Santorum Beaten Again

Rep. Michele Bachmann can claim she was the first to actually sign a document pledging her faithfulness to a list of homophobic beliefs, but Rick Santorum was a close second.

The Family Leader, which invented the pledge as a litmus test for its endorsement, clarified that although Santorum signed the document on Friday, he was the first to make contact after "The Marriage Vow" was announced Thursday.

It seems Bachmann must have beaten him to the fax machine (or something) with her signed copy. The results of the photo finish were reported by The Des Moines Register.

The two were racing to profess their belief that gay men are a public health risk, that gay parents are inferior to straight parents, and that homosexuality is a choice. Those are a few of the boldly inaccurate arguments made by the pledge for banning gay marriage with a constitutional amendment at the federal level.

Santorum has long held claim to the socially conservative vote, but Bachmann has been outshining him in polls in Iowa and elsewhere. For example, the well-respected Des Moines Register poll taken of likely caucusgoers in late June found 22% support Bachmann while just 4% went for Santorum. The Family Leader's endorsement could be coveted since it's a powerful force in the state, having successfully campaigned to unseat three Iowa Supreme Court justices who legalized gay marriage there.