Rick Santorum, the former Pennsylvania Senator,� joined the GOP presidential race for 2012. Does he have a shot against Mitt Romney, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin or other potential contenders?
Herman Cain is the hottest thing in Republican presidential politics these days.
Rick Santorum is running for president.
So, should you care?
Santorum was once seen as a major figure in national conservative circles and the voice in Senate leadership defending social conservative causes like traditional marriage and opposition to abortion.
But Santorum has fallen fast and far since then.
In 2006, he lost his bid for a third term in the Senate by 18 points -- 18!
Most polls on the 2012 race suggest he's an afterthought to most voters.
And his claim to being the social conservatives favorite candidate is being threatened by the charismatic Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann.
Santorum's likely role in the 2012 race then is as a spoiler. Throughout his career he has shown a confrontational side, a willingness to take on other politicians in a decidedly direct way. He was a leading voice in the congressional attempts to keep Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman in a permanent vegetative state, alive in 2005.
Already in this race, Santorum has hit former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney on health care and on Monday claimed that he was more politically courageous than Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan.
Santorum's aggressiveness toward some of the better known candidates in the race has the potential to have an impact, particularly in one of the many debates on the schedule this year.
While he can't likely win, Santorum will work top hold the frontrunners accountable and focus the conversation on social issues. If the 2012 race is a movie, Santorum is a minor actor. But sometimes minor actors steal the show.
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