By , ,
Published December 23, 2015
Rick Santorum's wife Karen was very reluctant when her husband started thinking about running for president; but, a year and a half later, she says it was impossible to ignore "God's will."
Karen Santorum, in an interview with Fox News, said it took a very long time to make the decision, because she had originally "totally closed the door to the idea." The former senator was focused on being a father-- coaching little league and watching softball games. So, her husband asked her to start praying about it. "In the end, despite my resistance, when God asks something - you do it. And so we are on the path."
That path has been a long one.
And now, Mrs. Santorum says they are "in it for the long haul." In fact, she is looking ahead to Tampa. In an interview with Fox News, Mrs. Santorum dialed back expectations in Rick Santorum's home state, saying they are "hoping for the best" in the Pennsylvania in a few weeks. But she did point out Pennsylvania is a blue state, and "it's important to remember there were four races before the last one, that we won." She is referring to her husband's failed Senate re-election bid in 2006.
Some in the media may be surprised to hear the former senator described as "an eternal optimist" but that how Mrs. Santorum sees her husband. She claims the media portrays her husband as someone he is not. "He is compassionate, has a heart of gold. They make it seem like he can't talk about more than social issues."
The words she uses to describe the presidential candidate? Tickle monster, freeze tag man, game king, pancake maker -- not often the ones used in blogs and articles about the former Senator.
Karen Santorum insists running is always hardest on the spouse. But, she likes being what she describes as a very big part of the campaign. Karen Santorum says her relationship with her husband is a partnership, and she appears to view the campaign that way as well. The registered neo-natal nurse and former lawyer calls herself as "a news junkie" and says she talks about issues and appearances with her husband every day.
For those who don't see a place for religion in politics, she counters, "Our Christian faith is everything to us. It's so important to pick a leader who comes to the table with strong Christian principles." She insists, while it's important people know where her husband is coming from, "he's not going to make people do things they don't want to do."
Mrs. Santorum claims the campaign isn't about her husband. She says he is running as a calling, adding that every day he prays: "Lord here I am. I'm your servant. What do you want from me today?"
You can see the full interview this Sunday on Fox News at 1pmET.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/video-santorums-wife-reluctant-to-run-but-it-was-gods-will