Santorum Hopes To Catch Lightning In A Bottle A Second Time

NPR ^ | May 27, 2015 | Jessica Taylor

[conservative98]

Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is praying for political lightning to strike twice.

Even after pulling an upset win in the Iowa caucuses four years ago and going on to survive the longest against eventual nominee Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential hopeful is again the underdog in a much more crowded 2016 field.

Expected to announce his second bid for president in his hometown of Butler, Pa., Wednesday, Santorum is nowhere near the silver-medal finish he pulled off in 2012. But that's not stopping him from still preaching his brand of "blue-collar conservatism" with an emphasis on workers and manufacturing while also reiterating his foreign-policy experience — and hoping the unthinkable can happen again.

Speaking to a small crowd at a Legends restaurant in Marshalltown, Iowa, the afternoon after his speech at the Iowa Republican Party's Lincoln Day Dinner earlier this month, Santorum exuded confidence, but admitted it's a much steeper climb than last time.

"There's potentially 16 people on the Republican side, so I don't envy you," Santorum told the crowd. "As one of my friends here in Iowa says, there's a lot of folks with a 'new car smell.' I just think it's important to nominate somebody that you know and that you trust, because trust is the most important thing."

[RetSignman]

Rick Rolled once, shame on him. Rick rolled twice, shame on you.