Bio
Rick Santorum is a conservative committed to restoring the American dream for hardworking Americans. He has been a voice for the voiceless – standing up for those struggling in this economy, protecting life at every stage and fighting to ensure that our nation is secure from those who wish to do us harm.
Rick and his wife of 31 years, Karen, are the parents of seven wonderful children: Elizabeth, John, Daniel, Sarah Maria, Peter, Patrick and Isabella.
In 2012, Rick and Karen co-founded Patriot Voices, a grassroots and online community of Americans committed to finding ways to restore the American dream for hardworking families. Patriot Voices impacted a number of economic, social and national security issues by mobilizing its army of grassroots volunteers.
Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2012 and 2016 and became known as a voice for conservatives who didn’t feel their voice was being represented. His grassroots approach to campaigning – including visiting every one of Iowa’s 99 counties and his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses – catapulted him to frontrunner status where he ultimately won 11 states and nearly 4 million votes during the 2012 Republican primary process.
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. He was a member of the “Gang of Seven” that exposed the Congressional Banking and Congressional Post Office scandals. Rick was also an author and floor manager of the landmark Welfare Reform Act of 1996 that has empowered millions of Americans to leave the welfare rolls and enter the workforce. Rick Santorum 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” because he believes each and every individual has value and the most vulnerable in our society need to be protected.
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, cutting spending and even developed a “spendometer” that added up the cost of Democrat amendments to spending bills. This record made him one of the most conservative senators in Pennsylvania’s history.
Rick served eight years on the Senate Armed Services Committee where he led the fight before the attacks of September 11, 2001 to transform our military from a Cold War force to meet today’s threats. He was a leader on US-Israeli relations, authoring both the “Syria Accountability Act” and the “Iran Freedom and Support Act” which he successfully fought to pass in spite of initial opposition by President Bush. Rick firmly believes that we cannot allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Rick and Karen are the co-authors of the New York Times bestseller Bella’s Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation. Bella’s Gift chronicles the inspiring story of life with the Santorums’ special-needs youngest child. Bella was born with a condition called Trisomy 18, and she wasn’t expected to survive her first birthday. Beating all the odds, Bella turned 13 in May of 2021 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.
Rick Santorum is also the author of the 2005 New York Times bestseller It Takes a Family, American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom, Blue Collar Conservatives: Recommitting to an America that Works, and a CNN Senior Political Contributor.