Will Social Issues Play a Factor in the 2012 Election? [POLL]

Rick Santorum is arguably the most socially conservative candidate in the GOP field. And even though most painted the 2012 election as being about the economy, it seems as though social issues are playing a bigger role than originally thought. Some believe that might be part of the reason for Santorum's rise in the polls lately. According to FOX News there are a few reasons why social issues are becoming a central part of the campaign.

They include the decision by the Obama administration, now amended, to require institutions run by the Roman Catholic Church to provide contraception coverage to female workers; the ruling by a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that overturns California's law banning gay marriage; the Pentagon's decision to open about 14,000 combat-related positions to women, and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation's decision to withdraw, then restore, grant money to Planned Parenthood.

"This is (Santorum's) bread and butter," says Nathan Gonzales of the Rothenberg Political Report. "Rick Santorum couldn't have manufactured this scenario, where he is in a dead heat with Mitt Romney."

So what do you think? Will social issues play a major part in the 2012 election? Or is it still all about the economy?