Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently had a very extensive interview with MusicRadar. Among the many subjects discussed, Mustaine talked politics — supporting Senator Rick Santorum, the Republican Party and breaking down what he thinks of each major Republican presidential candidate.

“I’m just hoping that [whoever] is in the White House next year is a Republican,” says Mustaine. “I can’t bear to watch what’s happened to our great country. Everybody’s got their head in the sand. Everybody in the industry is like, ‘Oh, Obama’s doing such a great job…’ I don’t think so. Not from what I see.”

Mustaine began to discuss the individual candidates. “Looking at the Republican candidates, I’ve got to tell you, I was floored the other day to see that Mitt Romney’s five boys have a $100 million trust fund,” reveals Mustaine. “Where does a guy make that much money? So there’s some questions there. And watching Newt Gingrich, I was pretty excited for a while, but now he’s just gone back to being that person that everybody said he was — that angry little man. I still like him, but I don’t think I’d vote for him.”

“Ron Paul… you know, I heard somebody say he was like insecticide – 98 percent of it’s inert gases, but it’s the two percent that’s left that will kill you. What that means is that he’ll make total sense for a while, and then he’ll say something so way out that it negates everything else. I like the guy because he knows how to excite the youth of America and fill them in on some things. But when he says that we’re like the Taliban… I’m sorry, Congressman Paul, but I’m nothing like the Taliban.”

Mustaine finally shared his support for Pennsylvanian U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. “Earlier in the election, I was completely oblivious as to who Rick Santorum was, but when the dude went home to be with his daughter when she was sick, that was very commendable,” shares Mustaine. “Also, just watching how he hasn’t gotten into doing these horrible, horrible attack ads like Mitt Romney [has] done against Newt Gingrich, and then the volume at which Newt has gone back at Romney… You know, I think Santorum has some presidential qualities, and I’m hoping that if it does come down to it, we’ll see a Republican in the White House… and that it’s Rick Santorum.”

Megadeth are currently touring North America on the 2012 Gigantour with Motorhead, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. To read Mustaine’s full interview with Music Radar, click here.

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