-roots approach to campaigning -- including visiting every one of Iowa’s 99 counties and his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses -- catapulted him to front-runner status. He ultimately won 11 states and 3 million votes during the Republican primary process.

In June 2012, Rick Santorum launched Patriot Voices, a grass-roots and online community of Americans committed to promoting faith, family, freedom and opportunity. With a goal of recruiting 1 million members, Patriot Voices will transform the political landscape of our country.

Rick and his wife since 1990, Karen, are the parents of seven wonderful children. During his run for president, Rick spoke passionately about his belief that strong families help produce a strong economy. He shared his view that we must expand opportunities for all Americans by encouraging incentives for marriage, children and free enterprise.

As an example of his commitment to improving our economy, Rick spoke often about his belief that we must renew America’s manufacturing sector to ensure that our nation is made of not only innovators but also those who can produce those innovations. Renewing our country’s manufacturing spirit will strengthen working families and help our struggling communities return to a path of prosperity during these tough economic times. Rick also believes we must support America’s domestic energy potential through pro-growth tax and regulatory reforms that will not only create jobs but strengthen our national security.

On the campaign trail, Rick was a voice for the voiceless. Voters across this country heard about Rick and Karen’s youngest daughter, Isabella, who was born with a condition called trisomy 18 and who wasn’t expected to survive past her first birthday. Beating all the odds, Bella celebrated her fourth birthday in May 2012 and is a joyful and loving little girl. Bella’s miraculous life has only strengthened Rick and Karen’s belief in the dignity of each and every life.

Prior to running for president, Rick served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995 and in the U.S. Senate from 1995 to 2007, where he was known as one of the most successful government reformers in our history. Rick took on Washington's powerful special interests from the moment he arrived in our nation's Capitol in 1991. Along with John Boehner and Jim Nussle, Rick was a member of the "Gang of Seven," which exposed the congressional banking and congressional post office scandals. It was this record of reform that prompted a Washington Post reporter to write that "Santorum was a tea party kind of guy before there was a tea party."

He wrote and championed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as partial-birth abortion -- as well as the Born Alive Infants Protection Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and the Combating Autism Act.

Rick fought to maintain fiscal sanity in Washington before it was in fashion, fighting for a balanced budget and a line-item veto. He bravely proposed reforming entitlements and cutting spending, and he even developed a "spendometer," which added up the cost of Democratic amendments to spending bills. This record made him one of the most conservative U.S. senators from Pennsylvania in history.

Rick served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee, where he led the fight before the attacks of Sept. 11 to transform our military from a Cold War force to one that could meet today's threats. Rick firmly believes that we cannot allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.

An accomplished author, Rick penned the 2005 New York Times best-seller "It Takes a Family."