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Rick Santorum Announces Second Run for President, Says He’s “Sickened” by Duggar Scandal

Rick Santorum announces he will run for president
Rick Santorum announced his second run for president on May 27, and weighed in on the Duggars, who supported him in his 2012 campaign and are now embroiled in a molestation scandal involving eldest son Josh

Throw another hat into the ring! Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum announced on Wednesday, May 27, that he's joining the race for the Republican Presidential nomination in 2016 — his second run for the White House after a failed bid in 2012. 

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs' political affiliations

The married father of seven, 57, tweeted his intent to run after a live event in his home state. "Today I announce my candidacy for President of the United States!" he wrote. "Join me at ricksantorum.com and let's take back America!"

He followed that with several tweets about his campaign, including: "Join us in restoring the American dream for hard-working Americans." Other posts described his plans to "scrap the corrupt tax code," "put a stake in the heart of Common Core," and "stand for the principle that every life matter[s]." 

Related: PHOTOS: Stars who've played the president

The morning after his big reveal, Santorum appeared on Good Morning America, where he discussed his aspirations with ABC News vet George Stephanopoulos. 

"I'm ready to do this again," he said on Thursday, May 28. "It's an exciting opportunity to come back home…I've been working on this really my entire political career."

Related: PHOTOS: First children

Stephanopoulos then brought up Santorum's previous run for president, during which he had the support of the Duggar family, who've dominated headlines for the last week because of a molestation scandal involving eldest son Josh Duggar, 27. 

"I'm sickened by it," Santorum said when asked for his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the 19 Kids and Counting star. "I'm just sickened by it. I pray for those girls, in particular. To have gone through that is just hard to think about."

Related: PHOTOS: Duggar family album

Santorum is just the latest politician to join what is becoming a crowded Republican race for president in 2016. His competition includes Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, and Mike Huckabee. On the Democratic side, only Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have announced their intent to run.  

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