Daily Santorum: Heat from Bachmann & Miley

In the wake of his big social conservative endorsements in Iowa yesterday, Rick Santorum is now trying differentiate himself further from the other key family-values types in the GOP race. Ames straw poll winner Michele Bachmann is target number one.

ABC News' Shushannah Walshe watched both of them interact at a Christmas party for an Iowa congressional candidate:

Rick Santorum, who received a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of his speech, said that it’s just about a difference of experience — although he said Bachmann is a “good person” and a “good conservative.”

“I think people are looking for someone with more experience, someone with a track record of success, someone who can deliver a key state and has a track record of attracting the kind of votes where they can win,” Santorum told reporters after his speech. “I can tell you after four years of being in the minority in the House I wasn’t ready to be president. I mean it’s great to be there, but it’s not the kind of breadth of experience in Washington that gives you what you need to be able to take on the job as president. ”

Of course Bachmann knows what Santorum is up to, so took some heavy digs at the ex-senator:

“It’s important to recognize that I’ve won four elections in the last five years. Sen. Santorum lost his senate race by a wider margin than any sitting Republican senator in history, and so when it comes to  ability of getting elected … I win on that score as well,” Bachmann told reporters before adding that she is a stronger supporter of “right to work” legislation.

Bachmann then dug in, bringing up a mark on Santorum’s record that is one of the biggest problems for socially conservative voters in this state: “Plus his support of pro-abortion Sen. Arlen Specter.” Santorum supported Specter over the more conservative Pat Toomey in their 2004 senate primary, aiding Spector’s victory.

In other news:

He's at the near-bottom of this automated Iowa poll from We Ask America.

NPR does its "Five Things You May Not Know" feature about Santorum, noted he tried in vain to get a Senate pay raise vote (which he opposed) on the record, and that he's been criticized by people from Jimmy Hoffa to Miley Cyrus.

Photo: Getty/NPR

Greta Van Susteren pressed Santorum last night on whether he'll get the gay vote. (Really? Yes, really.)