Former Republican senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum will speak at Cornell on Nov. 30 as the Cornell Republicans’ fall speaker, according a release from the organization.
Santorum’s lecture will focus on the future of American politics, emphasizing the importance of the next four years, with Donald Trump as president, according to the release.
“[Santorum] will draw from his experiences inside and outside of Washington to provide his unique perspective on American politics,” the release said.
Cornell Republicans Chair Olivia Corn ’19 emphasized that the club chose to bring Santorum to Cornell in order to give students a “social conservative’s” perspective on the 2016 election.
“After our endorsement of Gary Johnson and the election, we wanted to return the club’s focus back to representing the Republican Party and conservative thought,” Corn said. “We think that Rick Santorum would be the perfect person to do this.”
Austin McLaughlin ’18, Cornell Republicans executive director, added that Santorum — whose former constituency in Pennsylvania swung toward Trump on election night — understands the importance of working class support to the Republican Party.
“Because of his close connection to working class voters from his home state, I believe Santorum has one of the best grasps among Republican leaders on the future of the party,” McLaughlin said.
He added that the politician exemplifies the Republican Party’s need to address internal ideological divides, saying Santorum, “as a proponent of free trade … must reconcile with increasingly protectionist tendencies within the Republican Party.”
Santorum was elected to the House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania, in 1990. He successfully ran for senator in 1995 and served in that capacity until 2007.
The politician campaigned twice for the Republican presidential nomination — once in 2012, in when he finished second to Mitt Romney, and again in 2016, quickly exiting the race after the Iowa caucuses to endorse Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Following the suspension of Rubio’s campaign, Santorum shifted his support to Trump, according to The New York Times.
Santorum attended Pennsylvania State University, where he was chair of his university’s College Republicans chapter. He has also written several books on American politics and history.
The lecture will be held in Alice Statler Auditorium and is free and open to the public.