Yesterday, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) announced he would end his 2016 campaign and endorse Sen. Marco Rubio for president.
Santorum has long been adored by the organized anti-immigrant movement – particularly the grassroots group NumbersUSA.
By endorsing Rubio, Santorum has effectively betrayed the nativist organizations, like NumbersUSA, that supported him.
Back in September 2014, NumbersUSA Founder and President Roy Beck lauded Santorum for his speech at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames, Iowa. Referring to the speech as a “presidential audition,” Beck heaped praise on Santorum for his “decision to go beyond the usual applause lines on illegal immigration and insisting on the need to reduce LEGAL numbers…”
“Santorum has set a benchmark for all other candidates,” Beck added.
NumbersUSA rewarded Santorum for his anti-immigrant advocacy on the campaign trail in May 2015 when the group first revealed its presidential candidate ratings. These ratings identified which 2016 hopefuls best aligned with NumbersUSA’s stridently anti-immigrant positions. Santorum was the only candidate in the field to receive an “A” rating. By comparison, NumbersUSA gave Rubio a decidedly unfavorable “D-“. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) was the only candidate in the GOP field at the time to receive a lower rating from the group.
Santorum was the sole presidential contender to maintain an “A” rating from NumbersUSA in the following months. The group marginally improved Rubio’s rating from “D-“ to a “D” in November as he ramped up calls for increased border security during debates.
Yet Rubio currently remains the lowest ranked GOP candidate according to NumbersUSA.
NumbersUSA has given two other GOP candidates “A” or “A-” ratings. Santorum refused to endorse either of them.
Clearly, NumbersUSA’s anti-immigrant priorities did not factor into Santorum’s decision.
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Photo credit: “Rick Santorum by Gage Skidmore 7” by Gage Skidmore. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.