Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum sat down for an interview with Politics Colorado on Friday morning. Santorum, who was in town to campaign with GOP Senate primary candidate Jane Norton, shared his views on the Colorado state races.Politics Colorado (PC): You’re here to lend Jane Norton a hand in these final weeks before the state primary. Why do you support her?
Rick Santorum (RS): I support Jane because she is a solid conservative across the board. She’s someone who understands that the problem confronting this country right now is that the government has gotten way too big, spends too much and has grown and taken people’s freedom away. Also, the debt has blown a lid off of our ability to recover as an economy and to create jobs. We need to get government back and in control, reduce the debt, cut spending and lower taxes so we can grow this economy and in effect get more revenues into the federal government to reduce this deficit.
Jane understands all of that, she’s passionate about it, she’s also an across the board conservative. She’s a strong social conservative, she’s pro life, and she’s for traditional marriage. She understands that the threat of radical Islam is a huge threat to our country and that we need to confront it aggressively. It’s just great to see someone with her energy and enthusiasm and her skill to offer herself up to the people of Colorado and to come down to Washington and lend a hand to turn this country around.
(PC): Do you know Norton well or are you just out helping another like-minded conservative?
(RS): I’ve talked to her about a half a dozen times and we met on three occasions a couple of years ago. I know her a little bit and I’ve always heard good things about her and I liked her when I met her. When she stepped forward, I jumped at the opportunity to help her.
The other thing that I feel strongly about is that, I served in the congress and the senate for 16-years and in the senate in particular, the 12-years that I was there, I fought the fight on a lot of issues, particularly a lot of cultural issues like marriage, abortion, stem cell research, and those type of things. Not once did I have a woman standing at my side who shared my values in the United States Senate. The entire time I was there, there may have been one pro-life woman, she was there for one term and she was not all that active on these issues.
It’s just so important that from my perspective, particularly on the cultural issues, that we have men and women in positions of power in Washington D.C. speaking out on these issues that the main stream media and the left can’t say that these are just a bunch of men who want to take your rights away. That we have articulate spokespeople to go out and fight these cultural battles. I just think that’s another exciting component for me, to have a warrior on that front in the United States Senate.
(PC): A poll released Thursday showed Norton down by 9-points, but it also showed 17% of GOP voters still undecided. Do you think she can catch up?
(RS): I do, you know this is a primary election and it’s all about turnout. It’s all about who can energize the base and who can get people to show up. I’m hopeful that we can help in some small way in doing that. This will come down to who wants it the most and I’m confident that she can pull it out.
(PC): What’s your opinion of her opponent Ken Buck and what’s your take on the entire “High-Heel Gate” situation?
(RS): I don’t know him, never met him. Don’t really know much about him. I saw a comedy made the other day that I was sort of scratching my head about, about wearing high heels is the reason you shouldn’t vote for her (Norton). Maybe it was made in jest, I don’t know, I assume it was, but still it doesn’t reflect very well on him.
(RS): I hope that Tom does not get into the race. I understand that there’s some concern about the candidates out there right now, particularly Scott. I served with Scott in the house, so I know Scott a little bit. Hopefully this can be worked out in a way that puts our best and strongest candidate out there. I don’t think that Tom is that candidate. I do think that Tom getting into the race will ensure the democrats a win.
(PC): Is November going to be the GOP mega victory that so many people think it will be?
(RS): There a lot of great candidates across the country who are in a strong position to win. There’s a lot that can happen by November, but certainly we are positioned well. We have candidates out there talking about foundational principles, constitutional principles, talking about getting government back to the idea of limited government and more freedom for the individual and for the families. Those are the type of messages that the people want to hear and our candidates are voicing. I think if we keep it up and then go on and do it, once we get elected in November we can change this country and give the freedom back to this country that people have fought so hard for.
(PC): Are there any key races across the country that you’re watching?
(RS): Oh yeah, that’s the problem. I mean there are just dozens of races. There are so many races across the country that are important. There’s no shortage of races. I don’t think that there’s anything that’s key, I mean certainly Colorado is one that I think, if we have any chance of picking up the U.S. Senate we have to win Colorado. On the margins if you will, you’re looking at states like California and Washington where we have really strong candidates too, so the west is going to be very, very important when it comes to who’s going to be in the majority. And out west they value their freedom very much and I encourage people to get out there and vote and to vote for the people that are going to defend that freedom and put back the constitutional principles that made this country the greatest country in the history of the world, in this election that’s voting republican.
(PC): For the final big question. Any personal plans for 2012?
(RS): Well I’m getting out and I’m working hard for the candidates running in 2010 because before we can turn the direction of the country around we have to stop the bad things from happening. While we won’t turn the country around in 2010 because Obama will still be president, we’ll be able to stop him from doing any more harm to the country and that’s the most important thing right now. I’m looking at 2012. I’ve said that publically and I’m looking at it because I believe, as I said with Jane, that we have to have a full spectrum conservative. Someone who’s not apologetic for the beliefs they have in defending the founding principles of our country, and someone who’s had a voting record that’s reflected that and I think that I can do both. Whether there’s other people out there who can do it that give me the opportunity not to run, though that’s something yet to be seen, right now I want to be out there voicing my concerns and making sure that we have the strongest possible candidate who can get into office and defend our principles and fight to make the changes that are necessary to renew America.
(PC): Do you have an exploratory committee?
(RS): No, I don’t have an exploratory committee. I do have a PAC and things like that, but no exploratory committee.
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