By Sam Stein and Amanda Terkle
CONCORD, N.H. -- The cozy conservative confines of the Iowa caucuses have given way to an unpredictable and often unruly New Hampshire primary, where the questioners are a bit more salty and the political terrain a lot more difficult to traverse. On Thursday afternoon, Rick Santorum became the latest in the GOP field to encounter the type of hostile crowd that never really presented itself as he became the latest candidate-de-jour in Iowa.
Appearing at the College Convention in Concord, N.H., the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania faced boos and hisses as he launched familiar defenses of his positions on same-sex marriage, federal drug laws and Judeo-Christian values. When his answers failed to persuade the crowd, he was forced to resort to Socratic method -- a tactic that frustrated some in the audience and led to shouts that he was avoiding the questions.
"If it makes three people happy to get married, based on what you just said, what makes that wrong and what you said right?" Santorum asked a young woman grilling him on marriage equality, comparing same-sex marriage to polygamy.
When she responded that his question was "irrelevant," Santorum replied, "You know, it's important, if we're going to have a discussion based on rational, reasoned thought, that we employ reason." There were audible groans from the audience.
"I always try to give kids the opportunity," Santorum explained to several reporters as he walked away from the event. "I'm trying to. I sort of always look, when you're with kids, to try to engage them and try to get them thinking about why they're thinking the way they're thinking."
Santorum tried his best to control his environment, asking at his town hall meetings that state residents get priority in asking questions.
Video & More: New Hampshire Primary: GOP Candidates Enter Political Disneyland
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