Rick Santorum to Carson: Now is the time to fight, not whine

GOP candidate reacts to doctor's threat to leave the Republican Party

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," December 11, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BEN CARSON, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If it became clear that they were using various types of procedures to get around the will of the people, I would leave. I just wouldn`t want to be part of it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All right. That was from earlier, Ben Carson indicating that if there is any sign of a cabal trying to deny the will of the voter, the people, he wants out, just like Donald Trump would want out.

Rick Santorum with us right now, the presidential candidate, what he makes of all of that.

What do you think, Rick?

RICK SANTORUM, R-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I -- I just go back to four years ago, when the cabal spent $30 million to $40 million torching me across the country in defense of Mitt Romney when I was the number one competitor.

We had the state of Michigan, the state party, actually change the rules the day after the primary to take a delegate away from me. So, look, I have seen all this. This is nothing new.

The establishment plays hardball. And they play for real. But the idea that you`re going to walk away from the party? What are you going to walk to? Where are you going? Are you going to go to the Democratic Party?

This is a time to fight. This is not a time to talk about, oh, if they don`t treat me right, I`m going to leave. You stand out there, you fight for what you believe in.

And I`m sitting, as you know, not very high in the polls. Am I complaining because I didn`t get in the first debate? No. You go out and you fight. You deliver the message. And you go out and make sure that the -- you`re doing your best to represent those people by getting your ideas across and standing up to the powers that be.

CAVUTO: Right now, were you annoyed when Bob Vander Plaats, who backed you in Iowa, and then you won Iowa, and then he he`s left you, and gone on to Ted Cruz? Does that bother you?

SANTORUM: Well, I don`t think he left me. I think he endorsed me for the last race. That doesn`t guarantee anything for the next one. I mean, Mike Huckabee was endorsed the race before. So...

CAVUTO: Well, what did you say to him when he told you, Senator, it`s not you?

SANTORUM: Look, I told him I was disappointed. I think he made the wrong call.

But we`re going to go out there and continue to fight. One of the things I found out four years ago is that Iowans are late deciders. Seventy-five percent of Iowans don`t decide until the last month. That was four years ago.

It was the same thing eight years ago. I think it will be higher this time. I know that 50 percent of my voters didn`t decide until the last three days four years ago. So, if know that this race is still very wide open, no matter what all the experts say. This race is still there for the taking. And that`s why I`m not walking away if someone treats me poorly.
I`m going to keep fighting.

CAVUTO: No, I -- no, I`m impressed by that.

But, Senator, the reason why I mentioned it -- and maybe it gets back to this thing we were discussing with Dr. Ben Carson, this feeling that -- maybe it started with Scott Walker when he left the race, that he wanted the party to rally around at the time an alternative to Donald Trump, I think.

He echoed it again in this past week, and he said that those that don`t really have a serious chance of winning should drop out, and find -- or
coalesce around someone who can challenge him. What do you make of that?

SANTORUM: Neil, Neil, how about trusting the voters?

Nobody has cast a vote yet. The idea that this is -- this is the games that go on, and games that went on four years ago.

CAVUTO: Yes.

SANTORUM: Behind the scenes, oh, we have to do this.

You know what? People said, you should get out four years ago. I was at 5 percent three weeks before the Iowa caucuses. And that was in Iowa.

CAVUTO: OK.

SANTORUM: And they said, oh, get out, because, you know, you need to coalesce.

Trust the voters. And all of these candidates posturing about what they might do if someone does -- look, they`re going to be lots of punches thrown in this race.

CAVUTO: All right.

SANTORUM: You`re not going to like some of them. Some of them are going to be below the belt, but you get back up and you keep punching, and trust the people of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina. That`s what I`m going to do.

CAVUTO: Rick Santorum, always good seeing you. Thank you very much.

SANTORUM: My pleasure. Thank you.

CAVUTO: All right.

END

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