With an economic message and a set of conservative social beliefs that appeal especially to working-class Republicans, Santorem is both topping national polls and testing how much influence those voters have won within his party.
From The Wall Street Journal:
Before entering a packed Ohio ballroom recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum dug into his pocket, pulling out handwritten notes where he had scrawled "HS"—a reminder to seek the Holy Spirit before his speech—and pushing back a Costco card.
Mr. Santorum's pocket contents capture both the blue-collar image he cultivates, and the evolution of the Republican Party he is courting. With an economic message and a set of conservative social beliefs that appeal especially to working-class Republicans, he is both topping national polls and testing how much influence those voters have won within his party.
His rise also is stirring up tension within the party. Some GOP leaders fret that his positions on gay marriage and abortion are too strong for voters in a general election and urge him to talk more about the economy instead.
When the thousands of interviews conducted in last year's Wall Street Journal/NBC News polls are combined into one data bloc, Americans who call themselves blue-collar workers are as likely to call themselves Republicans as Democrats. In 1990, the statistic leaned Democrat, 43% to 34%.
A new Gallup poll indicates that Mr. Santorum's rise is propelled by these conservative, white voters, beating Mr. Romney by double digits among non-college Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. Some are the same voters who drove the tea-party surge in 2010. Inside the Santorum campaign, the target voter is dubbed: "Cracker Barrel Republican," referring to the national restaurant chain.
Before entering a packed Ohio ballroom recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum dug into his pocket, pulling out handwritten notes where he had scrawled "HS"—a reminder to seek the Holy Spirit before his speech—and pushing back a Costco card.
Mr. Santorum's pocket contents capture both the blue-collar image he cultivates, and the evolution of the Republican Party he is courting. With an economic message and a set of conservative social beliefs that appeal especially to working-class Republicans, he is both topping national polls and testing how much influence those voters have won within his party.
His rise also is stirring up tension within the party. Some GOP leaders fret that his positions on gay marriage and abortion are too strong for voters in a general election and urge him to talk more about the economy instead.
When the thousands of interviews conducted in last year's Wall Street Journal/NBC News polls are combined into one data bloc, Americans who call themselves blue-collar workers are as likely to call themselves Republicans as Democrats. In 1990, the statistic leaned Democrat, 43% to 34%.
A new Gallup poll indicates that Mr. Santorum's rise is propelled by these conservative, white voters, beating Mr. Romney by double digits among non-college Republicans and GOP-leaning independents. Some are the same voters who drove the tea-party surge in 2010. Inside the Santorum campaign, the target voter is dubbed: "Cracker Barrel Republican," referring to the national restaurant chain.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 9:51 PM
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