Races Tight in Alabama and Mississippi
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum took an early lead in Alabama and Mississippi primaries Tuesday night, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich struggling to keep pace in the region around which he has built his campaign strategy.
Results were still preliminary and both races remained too close to call. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney was trailing slightly. Mr. Romney hadn't been expected to do well in the South, given his Northern roots and relatively centrist record, but in recent days polls suggested he was closing the gap and his campaign made a late bid for an upset.D&G Sunglasses 2012
If Mr. Gingrich fails to win one or both states, he will face additional pressure to withdraw from the race and cede to Mr. Santorum the role of conservative challenger to Mr. Romney. Many analysts believe that if Mr. Romney had to face either Mr. Santorum or Mr. Gingrich in Alabama and Mississippi, he would lose badly.
Still, Mr. Gingrich's camp has signaled in recent days that he has no intention of departing the race no matter the outcome Tuesday.
The race in both states was fairly close between the three candidates in the early going. Texas Rep. Ron Paul didn't contest these primaries and was trailing far behind.
Gucci Sunglasses 2012With about half of the precincts reporting in Mississippi, Mr. Santorum was leading 33% to 31% for Mr. Gingrich and 30% for Mr. Romney.
In Alabama, where the votes were coming in slowly and about 20% of the precincts were in, Mr. Santorum had 35%, Mr. Gingrich 30% and Mr. Romney 28%.
If Mr. Santorum's lead holds up, Tuesday's results would mark a surprisingly good outcome for the former senator, since recent polls had shown him trailing. It would deprive Mr. Romney of the upset he sought, but still allow him to claim he had done relatively well in a region whose contests he had described as "a bit of an away game."
The Romney campaign had devoted last-minute resources to put its candidate over the top. Mr. Romney made a hastily scheduled visit to Mobile, Ala., on Monday, and an outside group supporting his bid spent nearly $2.3 million in Alabama and Mississippi.Dior Sunglasses 2012
Mr. Romney fought his rivals to a draw Tuesday among groups where he has struggled, exit polls suggested. Mr. Romney won 32% of evangelical Christians in Mississippi, for example, to 32% for Mr. Santorum and 31% for Mr. Gingrich.
And among conservatives in the state, Mr. Santorum garnered 33% of the vote, Mr. Gingrich 32%, and Mr. Romney 29%. Still, Mr. Romney's critics note that he is winning less than a third of these voters, and they say a single conservative would be significantly leading Mr. Romney.
In recent days, Messrs. Gingrich and Santorum have vowed to soldier on whatever the outcome in the Deep South, and the tension between them has ratcheted up as bothNike Sunglasses 2012 candidates seek a one-on-one match-up with Mr. Romney.
Mr. Santorum on Tuesday issued his most explicit call yet for Mr. Gingrich to exit the race, telling conservative radio host Glenn Beck, "It would be great if he would get out of the race, because clearly the vast majority of the votes that he is taking are coming from me."
But Mr. Gingrich has shown no inclination to heed such calls. On Tuesday, his top supporters said he could stay in the race with the goal of depriving Mr. Romney the majority of delegates needed to claim the nomination, allowing Mr. Gingrich to carry his bid to the Republican convention this summer in Tampa, Fla.
As the race grinds on, Mr. Romney may benefit from growing fatigue among Republican primary voters who want the contest to wrap up soon. And the contest now turns to friendlier terrain for Mr. Romney, including Illinois, which votes March 20 and where conservative voters hold less sway.ED Hardy Sunglasses 2012
Mr. Romney has argued that his lead in the delegate count is all but insurmountable. He has won 454 delegates of the 1,144 needed for the nomination compared to 217 for Mr. Santorum, 107 for Mr. Gingrich and 47 for Mr. Paul, according to the Associated Press.
Many states award their delegates proportionally, which could make it harder for any of Mr. Romney's rivals to catch up by winning a few big primaries.