 Santini served consecutively as Clark County, Nevada deputy district attorney (1966–1968), Clark County public defender (1968–1970), Las Vegas justice of the peace (1970–1972) and as a district court judge of Clark County (1972–1974).He was also owner and a teacher of the Nevada Bar Review from 1969 to 1974.Santini was elected to the U.S. House in 1974, easily unseating incumbent Republican David Towell.