Speaking Friday at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., Rick Santorum recommended that voters carefully scrutinize the spouses of political candidates.
“When you look at someone to determine whether they’d be the right person for public office, look at who they lay down with at night and what they believe in,” Santorum said.
“If you want to find out if that person who you are voting for is going to stand tall and stand tough,” he said, “find out where the spouse of that person is.”
The former Pennsylvania senator, currently seeking the Republican nomination for president, is known for his socially conservative positions.
The comments, sure to be controversial, were first reported by Talking Points Memo. Santorum followed the statements by praising his own wife, Karen Santorum, as a person “strongly committed to the values of the people in this room.”
In polls tracking Republican candidates, Santorum has been unable to break out of low single-digit support. He does, however, enjoy the support of voters motivated by his positions against abortion and same-sex marriage.
During his Friday speech, Santorum also took issue with the Obama administration’s refusal to appeal court decisions that have struck down certain portions of the Defense Of Marriage Act.
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