Presidential Candidate Rick Santorum Thinks Christian Voters Should Not Judge Mitt Romney And Jon Huntsman For Being Mormons

During an interview with David Gregory on NBC's Meet The Press on Sunday June 12th, 2011, Rick Santorum, one of the newest presidential candidates in the race, said that he hopes Christian voters will not hold Jon Huntsman's and Mitt Romney's Mormon faith against them. Santorum, a former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania who is a Roman Catholic and a champion for social conservative causes, is the latest to weigh in on the question as to whether Christians should support a Mormon candidate for president.

Scroll down about halfway through the written transcript of the interview to find this brief exchange:

MR. GREGORY: Let me ask you about being a Christian conservative in the race. Do you think that Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, will have a problem in this race in the primary as Mormons?

SEN. SANTORUM: I hope not. I hope that people look at the, at the qualities of candidates and look at what they believe in and look at what they're for, look at their records and make a decision.

A May 2011 Pew survey still indicates that one out of four respondents might still be less likely to vote for a presidential candidate if he or she was Mormon. Thus the supportive remarks by Santorum, whose social conservative credentials are strong, are likely to erode the barriers further.

But progress has been realized. Conservatives4Palin has averaged up the totals from six recent national polls, and their research shows that Mitt Romney has planted himself in the catbird seat:

Mitt Romney: 23%
Sarah Palin: 17%
Herman Cain: 8%
Newt Gingrich: 7%
Ron Paul: 7%
Michele Bachmann: 5%
Tim Pawlenty: 4%
Rick Santorum: 3%
Jon Huntsman: 1%

Huntsman's numbers don't tell the whole story; they're primarily a product of low name recognition. Qualitative polls indicate that of those who recognize his name, there's a good split between approval and disapproval; in contrast, while Sarah Palin has higher approval ratings, they are significantly outstripped by her disapproval ratings among independents and Democrats. Getting nominated is only half the battle; getting elected is the ultimate objective.

Rick Santorum may have little chance of getting nominated, but he's shown that his personal integrity combined with his Congressional experience would make him a worthy occupant of the White House.