Social Conservative Also Known for Strong Support of Israel getty images Iowa Spotlight: Once a longshot, Rick Santorum has gained momentum in the final days before the Republican caucuses in Iowa. By Nathan Guttman Published January 03, 2012. Rick Santorum, the latest GOP presidential hopeful to land in the spotlight, has long touted his pro-Israel and anti-Iran policies on the campaign trail. But Santorum’s ultra conservative ideology, which includes an anti-gay agenda, opposition to abortion rights and denial of the theory of evolution, has always been a barrier distancing him from the Jewish electorate. Now, on the eve of the Iowa presidential contest, Santorum’s supporters are touting the former U.S. senator’s outreach to Jewish organizations in fighting for religious freedom and combating anti-Semitism despite their differences on family and domestic issues. “He takes his religion very seriously,” said Barbara Ledeen, a former Senate staffer who worked closely with Santorum referring to his Catholic beliefs. “He always told me he believes that Catholics and Jews are the canaries in the coal mine warning against religious prejudice.” Rick Santorum represented Pennsylvania in the Senate from 1995 to 2007, but lost his bid for a third term to Democrat Bob Casey. He announced his run for the Republican nomination early on in the race and has since focused his efforts on Iowa, where the first caucuses will take place on January 3. Santorum virtually moved to Iowa, spending much of his time and money on the Hawkeye state. But until December, he failed to move the needle in local and national polls. Recently, Santorum has surged, with a set of polls, placing him as a strong third, after Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, just one week before the Iowa caucuses take place. Santorum’s surge pushed him ahead of Newt Gingrich, who had earlier taken the spotlight. The latest Des Moines Register poll, which was released Saturday night, showed him doing particularly well among voters deciding at the last minute. He also outpaced Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Rep. Michele Bachmann, both of whom are aiming to draw support from social conservatives, suggesting he might unite that fractious group and pull off an upset. Santorum’s appeal to Jewish voters is based on his proven congressional history of supporting Israel. “Very few things speak as compelling to a voter or to a supporter as a record, a history of what you’ve actually done,” said Ben Chouake, president of NORPAC, a New Jersey-based PAC that raises money for candidates based on their views on Israel. “You have a guy like Gingrich and a guy like Santorum, two candidates who have been extraordinary on our issue when they were in office. It wasn’t a side issue,” Chouake added, “it was, how can I get this done.” Santorum’s Senate record includes key sponsorship of a bill aimed at imposing sanctions on Syria and initiating legislation toughening existing measures against Iran. In his December 7 speech at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s presidential candidates forum, held in Washington DC, Santorum blasted the Obama administration’s policy on Iran and Syria and predicted that the looming threat from Iran could eclipse economic issues by the time Americans go to the polls in November 2012. But Santorum showed some vulnerability on his pro-Israel record when asked, in a December 28 CNN interview, whether he’d vote for Ron Paul if the Texas isolationist libertarian wins the Republican nomination. “Absolutely,” Santorum replied, although he added he’d “have to take a lot of antacid” before entering the voting booth. Jewish Democrats were quick to pick up on the remark, sending email blasts in which they highlighted Santorum’s willingness to support Paul who is known for his strong anti-Israel approach to foreign policy. A glance into Santorum’s potential problem with Jewish voters was provided during the RJC candidates’ forum, when a member of the audience asked the former Pennsylvania Senator how he could convince Jewish voters holding moderate views on social issues to support him. Santorum dismissed the issue, explaining the there are no major differences between all candidates on topics such as abortions or gay rights. The Forward welcomes reader comments in order to promote thoughtful discussion on issues of importance to the Jewish community. In the interest of maintaining a civil forum, the Forward requires that all commenters be appropriately respectful toward our writers, other commenters and the subjects of the articles. Vigorous debate and reasoned critique are welcome; name-calling and personal invective are not. While we generally do not seek to edit or actively moderate comments, the Forward reserves the right to remove comments for any reason.