Santorum wins big in South

Gingrich finishes second, Romney maintains comfortable lead in delegates

WASHINGTON — Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum on Tuesday swept Republican presidential primaries in Mississippi and Alabama, establishing himself as the main conservative rival to front-runner Mitt Romney and virtually guaranteeing a prolonged campaign for the GOP nomination that could extend well into the spring.

But even as voters in the two Deep South states gave a big boost to Santorum, Romney posted a solid enough showing to – at a minimum – maintain his comfortable lead in delegates to the Republican national convention in August.

Santorum won Mississippi with 33 per cent of the vote. Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 31 per cent and Romney trailed with 30 per cent. In Alabama, Santorum won 35 per cent of the vote. Gingrich had 29 per cent and had a narrow lead over Romney in Alabama with all but a few ballots outstanding.

“We did it again,” Santorum told supporters at a rally in Louisiana, which will hold its presidential primary on March 24. In a barbed reference to Romney, Santorum said: “For someone who thinks this race is inevitable, he is spending a whole lot of money.” He also jabbed “all the establishment” in the Republican party for counting his campaign out and backing Romney.

The stakes were high on Tuesday for all the major candidates as they sought evidence of strength in their respective campaigns.

Romney, who spent heavily on advertising in both Mississippi and Alabama, did not necessarily need to win either Mississippi or Alabama to advance toward the Republican nomination. Because delegates were to be awarded proportionally in both states, the former Massachusetts governor could maintain his overall delegate lead even with third-place showings.

Romney had hoped for an upset win in the Deep South – the Republicans’ most reliable region – to dispel concerns about the depth of his support among the party’s conservative grassroots.

Instead, Santorum’s victory could generate new questions about why Romney cannot lock down the nomination despite having more money and a better organization than his rivals. For Santorum, the pair of victories will strengthen his argument that he is the legitimate conservative alternative to Romney who many Tea Party and evangelical activists have hoped to rally around for months.

The biggest loser of the night was Gingrich, who has won only in South Carolina and Georgia. He was desperate to carry at least one of the two Deep South states as he tries to demonstrate his campaign remains viable.

Hawaii and American Samoa were also holding presidential caucuses on Tuesday, but results weren’t expected until early Wednesday.

In all, 110 delegates were at stake. According to an updated overall tally by the Associated Press, Romney has won 470 of the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the Republican nomination. Santorum had 238 and Gingrich had 124. Texas congressman Ron Paul, has 47 delegates.

Santorum is far enough behind in the delegate count that Romney contends it would take a “miracle” for the former Pennsylvania senator to capture the Republican nomination. “Santorum is far behind in the delegate count. He is far behind in the popular vote count,” Romney said Tuesday on CNN. “If you look at the math, at how many delegates he would have to win to become the nominee, it’s a very difficult road for him.”

Despite Romney’s delegate lead, conservative Republicans continue to have their doubts about his candidacy.

Exit polling for U.S. media outlets found more than 50 per cent of voters in both Alabama and Mississippi said Romney’s policies were not conservative enough.