NEWTON, Iowa — An invigorated Rick Santorum is coming under increasing scrutiny at campaign stops now that he has a shot at winning the Iowa caucuses on Tuesday.
Until recently, the former Pennsylvania senator had been struggling to make a noticeable impact in polls in the Hawkeye State.
But during a campaign stop at a Pizza Ranch restaurant on Monday, it was clear that had changed in Iowa, with more than a hundred supporters in attendance, including some who asked him to respond to negative attacks on him that have surfaced in recent days.
Defending his record in Congress, Santorum said, “I’ve heard all the robocalls that I’m not pro-life. Boy, if I’m not pro-life, you’re going to have a hard time finding someone who is pro-life. I’ve fought every pro-life battle there is.”
He also reacted to liberal commentator Alan Colmes, who said on Fox News that Santorum will suffer in the polls for “the crazy things he’s said and done, like taking his two-hour old baby who died right after childbirth home and played with it for a couple of hours so his other children would know that the child was real.”
In that somber moment, Santorum and his wife had the crowd hanging on every word, as Sanorum recounted how their son died shortly after being born.
During remarks, Santorum — who has campaigned in Iowa more than any other candidate — also played the role of the favorite son of the state.
“This hasn’t been just one lap,” he said. “Or I haven’t been speed dating through Iowa. We’ve been taking our time. This has been a courtship where we have taken our time to listen to Iowans.”
“For all the nice things you’ve done, you’ve been a tough audience,” he said. “You’ve made me work for it. You’ve asked the tough questions. You’ve challenged me. I’ve gotten this comment from several people who have told me, ‘I saw you six months ago and you’re much better than what you were doing six months ago.’”