MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former senator and Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is trying to get New Hampshire conservatives to fall in love with him.
But in so doing, he’s reminding some independents, and certainly Democrats, exactly why they fell out of love with him in his home state of Pennsylvania, where he was ousted from office by more than 17 points in 2006.
As presidential candidate Rick Santorum campaigned in Keene, N.H., a group of protesters disrupted the proceedings and were escorted outside of the event. (Jan 6)
At a campaign stop Thursday, he got into a verbal sparring match with a college student about same-sex marriage, after suggesting an equivalence between same-sex relationships and polygamy.
Ever since, Santorum has faced a series of confrontations — and some heckling — over his opposition to same-sex relationships and abortion.
And there are some signs this reception in a state where same-sex marriage is legal is taking some of the spring out of the momentum Santorum picked up by nearly winning the Iowa caucuses Tuesday.
A new Suffolk University/7News tracking poll of voters likely to take part in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary showed that following the widely televised exchange with the college student, Santorum’s support, which had been rising, had appeared to plateau.
The poll showed him losing support from independents and tied for fourth place with former Utah governor Jon Huntsman Jr. at 9 percent of the vote.
Santorum faced tough questions about abortion, the separation of church and state, and gay rights from a crowd packing a barn in Hollis on Saturday afternoon.
“Do you believe that a gay American’s soul needs saving the most?” asked one man.
“I’m not into the salvation business. I have somebody else I rely upon for that,” he responded, to loud cheers.
On Friday, he was aggressively heckled at a wild campaign stop at a restaurant. The event was forced into the parking lot after a fire marshal deemed the building too crowded. As Santorum spoke, he was interrupted periodically by shouts.
“What about equality for the gays?” one man shouted and, after Santorum opened with a request for respect, the man continued, “How much respect do you have for gay people, Rick?”
Santorum shrugged off the protests and spoke to the crowd for nearly 45 minutes, sometimes yelling over the taunts.
“I come from southwestern Pennsylvania,” he told the group. “I represented a district that had more steelworkers in it than any other district in America. This is nothing. This is cake. Steelworkers, those are serious folks. This is no problem.”
His campaign thinks the confrontations were inevitable and a sign he’s being taken seriously as a candidate.
They hope Santorum’s response will show conservatives — whom he’s trying to persuade to rally around him as an alternative to former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney — that he’s got the deep-seated convictions and fighting spirit necessary to take on President Obama.
“It’ll show the contrast between him and the rest of the candidates,” said Claira Monier, the co-chairman of Santorum’s New Hampshire campaign. “There’s a certain percentage of voters who like that he stands up for what he believes in. And those are the voters we need to get out.”
The Post Most: PoliticsMost-viewed stories, videos and galleries int he past two hours
Loading...
Comments