The Republican Primaries have been a surprise for the world. Most of those who do not live in the United States, are unable to explain how a figure like Rick Santorum became so popular and, for some time, threatened the now certain Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

Santorum has turned into a political figure worth studying.  The other aspirants competing to become the Republican candidate never viewed him as a serious rival. However, Santorum was certain that poll results do not win elections; votes do.  He was also certain that if he worked hard, he would have his chance.

He knew that some of the other possible nominees were arrogant and would never consider him a serious threat unless he could really scare them. At the beginning, he had the huge advantage of having no pressure and of not being committed to anyone. He had more freedom to develop his political program because no one expected anything from him.

In order to understand how Rick Santorum had so much popularity with his speeches that sometimes seemed as if a reverend was giving them, and not a politician, it’s  necessary to have some facts about how religious the United States really is. Gallup International indicated, in 2010, that 43% of Americans  reported they go to church regularly. This is a much higher percentage than in Europe,where in countries like France the church attendance percentage is  21%. The United States is a very religious country, and that is why someone like Rick Santorum was able to persuade so many voters.

Rick Santorum had a good strategy. He knew where to hit first, and he did it hard. He won the conservative state of Iowa in the primaries, and suddenly, he appeared on the map. The voters in the rest of the country realized that Perry, Cain, Gingrich, and Romney were not the only ones competing; Santorum had something to say too. The former senator of Pennsylvania appeared on the political map and, although now he has already retired from the primaries, I am sure that this is not the last that we will hear from him; in the future he may have his chance.

Santorum ended his journey winning eleven states. He’s the first politician that I can truly say seemed really sincere, and he didn’t mind being politically incorrect, since he was more worried about saying what he really thought. It was a positive experience seeing someone in politics with clear principles about controversial topics, which most politicians are not willing to talk about because they could lose votes.

Rick Santorum had success in his speeches because the most conservative bases of the Republican Party, which includes evangelical and rural voters, loved him. They realized that he was sincere and Romney, on the other hand, was seen as a questionable conservative.

In the end reality shut down the dream of Rick Santorum when the voters realized that he would not win an election in November, and so they chose Romney, who is a more electable candidate. This story is worthy of study. It was amazing the way a little and insignificant fish almost ate a shark, and how Santorum became even more popular than figures known all around the country; it shows us that in politics nothing is written.

Image Courtesy of  Gage Skidmore

Share This

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

About the author

Gerardo Jose Torres Montalvo
Student of Philosophy and Journalism in Universidad de Navarra, Spain. Interested in world politics, especially in Latin American issue and in political philosophy. I was born in the United States, but raised in El Salvador.