Candidate bio: Rick Santorum

-- Age: 57Born: Winchester, Va.Work: Former U.S. senator, U.S. House member, from PennsylvaniaCollege: Pennsylvania State University; M.B.A., University of Pittsburgh; Dickinson School of LawWebsite: ricksantorum.com

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A former member of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum made a splash in presidential politics in 2012 when he became a fierce competitor to candidate Mitt Romney. In the tightest of races, he even won the Iowa caucuses, though Romney initially was credited with a close victory.

Santorum grew up in Butler, Penn., and graduated from Pennsylvania State University. He also holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh and a law degree from the Dickinson School of Law. He practiced law in Pittsburgh before being elected to the U.S. House in 1990 and then the Senate in 1994. He was voted out in 2006 when his strong support of President George W. Bush was an issue.

Santorum and his wife, Karen, have seven children. They co-authored a book about their youngest child, Bella, 'Bella's Gift: How One Little Girl Transformed Our Family and Inspired a Nation.' Bella, now 7, was born with Trisomy 18, a chromosomal condition, and was not expected to live past her first birthday.