Ron Paul supporters heckle Santorum

By Cameron Joseph - 01/03/12 02:05 PM ET

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Rick Santorum was heckled by Ron Paul supporters as he left a high school in West Des Moines on Tuesday.

The crowd chanted “Big-spending Rick” and “nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye.”

When The Hill asked Santorum what he thought of the crowd as they began chanting, he paused, smiled tightly and said “It’s the crowd at the caucuses that matters.”

Santorum and Paul have been attacking each other in the last few days as they have fought for a top position in the early-voting state. Polling shows those two and Mitt Romney in a virtual tie for first heading into Tuesday evening's vote.

The former senator has blasted Paul’s foreign policy views and accused his backers of running robocalls, saying Santorum isn’t strongly pro-gun-rights. On Tuesday morning, he called Paul “disgusting.”

Paul has hit back, calling Santorum “very liberal” and saying “he spends too much money," referring to his congressional voting record on earmarks and raising the federal debt ceiling.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who is traveling with his father, attacked Santorum’s foreign policy views after the senior Paul's speech at the high school. “When you choose a commander in chief, you want someone who’s wise, someone who’s not reckless, and someone who doesn’t always think bombing a country is the answer,” the freshman senator told reporters.

Santorum has been running hard throughout the state, spending more time there than any other candidate and visiting all 99 counties. He has surged in the polls in the past week, but it might not be enough in time to win.

“It’s a little frustrating, you feel like you want to run around and do another 20 town-hall meetings but there’s just no time," Santorum said.

Santorum, Paul and Michele Bachmann all addressed students at the Valley High School in West Des Moines Tuesday morning, as did two of Romney’s sons. The students will be voting in this evening's caucuses.

Paul tried to appeal to the younger audience, referencing his endorsement from pop star Kelly Clarkson. But the students glazed over when he began talking about Austrian economic principles.