Rick Santorum, President?

A day after insinuating gay couples don't make good parents, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum announced Monday that he's launching an exploratory committee for a presidential run.

The ultraconservative Republican was in Iowa Monday when he spoke about the need for children to be raised by two parents. When asked whether two people of the same sex should raise children, he said "children need mothers and fathers," even though there's no scientific evidence that heterosexual couples make better parents.

Fox News reported Tuesday that Santorum -- who has compared gay relationships to polygamy and adultery -- announced his intent to explore a 2012 presidential run. Santorum hasn't held office since 2006, when he was soundly defeated by Democrat Bob Casey in the U.S. Senate race.