Rick Santorum

Richard John "Rick" Santorum was born in 1958 in Winchester, Virginia and grew up mainly outside Pittsburgh. The second of three children, Santorum had a strong Catholic upbringing by his mother who was a nurse, and his father who was a psychologist. Santorum received undergraduate and law degrees from Penn State, and an M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh. Santorum served as a US senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007, and a US congressman before that. After leaving the Senate in 2007, he started working at a conservative think tank as a consultant. He is married with 7 kids, the youngest of whom is a special-needs child. Santorum ran for president in 2012 as a republican candidate, but was the runner-up to Mitt Romney. In 2015, he announced his plans to seek the Republican nomination for the 2016 presidential election. This time around, Santorum's poll numbers have been consistently low, but he is optimistic he can gain momentum three weeks out.

Campaign Website

Tax Reform

The 20/20 Flat Tax Plan

• Repeal the tax code
• 20% flat tax on individual income, with no marriage penalty, death tax, alternative minimum tax
• 20% flat tax on business income
• Dramatically downsize the IRS
• Deductible capital investments
• Fully Repeal Obamacare

Jobs and Business Policy

• Increase minimum wage by $0.50 per year for three years
• Provide companies with a 100% income exemption to be phased out over two years, with tax deductions for capital investments
• Negotiate Free Trade Agreements
• Audit the Federal Reserve
• "Fewer than 1% of Americans earn minimum wage; let it go up." (CNN)
• "GOP must focus on opportunities for middle and lower class." (On The Issues)

Sources Key

(CNN) = [1]

(On The Issues) = [2]