A new poll has Rick Santorum surging
past Mitt Romney to rank as the most trusted GOP presidential
candidate on gay marriage.
According to the Washington
Post/ABC
News poll released Monday, 31 percent of Republican-leaning
respondents said they trust Santorum the most with social issues such
as abortion and gay marriage. Mitt Romney trails with 22 percent,
followed by Newt Gingrich (15%) and Ron Paul (13%). Six percent of
respondents said they did not trust any of the candidates on social
issues.
Santorum's polling numbers on social
issues have increased substantially since January, when he received
14 percentage points, to overtake Romney, whose numbers have remained
stuck in neutral.
On the campaign trail, Santorum
frequently discusses his opposition to marriage equality, comparing
it to a paper towel during an Iowa Falls campaign stop, blaming
it for the wrecked the economy, and, most recently, suggesting
gay marriage supporters don't respect him.
While Romney has said he supports a
limited partnership for gay couples which would include “such
things as hospital visitation rights and similar things,” he also
favors an amendment to the U.S. Constitution which would define
marriage as a heterosexual union.
Santorum opposes both marriage and
civil
unions for gay couples.