NOTE: The original title of this article previously referred to radio host Mark Levin's remarks regarding Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann as an "endorsement" of both candidates. This headline has been altered given likely increased attention associated with the Iowa Caucus through google and other search engines. Please be aware remarks in this article do not constitute a formal endorsement of either candidate. In addition, this posting initially indicated Mark Levin made this statement on Friday, December 2nd. That is wrong this occurred on Thursday, December 1st.
Two presidential candidates received a boost from Republican icon Mark Levin Thursday night on Philly’s WNTP 990 AM.
Aside from political commentator Michelle Malkin, Mark Levin is arguably the most prominent Philadelphia native active in the conservative movement today.
The radio host was a magna cum laude graduate of Temple where he went on to earn his juris doctorate from the university’s Beasley School of Law.
Levin matters
Talkers Magazine ranks Mark Levin as the 4th most listened to political talk radio host in the country.
His show enjoys an estimated weekly cumulative audience of 8.5 million listeners – a figure nearly equal to Nielson’s viewership numbers for NBC’s flagship show Nightly News with Brian Williams, America’s highest rated broadcast news program.
Mark Levin is also an influential figure in conservative public policy.
A high ranking official in the Justice Department during the Reagan administration, he served as chief of staff to Attorney General Edwin Meese.
He currently heads the influential Landmark Legal Foundation, a non-profit 501(c)3 advocacy group that has launched numerous litigation efforts on behalf of conservative causes since its founding in 1976.
Santorum & Bachmann
Speaking on December 2nd on Philadelphia’s WNTP 990 AM, Mark Levin addressed rampant queries regarding whom he would endorse in the 2012 GOP primary.
“If the primary were being held in my state – for me – it would come down to two people. For me it would come down to two people: Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.” Levin explained.
“What I’m looking for are the most consistent conservatives, people that have really high level of character,” he elaborated.
“And people I would trust without thought in the Oval Office to do the right thing – or at least to try to do the right thing – for my principled position most of the time.”
In addition, the radio host pushed back against insistence that only Mitt Romney could defeat Barack Obama, maintaining that either conservative would be competitive in a general election.
“I also believe Bachmann or Santorum – if they were to be nominated – could beat Obama or I wouldn’t say that those are two of the people that I would consider voting for. I think they absolutely could.”
2008 vs. 2012
Levin made the point that four years ago he had supported former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson before ultimately shifting towards Romney’s 2008 candidacy in order to block John McCain’s path to the nomination.
“I didn’t support Romney four years ago because I was a big Romney guy or because I thought he was a Reaganite for crying out loud,” he insisted last Friday.
This distinguishes his 2008 endorsement from his December 2nd remarks regarding Rick Santorum and Michele Bachmann in the 2012 GOP presidential primary.
He declined to campaign for either candidate or attempt to sway the opinion of his listeners.
Rather he calmly disclosed his personal preference, noted both campaigns faced an uphill climb, and reaffirmed that if the primary developed into a two-man fight between nominal frontrunners Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich he would support the latter candidate.
A recent Des Moines Register poll showed both conservatives statistically tied among likely caucus-goers in the Hawkeye State – with Bachmann at 8% and Santorum at 6%.
Though he declined to press his political proclivities home, Levin’s remarks still provide a brief window for either presidential hopeful to make political headlines.
With the Iowa Caucus less than one month away, the last minute opportunity for positive media coverage – as well as the chance to shine at the ABC debate in Iowa this Saturday – could provide just enough of a surge to launch a political upset on January 3rd.
Follow John Goodman on Twitter @ Literalville here
Free podcasts of the Mark Levin Show are available here
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