Rick Santorum to Request Secret Service Protection After Rowdy Event
After a heated debate on Monday at a Washington state rally, GOP Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum has said that he is considering hiring Secret Service protection over concerns for himself and his family.
"We're talking about that right now. It's unfortunate that we're in that situation where folks can get a little rowdy," Santorum said to reporters in Boise, Idaho in reference to hiring special protection, Politico revealed.
The concerns for Santorum's safety have risen after a stormy campaign rally in Washington, where he clashed with both gay marriage activists and "Occupy Wall Street" protesters. Two people, who kept interrupting him during the event, had to be dragged out by police. The former Pennsylvania senator has used the incident to highlight how the Obama Administration and its supporters are not very tolerant when it comes to others expressing a different point of view.
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"I think it's really important for you to understand what this radical element represents. Because what they represent is true intolerance," Santorum said about "Occupy" at the heated event, which CBS reported ultimately resulted in the arrest of three people.
After allegations of sexual harassment began circling around Herman Cain, the former GOP candidate was the first to hire Secret Service protection in this campaign cycle. The only other candidate to employ its services is Mitt Romney, who has been considered the frontrunner of the Republican race for the longest period.
Now that Santorum is rising up the polls, still fresh from his big three-state victory sweep last Tuesday, it seems that he is putting the safety of himself and his family first and taking all necessary precaution.
The former Pennsylvania senator moved past Mitt Romney as the voters' top choice in the latest CBS News/New York Times Poll. Santorum leads Romney by three points, 30 to 27 percent. Texas Congressman Ron Paul is a distant third with 12 percent and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has slipped to fourth place with 10 percent.
