When I came home the other day, my cat was rolling in catnip with that look of “I told you so” all over her face.

When I asked what was making her so smug, she replied that she didn’t have to take down the “Pick Rick” poster from above her litter box. Rick Santorum, 2012 Presidential contender, was back for the presidential race of 2016.

The poster, frayed around the edges and smelling of ammonia, could use a refresh I told her. I promised to pick up a new one for her should Santorum make it that far. Trying not to appear defensive, I reminded her that Santorum might not make it to the debates as the Republican candidates were swarming like the ants trying to get into her food bowl.

In 2012, I added, Santorum was barely allowed to speak.

“Have the powers-that-be chosen a Republican candidate yet?” she asked, whiskers twitching.

“There’s no clear ‘Mitt Romney’ yet,” I answered. “But in the coming weeks the media will pose one candidate front and center of each debate then we’ll know who we’re supposed to vote for.”

Three New Entrants

This week three new contenders joined the race, two Republicans – Rick Santorum and George Pataki – and one Democrat – Martin O’Malley.

The last wave of entrants was made entirely of Virgo suns. This wave has more diversity but is skewed to the earth signs. A summary of current candidates suggests the earth signs shall inherit the presidency.

The two earth signs are Santorum and O’Malley. George Pataki is a water sign.

Rick Santorum

Santorum goes first because my cat insists. But we’ve (she and I) written quite a bit about Rick which can be found here.

What’s changed for Santorum since 2012?

In 2012, Jupiter was transiting Taurus on Santorum’s sun and moved to Gemini near the election. Jupiter on one’s sun is generally deemed positive. For Taurus, it involves acquisition of money and property.

Jupiter during this election cycle will be transiting Virgo which makes a trine to the other two sun signs Taurus and Capricorn. Trines are nice and provide comfort but not excess. For Santorum, however, Jupiter will be opposing his natal Mars in Pisces and later squaring his Saturn in Jupiter.

If you’ve heard Santorum speak, you know he’s direct as his Mercury in Aries would suggest. With sun in Taurus and moon in Aquarius, his thoughts are definitive.

The Jupiter opposition and squares are in mutable signs which are adaptable and changeable. Sometimes, too, mutable deals with conflict through avoidance. For Santorum, avoidance isn’t a natural response so he may be learning when to push and shove and when to sneak out the back door and pay off the doorman.

Saturn in Sagittarius (it’s currently retrograde in Scorpio but will be going forward again soon) will make its return in Santorum’s chart at about the time the next president is inaugurated (January 2017). In fact, it will be almost exactly in return on that date.

All I can tell you and the cat is that in January 2017, if Santorum isn’t president, you won’t see him again seeking this role as Saturn will set him on a new path. If we live to our 80s, we’ll have three Saturn returns. The first at age 30 is when you mature; the second around age 60 is when you think about the “remains of your days.” The last return coincides with a Neptune return where you must make peace with Saturn as Neptune (dissolution) comes floating through the cracks in the windows and doors.

Santorum’s second Saturn return will define that late-middle portion of his life. In Sagittarius, if he doesn’t become president, he may choose some other podium from which to proclaim his ideas.

Martin O’Malley

In O’Malley, we have our second challenger to the sovereign Democrat contender Hillary Clinton. O’Malley, incidentally, is 11 days older than Republican contender Rand Paul.

When my cat reviewed the “Martin O’Malley” for president website, she almost changed teams. While I hesitate to use the word “shallow,” sometimes my feline chooses candidates more on looks than on issues. People would never do that.

O’Malley has sun in Capricorn and moon/Neptune in Scorpio. The last two and a half years must have been tough with Saturn transiting these two planets. With the exceptions of Mars in Leo and Venus in Sagittarius, O’Malley’s chart is serious so the Saturn transit was a “do or die” period of time for O’Malley.

Running for President must be what he decided he must “do.”

Saturn will be moving into Sagittarius where it will transit Venus. Saturn has been testing the limits of relationship and probably marriage.

Transiting Jupiter in Leo has been good to Mars and Venus. But in August, Jupiter will move into Virgo and begin moving over his Uranus/Pluto conjunction in Virgo. This is the generation my comrade-in-astrology mentioned would be having their political and non-political heydays.

