Santorum addresses crowd in Manchester

by Meghan Rimol
Presidency and the Press

Presidential candidate and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum made an appearance today at his campaign office in Manchester, New Hampshire to meet voters and field questions from the media.

His audience at the meet-and-greet included campaign staffers and volunteers, the media and members of the general public. Among those attending were students from Franklin Pierce University’s Presidency and the Press journalism workshop.

After acknowledging the crowd with a short introductory speech, Santorum took questions on a variety of subjects, including his plan for the economy, his thoughts concerning abortion, and his opinion of other candidates in the race.

Facing a question regarding his last senatorial election in which he lost to Democratic challenger Bob Casey, Santorum said that he believes that his loss in Pennsylvania will not affect his chances of becoming president.

“Losing is part of life, and it’s how you deal with that, how you turn that around and you turn that into something you learn from,” said Santorum. “You are able to take those lessons to make you a better person, make you a better candidate and in this case, a president.”

Santorum also discussed his plan for economic recovery, using New Hampshire as an example of a successful economic model. “The ‘Live Free or Die’ is in practice here, and the unemployment rate here is one of the lowest in the country,” said Santorum. He also said that he believes that jobs can be found in the private sector, rather than in government.

According the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, Santorum is at around one percent in the polls. Currently, Santorum’s campaign is reporting having raised a total of $582,348 at the end of the second fundraising quarter.