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The anti-gay Family Research Council and evangelical leaders have endorsed Republican candidate Rick Santorum for president amid observations that the social conservatives are unhappy with the idea of frontrunner Mitt Romney’s nomination.
On Saturday, Tony Perkins, FRC’s president, announced Santorum had won the backing of the nearly 170 conservative leaders who gathered in Brenham, Texas, to discuss the GOP primary race and top policy goals for a Republican administration.
Rick Santorum
“There is clearly a united group here that is committed to see … a true conservative elected to the White House,” Perkins said after the decision was made, according to Reuters.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has dubbed the Family Research Council a “hate group” in part because of its opposition to LGBT rights. Other anti-gay leaders who were present at the meeting — and backing Santorum — were Gary Bauer and Focus on the Family founder James Dobson.
The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania won the endorsement on the third round of balloting, Politico reports. Of the 114 votes cast, Santorum won 85. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich took the remainder.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry didn’t even make it past the first round of balloting — even though the meeting was held in his home state and he’s heavily courted evangelicals since the beginning of his campaign.
Santorum is line with the views of evangelicals on social issue because he’s taken a hard line on them — especially opposition to same-sex marriage — over the course of his presidential campaign.
While campaigning before the New Hampshire primary, Santorum said the legalization of same-sex marriage could lead to polygamy and said children would be better off having parents in prison rather than parents of the same gender. Santorum has also said he’s restore “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” if elected president.
Meanwhile, Romney has said he supports “full rights” for gay people, although he opposes same-sex marriage. The former Massachusetts governor has said he’d leave open service for gays in the military as it is.
But both Santorum and Romney have signed a pledge from the National Organization for Marriage committing themselves to back a Federal Marriage Amendment, defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court and establish a presidential commission on “religious liberty.”
LGBT groups on the right and left had mixed reactions to evangelical leaders’ decision to endorse Santorum.
R. Clarke Cooper, executive director of the National Log Cabin Republicans, said he doesn’t think the endorsement will translate into much success for Santorum over the long term.
“For some voters, an endorsement from the FRC will help Rick Santorum but it will not translate into a long term gain with the general electorate,” Cooper said. “If anything, the FRC endorsement will further isolate Rick Santorum from the general electorate.”
Log Cabin has been emphasizing that social issues won’t play out well for Republican presidential candidates in their campaigns and economic issues will help them win the White House.
Filed under: National Headlines
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No surprise there.
Why am I not surprised..hmmm.
Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.
Earth is also round, and orbits the sun
They would there as ignorant as them.
OMG! Not a big surprise, huh?? :) LOL
I’ll bet they’re paying him to be their anti-gay puppet.
So the biggest bigot of all gets the nod from the heads of the bigots. No surprise here.
Shit I don’t care about gay marriage rights because they are how they are now, but I don’t think it’s fair to be TAKING away the right to be openly gay in the military because they JUST made it so…
Please have some common sense and don’t vote for that sanotrom whatever his face is…. He’s a douche…
Someone oughta lock him in a prison cell with 10 other convicts in it…
Big surprise!
so they use the anti-gay platform to further their own political ambitions – not sure if this their best card to deal or the joker is wild.
Dare we ask for an retraction of the endorsement for our LGBTQ political ambitions?
like a bad dream….
Bad dream MY ASS. This is a fucking nightmare. Our country will be forced into a downward spiral, all progress reverted back to the days of witch hunts. He is the LAST person we need in office… just like those other right-wing douche nozzles.
are they not a hate group
ba-duh!
Birds of a feather…
and I endorse a run by rainbow flagging
Has anyone checked his closet for skeletons?
Gee imagine that!
Birds of a feather flock together….
I’ll laugh when he gets the crap beating out of him.
What’s douches.
Like flys support shit.
in other news, Lil Wayne is black.
Well of course..those rectums don’t vote on real issues, they just vote for candidates who hate like they do…
F*cking nazis. That’s exactly what they are.
Just another Mother F**king Biggot!
I hate prejudice of any kind. It’s so wrong, and it never leads to anything good. Kindness ALWAYS leads to peace and happiness among everyone!
“True happiness is the absence of misery from the world.” -ME
I tell you one thing, though… I am NOT going to vote for him, that’s for sure… :(
Pffft “The Family Research Council” more like “Stuck up right wing religious zealots trying to ensure that our way is the ONLY way”. See I can make up a pointless name for a imaginary council that believes they do something when we all know that’s a lie.
MY,MY, WHAT A SHOCK, WHAT A HORROR……NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This from a guy who nearly chocked on a corn dog at the Iowa State Fair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here’s your poster boy for the Vatican folks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why is there so much hate towards us gays,not all gays party and do drugs or waste their lives,there are some descent gays that wana be with someone live a normal life with their partner and stuff ,sersly
If Bachmann is out, Santorum is not far behind, he is too radical and people see through him, too bad people don’t see through romney and the other canidates on the GOP this campaign. I wish we had more canidates like Fred Karger!