Santorum reeling in major endorsements in Iowa, where the right is scrambling for a new anti-Mitt [View all]

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Opening Shot

The Santorum moment that was never supposed to be

Don't look now, but he's reeling in major endorsements in Iowa, where the right is scrambling for a new anti-Mitt

Steve Kornacki



http://www.salon.com/2011/12/21/the_rick_santorum_moment_that_was_never_supposed_to_happen/

He came to the race seemingly out of boredom with his post-Senate life and tainted by a 20-point defeat in Pennsylvania in 2006. And he’s been the marginal man in the field, unwilling to mimic Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich by exploiting the personal brand-building potential of a national campaign, but also unable to gain the respect and support of “serious” candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, despite earnestly adhering to all of the traditional principles of grassroots-networking. While Newt was cruising the Greek isles and Cain was preoccupied with a book tour, Santorum was methodically visiting all 99 counties in Iowa — and yet it was Newt and Cain (and everyone else not named Santorum) who enjoyed surges in polling.

Against this backdrop, the events of the past week represent the closest to a real breakthrough that Santorum has come. Consider what’s gone right for him in that time:

Peak Newt was apparently attained, especially in Iowa, where his polling freefall creates an potential opening for a new conservative alternative to Romney to emerge. This is especially critical for Santorum, who has made Iowa his make-or-break state.

A parade of influential Iowa evangelical leaders has stepped forward to support him. In 2008, 60 percent of GOP caucus-goers identified themselves as evangelical Christians. That number may have been inflated by the Christian right’s enthusiasm for Mike Huckabee, a Baptist preacher, but religious conservatives still hold disproportionate sway in the caucuses — and many of their leaders have been particularly eager to unite behind an alternative to Romney. With his extramarital baggage, Gingrich was apparently too much for them, and with time running out before the January 3 caucuses, some big names are turning to Santorum. Over the weekend, Albert Calaway, a retired pastor who heads a group called Truth, Values, and Leadership endorsed Santorum and offered harsh critiques of his opponents. On Tuesday, Bob Vander Plaats, perhaps the single most influential evangelical leader in the state, added his support, as did Chuck Hurley, a key Vander Plaats ally. Several other leaders with influence among Iowa’s Christian right have also come out for Santorum recently.