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Rick Santorum trolled for calling abortion and marijuana 'sexy' as he bemoans Republican setback in Ohio

The former senator made the remarks after it was predicted that Tuesday’s election results would be detrimental to conservative causes

COLUMBUS, OHIO: Former Senator Rick Santorum has been facing considerable wrath online for calling abortion and marijuana 'sexy' while explaining why Republicans keep falling short in Ohio.

The 67-year-old Senator made the remarks after it was predicted that Tuesday’s election results would be detrimental to Republicans and conservative causes.

“You put very sexy things like abortion and marijuana on the ballot, and a lot of young people come out and vote,” he said on Newsmax.

Both issues were on the ballot in Ohio where voters approved laws safeguarding reproductive rights and legalizing marijuana for recreational use on Tuesday, November 7, despite the state's reddening.

Santorum, who was sacked as a CNN analyst in 2021 for making very offensive remarks about Native Americans, labeled the two issues "a secret sauce for disaster" for Republicans in the state.

“Thank goodness that most of the states in this country don’t allow you to put everything on the ballot because pure democracies are not the way to run a country,” he stated further.

Santorum’s remarks apparently underscore the divisions within the Republican Party and its struggles to address evolving social and cultural dynamics.

Abortion and Marijuana in Ohio

On Tuesday, Ohio voters supported the legalization of marijuana for recreational use and safeguarded the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

With 98% of precincts, 56.4% of voters voted yes on Issue 1, titled a "Self-Executing Amendment Relating to Abortion and Other Reproductive Decisions” and 56.8% of voters said yes to Issue 2, to commercialize and legalize the use of cannabis, according to Court House News.

Ohio's abortion laws have been under attack since the US Supreme Court reversed Roe v Wade last year. The Issue 1 would include the right to an abortion up until viability—the point at which a baby may survive outside the uterus with appropriate care—into the state constitution.

Additionally, it asserts that women have the right to continue their pregnancy, obtain contraception, and get care after a miscarriage.

However, Issue 2 would legalize the possession of 2.5 ounces of cannabis in any form, excluding extract, and 15 grams of extract by Ohioans who are 21 years of age or older.

Additionally, they could grow no more than 12 plants in a home with numerous adults, and as many as six plants per individual.

Products would be taxed 10% on top of Ohio's sales tax. The revenue would support communities with dispensaries, a state fund to fight drug misuse, administrative expenses, and a cannabis social justice and jobs program, according to Cincinnati.

Internet reacts to Santorum’s remarks

Santorum’s remarks have garnered immense social media attention, with users slamming him for calling abortion and marijuana ‘sexy’.

“Democracy: bad. Abortion: “sexy.” Punditry, Santorum style,” one user said. “Pure democracies are not how you run a country. Saying the quiet part out loud,” the second user wrote.

“OMG. Not Santorum. He’s like a bad cold. You just cannot get rid of him. 🤬”, the third user fumed while the fourth asserted, “He’s actually saying that the reason democracy sucks is because republicans lose. He’s conceding that shitty ideas and bad people can’t win in a democracy and he hates that.”

“Wow. I did NOT think I could hate him more. I was wrong,” the fifth user stated. “If Santorum keeps talking about “secret sauce”, Mercedes’ husband might show up,” another user said.

“Can Santorum go back to wherever he's been, please? Thanks,” one more wrote.