Rick Santorum has won the endorsement
of two prominent conservative leaders in Iowa, the Des
Moines Register reported.
Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of
umbrella group The Family Leader, and Chuck Hurley, head of the Iowa
Family Policy Center, gave their personal backing to the former
Pennsylvania senator on Tuesday.
The Family Leader, however, won't
officially endorse a candidate before next month's Iowa GOP caucuses.
“There's a lot of good people out
here running, and I'm sure it was a tough decision,” Santorum told
the paper. “I think it shows that we're the candidate right now
that has the momentum, that has the message that's resonating to the
people of Iowa.”
The Family Leader hosted a November 22
Thanksgiving Family Forum attended by six GOP candidates.
Santorum, along with Minnesota Rep.
Michele Bachmann and Texas Governor Rick Perry, signed the group's
controversial 14-point anti-gay marriage pledge.
Each presidential candidate was asked
to “vigorously” oppose marriage equality, be faithful to his or
her own spouse, vow to protect women and children from pornography
and reject Sharia law because it is a “form of totalitarian
control.”
The pledge ironically asks candidates
to have “respect for the marital bonds of others” in a state
where gay marriage is legal and footnotes to the document suggest
that being gay is a choice that may have a negative impact on public
health.
(Related: Bob
Vander Plaats criticizes Ron Paul for stance on social issues.)