Santorum hearkens to past successes to belie small turnouts, poll numbers

INDEPENDENCE - Rick Santorum sat in a circle of chairs Tuesday, a half-dozen people around him.

The low turnout for the campaign stop at the Independence Public Library could have been attributed to the single-digit temperatures outside or his single-digit polling numbers or both. But the candidate who won the Iowa Republican caucuses in 2012 has heated up small crowds before.

'When we went through the Iowa caucuses four years ago, we gave around 382 speeches to an average of 10 to 15 people. We ended up winning,” Santorum said, 'It's not about the number of people, it's about forming personal connections to people, so they become advocates for you to others.”

According to a RealClearPolitics average of polls, Santorum places the last of 12 GOP candidates with 1.2 percent support among likely Iowa caucusgoers.

'We were at the bottom of the polls in 2012 two weeks before the caucus and we came up on top. We are in the exact same position now,” said Jane Jech, the Iowa field director for Santorum's campaign. 'I am very optimistic we can do it again.”

Santorum's grassroot-style campaign made him the first presidential candidate to visit all 99 Iowa counties this election cycle, and he is making rounds this month across the state to answer questions and emphasize his idea for a 'common sense” Social Security plan, where the age of eligibility goes up with life expectancy.

The former Pennsylvania senator also discussed his strong stance on family-based issues, opposition to abortion rights, the need for troops on the ground to defeat Islamic State terrorists, his belief that there is a lack of significant effects associated with climate change and the importance of creating manufacturing jobs for people without college degrees.

'I declared my run for the presidency on a factory floor in western Pennsylvania. My main objective was to make America the No. 1 manufacturer in the world,” he said.

His conservative beliefs drew support from followers.

'We need his conservative values and agenda in America,” said Richard Wearmouth, 58, of Independence. 'I've been a strong supporter of Rick Santorum since he ran his first race. To be able to sit down with him face-to-face at a place like this, and talk about his policies right to him, was very comfortable and effective.”

Although Santorum saw some primary successes in 2012, young voters may have turned away from him this time due to his stance on traditional marriage. In response, Santorum feels his legitimacy as a politician is something millennials should gravitate toward.

'I will create a stronger economic platform for young people to be successful for the future. I will be a leader that will make them feel safe, in today's unsafe world.” Santorum said, 'Young people want someone that will tell them the truth, and they want someone that is authentic.”