Daily Santorum: Feelin' the PA love
After his 18-point Senate loss in 2006 and polls showing that Mitt Romney or Michele Bachmann would do much better in a Keystone State presidential campaign, Rick Santorum might have felt that his home state has lost that loving feeling, but Pennsylvanians have come through for Our Rick in one very important way -- their checkbooks. The Center for Responsive Politics found that at least 27 percent of Santorum's campaign funds have come from Pennsylvania.
A glance through Santorum's donors finds that a few big names in our region have dropped some coin on him: former U.S. Rep. Melissa Hart, R-Bradford Woods, threw in $250; County Councilwoman Jan Rea also donated $250; Wexford medical technology businessman Keith Loiselle, who the GOP was rumored to be courting to run against Sen. Bob Casey, is in for $2,500; Federated Investors founder and prominent Catholic benefactor John Donahue threw in $2,500; and a name familiar to anyone who's seen a "For Sale" sign on a home in the Pittsburgh area, Howard Hanna, donated $1,000. Other interesting names from the list include Foster Friess, of Jackson, Wyo. ($1,000), a stock market baron and Christian conservative, and David Urban ($2,500), former chief of staff to Sen. Arlen Specter and now big-shot D.C. lobbyist.
Not that Rick has been doing much cruising through PA for dollars. He's all about Iowa these days, though he did stop off Friday night in Denver for a conservative forum. Santorum took another chance to rip Texas Gov. Rick Perry -- an all but certain entrant into the POTUS sweepstakes -- for maybe tolerating it if some states legalize gay marriage. From the Houston Chronicle:
It was the first time Perry, who is assembling a cadre potential donors for a likely presidential race, has come under sustained attack from a GOP White House contender.
Rick Perry didn't take questions from the audience in Denver -- unlike his harsh critic, Rick Santorum. Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, criticized Perry three different times at the Western Conservative Summit, where both are speaking to conservative activists. First, before a book signing event, Santorum told reporters he had a “difference of opinion” with Perry on gay marriage and said it was wrong and divisive to create a patchwork of marriage laws in the 50 states. Then, during a question-and-answer session with activists, Santorum unloaded on the governor.
“States do not have the right to destroy the American family. It is our business,’’ he said. “It is not fine with me that New York has destroyed marriage. It is not fine with me that New York is setting a template that will cause great division in this country.”
It wasn't enough to triumph at the conference straw poll, which was won by Herman Cain with Perry finishing second. Rick did finish third with 10 percent of the vote, tied with Mitt Romney. If he can replicate that at the Ames Straw Poll, Rick will be breaking out a Santonio Holmes-style touchdown dance.
To that end, Santorum is back pounding the pavement -- eating pie and taking veiled shots at Bachmann, the usual -- in Iowa as he has moved his family to the Hawkeye State until the Aug. 13 straw poll. Santorum also announced today that an Iowa native and former Senate staffer of his, Jennifer Vesey Rossman, will serve as a senior adviser for health care and entitlement policy.
The Schedule: Iowa tour today has town halls in Washington, Muscatine, Davenport and Clinton.