Rick Santorum said Wednesday he is running for president, following his strong performance in 2012.
Then, the former Pennsylvania senator captured social conservatives to nearly win Iowa. But unlike last time, when conservative dissatisfaction with Mitt Romney and a dearth of candidates viewed as sufficiently socially conservative propelled Santorum, he will face a much stronger field, populated by sitting or newly former senators and governors competing in the same space.
Newer entrants to the national political landscape like Sen. Ted Cruz and Dr. Ben Carson have already made significant overtures to socially conservative Republican voters, as has former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who did not run in 2012, but won Iowa in 2008.
Santorum left office in 2007, after losing his re-election bid to Democratic Sen. Bob Casey. His social conservatism — and vehement opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage — has since become his most prominent characteristic as a public official.
This spring, Santorum garnered headlines for saying that "if (Bruce Jenner) says he's a woman, then he's a woman." Since making that remark, he has since said that, "If Bruce Jenner says he's woman then I'm not gonna argue with him. I know what obviously and biologically he is."