Natal Jupiter in Pisces will oppose this Jupiter-in-Virgo transit. O’Malley’s serious nature may make him extreme during this period. This is perfectionism gone wild with lots of anxiety and worry to boot.

O’Malley’s Mercury and Saturn are in Aquarius. He’d actually be a good running mate for Santorum if they were on the same team. Mercury in Aquarius represents a great ability to speak to the public (our “Great Communicator” President Reagan had sun in Aquarius). However, Saturn is also in Aquarius making him feel like he’s not intellectually or ideally part of the group.

There’s a lot of strength in this chart; strength for both Capricorn and Scorpio often come from taking the path of most resistance because of the need to face (all) responsibility. If O’Malley can hone his more fiery planets (Mars and Venus), he might be able to carry his seriousness to a nation that seeks optimism in politics.

George Pataki

Pataki has three planets in watery Cancer – sun, Saturn and Mercury (Saturn and Mercury are conjunct). Moon appears to be in fiery, wandering Sagittarius.

Cancer and Sagittarius are quite different in drives and motivations. Cancer is looking for a place to belong while Sagittarius gathers no moss. This is the kind of guy who created the RV so that he could travel across the country while carrying the comforts of home behind him.

It’s a hermit crab on Miami Beach.

With Mars and Venus in Taurus, I feel like Pataki should have run in 2012 when Jupiter was transiting that sign. However, he does have natal Jupiter in Virgo so we have that transiting Jupiter- in-Virgo influence in this chart.

For Pataki, Jupiter in Virgo (natal or transit) makes a square to moon in Sagittarius and Uranus in Gemini. This is mutable eccentricity at its best with a diversity of friends and unusual sideline interests. I like this guy.

Transiting Pluto in Capricorn, however, is opposing the Cancer energy while Saturn will be transiting the moon (in Sagittarius). Pluto and Saturn can put an abrupt halt to life’s endeavors which include your marriage, job and political aspirations.

While running for president is never easy, the transits in Pataki’s chart suggest that the stones thrown in his path may be more like boulders. Sagittarius moon likes to leap over boulders while Cancer sun likes to crawl under them and hide.

I’m expecting his campaign to have unusual situations and quirky responses. This is the kind of fun I expect from a political campaign so look forward to it.

The Roundup

We currently have 11 confirmed candidates. As I mention often, the US likes fixed energy in its presidents. The fixed signs are Taurus (earth), Leo (fire), Scorpio (water) and Aquarius (air).

By sun sign, only two have sun in a fixed sign (Clinton, Santorum). However, when we look at Mars, which represents drive, eight of the 11 candidates have Mars in fixed sign. Of those five are in Leo, a strong sign for leadership in the Americas (Carson, Clinton, Huckabee, O’Malley and Paul).

The three candidates without Mars in a fixed sign are Fiorina (Capricorn), Sanders (Aries) and Santorum (Pisces). Mars likes being in Capricorn where it’s exalted and in Aries because Mars rules Aries. Mars in Pisces is the weakest position because Mars wants to move in one direction and Pisces creates a foggy situation and muddy roads.

By total number of fixed signs in planets from sun to Saturn, Clinton and Huckabee win with five each. Rubio may also have five if he would let us know in which sign his moon is placed (write to ohioastrology@yahoo.com with time of birth).

Those with only one fixed sign are Carson, Fiorina and Sanders.

Fixed-sign suns do not always win the election; but they are still the majority for US presidents. The other two modes are cardinal and mutable with mutable coming in last, Gemini specifically. It will be interesting to see how the fixed energy plays out in this election.

What is interesting is the bale of earth signs coming out to seek the presidency. The upcoming transit of Jupiter in Virgo will trine the earth signs (which are a natural trine, see?). The energy appears to be revving up early as eight of the 11 candidates are earth. The three that are not are Clinton, Pataki, and Rubio.

While Santorum has only two fixed signs in his chart, they happen to be the prominent sun (in Taurus) and moon (in Aquarius). My cat thinks that Santorum’s fixed energy will trump all the fixed and earth in the election.

We have a wager; if she’s right, she gets a new litter box. If not, no more political gloating for her!