Is Rick Santorum More Conservative Than Ron Paul?

Depends who you ask. But sorry Rick, Ron Paul is way more conservative than liberal Democrats.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

MESA, AZ - FEBRUARY 22: Republican presidential candidates U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) (L) and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum participate in a debate sponsored by CNN and the Republican Party of Arizona at the Mesa Arts Center February 22, 2012 in Mesa, Arizona. The debate is the last one scheduled before voters head to the polls in Michigan and Arizona's primaries on February 28 and Super Tuesday on March 6.

Rick Santorum asserted today that Ron Paul is "no conservative," with a voting record as bad as some liberal Democrats, but that claim does not hold water.

"His conservative rating has been one of the worst in Congress," Santorum said of Paul. "His conservative rating is as bad as some liberal democrats, maybe it’s for different reasons. He’s no conservative."

But the National Taxpayers Union has given Paul a substantially higher career score in their vote rankings on fiscal issues.

ntu.org

On the American Conservative Union's ranking, on the other hand, Santorum scored an 88.1 career rating, while Paul has — who sometimes breaks with the right on national security, civil liberties, and spending issues — an 83.51 career rating.

While lower than Santorum's, Paul's rating is higher than the congressional average, and far above liberal Democrats.