Rick Santorum Drops Out Of GOP Race: 4 Presidential Candidates Who Gave Up This Week

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum dropped out of the GOP race on Tuesday after spending months at the bottom of the polls, and finishing near last in Monday’s Iowa caucus. Few voters heard Santorum during his 2016 campaign, as his poll numbers were so low he failed to make the top-tier rounds of any formal Republican debates. Santorum’s presidential aspirations were higher in 2012, when he beat Mitt Romney and other competitors in that year’s Iowa caucus. In 2016, Santorum campaigned with more of an emphasis on foreign policy, stressing a threat from “radical Islam.” He urged Republicans to wrestle the mantle of working-class issues from Democrats, especially on topics such as wage stagnation.

The former Senator is probably best known to internet users for becoming the “butt” of an online campaign by social critic and LGBT rights activist Dan Savage. During Santorum’s 2010 presidential bid, Savage somewhat successfully turned “santorum” into a neologism for "the frothy mixture of lube and fecal matter that is sometimes the byproduct of anal sex." For years, the definition has been a top Google search result for "santorum."

Savage eagerly tweeted the news of Santorum’s announcement to suspend his campaign Wednesday, taking the opportunity to inject his definition back into the internet.

“Santorum drips out -- oh, wait. Sorry. Drops out. Santorum drops out,” Savage tweeted in response to the breaking news (@fakedansavage is his official account).

Three other presidential candidates dropped out of the race this week following poor showings in the Iowa caucuses, and months of sagging in national polls.

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley (D-Maryland)

Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky)

Former Gov. and talk show host Mike Huckabee (R-Arkansas)