Santorum Officially Joins 'Team Romney;' Says They Agree on Abortion, Marriage
Former Pennsylvania Sen. and GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum has made it official in a letter to his supporters – he is endorsing Mitt Romney for president. Santorum met with Romney last Friday and said the meeting gave him the confidence he needed to extend his formal blessing. More importantly, he said they agree on the issues of abortion and marriage.
Santorum took the opportunity to mention the differences he and Romney had on the campaign trail, but highlighted the common issues they shared in capturing the White House in November.
"The primary campaign certainly made it clear that Governor Romney and I have some differences," wrote Santorum in an email late Monday night. "But there are many significant areas in which we agree: the need for lower taxes, smaller government, and a reduction in out-of-control spending. We certainly agree that abortion is wrong and marriage should be between one man and one woman."
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Santorum's endorsement comes as little surprise, but the question political pundits were asking was when was Santorum going to endorse the presumed Republican nominee and what did he want in return?
The former senator's surprising rise from the back of the pack to achieve what most consider the runner-up spot by winning 11 states and 3 million votes was surprising in and of itself. Once written off as being too "far-right," Santorum's direct and simplistic approach appealed to many GOP primary voters – most notably in states where the majority of the primary vote considered themselves to be "evangelical."
In his letter, Santorum said of his formal rival that he was impressed with Romney's "commitment to economic policies that preserve and strengthen families."
"He clearly understands that having pro-family initiatives are not only the morally and economically right thing to do, but that the family is the basic building block of our society and must be preserved," Santorum stated in the email.
Two polls released on Monday demonstrate just how close the presidential race is shaping up to be. A USA Today/Gallup poll of swing states shows Obama with 47 percent and Romney with 45 percent, well within the +/- four-percentage point margin of error.
Another poll conducted by Politico/George Washington University also shows Obama and Romney in a dead heat with Romney at 48 percent and Obama with 47 percent.
The meeting between the two Republicans in Pittsburg last Friday was not intended to produce an endorsement, but instead gave both the opportunity to discuss how to move forward and rally the GOP in their common objective of defeating President Obama.
"Above all else, we both agree that President Obama must be defeated," the email said. "It will require all hands on deck if our nominee is to be victorious. Gov. Romney will be that nominee and he has my endorsement and support to win this, the most critical election of our lifetime."
