The quadrennial tradition of everyone in politics becoming an expert on the Iowa Caucus has begun. Anyone with a twitter account seems to know everything about anything to do with the first-in-the-nation caucus state, with the latest fixation declaring who will surprise and be the “Democrats’ Rick Santorum.” But before we start making this comparison, a history lesson is in order.
Despite being a former congressman and former member of the U.S. Senate leadership from one of the most coveted swing-state electoral prizes, Santorum was a footnote in political stories when he announced his 2012 campaign.