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Santorum Reflects On Decision To Run For President

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Many have aspired to become president of the United States, but only a select few have achieved that goal.

Trying to become one of the few is former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

Santorum recently sat down with KDKA-TV's Stacy Smith for an exclusive interview to talk about the campaign.

Smith: Running for the presidency of the United States, did you ever think you'd be doing this?

Santorum: No, I can really honestly say it's - a kid, every time you say, you know, 'I want to be president.' I'm sure I said it once or twice in my life. But look Stacy, if you go back I never really wanted to run for federal office of any kind. I wasn't that interested in it.

However, in 1990 he did become interested when he became "frustrated" with the congressman in his district. So, he ran against him and won in upset fashion.

In 1994, he ran for the Senate and defeated the incumbent Democratic senator.

He won re-election in 2000 and soon after that, others began to talk with him about running for president.

"I remember it would have been eight years ago and having a conversation with someone. They sat down with me, this is someone you know, pretty big deal, of a person, who said you should think about running for president," Santorum said. "I said, 'Are you crazy? I'm not going to run for president.'"

Santorum was defeated in his 2006 re-election bid and said he was content to work in the private sector.

That is until the 2008 election and with changes in Washington, D.C., he said he could no longer sit on the sidelines.

"It was not something my wife and kids, with one exception, wanted me to do. It was not something that I really planned to do. It was just something that I felt I had to walk the path and just see if this was something I was called to do, and here I am," Santorum said.

Santorum is currently running third in most national polls.

Santorum's brother, Dan, thinks he will win the nomination and the presidency, because of his roots.

"I mean there are no harder working people I know than in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio. I mean, it's just that area of this country is just, they're special people. I think when he went to Iowa, his western Pennsylvania roots really came out and the people of Iowa embraced it. That's why he won," Dan Santorum said.

Santorum's 93-year-old mother, Kay, has another reason her son has done well in politics.

"He knows what he is talking about and he sticks to his guns whenever he has anything to say," she said.

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