Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 election. He announced his campaign on Good Morning America on June 6, 2011. He won 11 contests and received 4 million votes, putting him in second place to nominee Mitt Romney. Facing a tough challenge by Romney, lagging poll numbers and the poor health of his daughter, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on April 10, 2012.[3]
2016 campaign
Santorum has been considered a potential presidential candidate in the 2016 election since at least the suspension of his 2012 campaign. A Los Angeles Times article about Santorum's 2012 campaign suspension mentioned that his strong second-place showing in that election would bolster any effort to get the nomination in 2016 or 2020.[3] During an interview with Greta Van Susteren on Fox News on May 6, 2015, Santorum commented that he was the underdog in the 2012 election and that he would likely be the underdog again in the 2016 election, saying "We're very comfortable there."[4]
However, eight months in, Santorum failed to get his campaign going, with polling numbers dropping, and staying, below 1.0%.[5] After a poor showing in the Iowa Caucuses, Santorum announced the suspension of his campaign on February 3, 2016,[6] giving his endorsement to Marco Rubio.[7] During an April 25, 2017 question and answer session, however, Santorum commented that Rubio and Cruz would have been inferior to Trump as party nominees.[8]
