Rick Santorum Still Shooting For Iowa Caucus Success

ADEL, Iowa – Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum hunted pheasant alongside U.S. Representative Steve King to underline his conservative stances today.

Santorum, dressed in an orange hunting jacket and cap with the letters “NRA” stitched in, told reporters, “I make the argument that there’s nobody who’s done more for the Second Amendment and been stronger on that issue than I have,” shot-gun in hand.

He continued by warning of Obama’s potential re-election and the effect it would have on gun rights. He pointed to the 2008 Supreme Court decision in the Heller case, which broke down D.C.’s strict gun control laws. He said:

“If you read the dissent in Heller, no gun owner should feel comfortable this is a secure constitutional right according to this Supreme Court, and that’s why we need a good, strong Republican conservative who understands what it means to appoint and confirm solid judges and justices.”

Santorum shied away from criticism regarding his endorsement last week by conservative activist Bob Vander Plaats.Vander Plaats, president of the conservative group The Family Leader, reportedly asked Santorum to pay for his endorsement, an arrangement that Santorum dismissed today. Of the controversy, Santorum said:

“I think some people who did not get the endorsement are trying to stir the pot to make it what it isn’t. …If you’re going to endorse somebody, you want to make sure that your endorsement is out there among the people that follow you as supporters of his. That’s all he was saying to me; I didn’t think anything of it.”

Santorum has a bigger prize in his sights: the endorsement of hunting partner Steve King, which could sway votes in next weeks’ quintessentially important Iowa caucuses. King, for his part, remained ambivalent about his endorsement of a specific Republican candidate, and with only a week to go before caucuses, it seems as though he may not endorse anyone at all. King said:

“I’ve got a few days yet before a decision has to be made. I want my head and my heart to come together, and when that happens, and if that happens, I’ll jump in with both feet. I hope it’s not after the ship’s already left, but it could be.”

Either way, Santorum is yet hopeful for the Iowa caucuses, which look like they will either make or break him.

“We still have a week to go, and no votes have been cast, and I feel very, very good that all the work that we’ve done, all the groundwork we’ve done, the foundation we’ve laid, it’s coming and working just perfectly,” he said.

Santorum still seems like a long-shot, but the election is still a year away, and the Iowa caucus will give voters a better idea of who has the best shot at the title.

What do you think of Santorum? Surprised he’s still in the race or do you think things might turn around for him? Let us know down below.