Rick Santorum, former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, is running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, with an aim toward appealing to blue-collar Americans as detailed in his book “Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America That Works.”
Here are six key political positions of the GOP presidential hopeful:
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1. Immigration
Santorum has spoken out against President Barack Obama’s executive orders that provide deportation relief and work permits to as many as 6 million illegal immigrants.
"There is no growth for opportunity for people in the middle of America because the labor markets are being flooded,"
Santorum told "Breitbart News Saturday" in August. "The establishment of neither party has an interest in helping the American worker."
2. Marriage
“Marriage is the union of a man and woman and we support a constitutional amendment to protect marriage,”
says the website of Santorum’s group, Patriot Voices.
“When you look at the conservative side, how many people do you hear right now saying, 'We lost the marriage issue, it's time to move on, we can't win.' And we haven’t even lost yet and the majority of Americans still believe in marriage, and yet our side is willing to fold our tent and go away,”
Santorum said in an interview on the American Family Association’s “Focal Point” radio program. “We have to understand that this is a war, and if we don’t engage in this war we will lose this war.”
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3. U.S. energy policy
Santorum advocates for building the Keystone XL Pipeline, a proposed crude oil pipeline spanning from Canada to Nebraska. The project would create jobs, bring the country closer to energy independence, and strengthen national security, according to the Patriot Voices website.
He has promoted the project through the website and Twitter.
4. Education
Santorum opposes the Common Core curriculum, viewing it as a loss of parental and local control, waste of millions of dollars, and a move toward a nationalized curriculum. He favors putting parents, teachers, school districts and local communities in charge of educational standards, and has taken the fight to Twitter.
5. Economy
Santorum has said that strong families are key to a strong economy. He also has campaigned for restoring America’s manufacturing sector.
“You know, businesses have lots of different interests. One is labor costs, one is cost of capital, one is regulatory environment. There are all sorts of issues that businesses have, and I think if you are a business and your principal focus is to keep your labor costs down and that’s the kind of operation you run, then I’m probably not your candidate,”
Santorum told The Daily Caller. “If your operation is one where you look at your employees as people, that you want them as partners in the business, you want them to have the same opportunities for success, and you’re there not just to serve your customer, but also to serve your employees and make sure you’re making a quality opportunity for them and their families, then I’m probably your candidate.”
6. National security
Santorum has called for decisive action against ISIS, including airstrikes.
"I support the United States launching air strikes against ISIS forces and assisting the Iraqis with real-time intelligence on the movement of ISIS forces. We should also evacuate our Embassy and all American civilians in Iraq so we don't allow a hostage situation to develop,” Santorum said in a statement in June.
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