MANDEVILLE, La.—Rick Santorum won the Louisiana Republican presidential primary on Saturday, as voters in this conservative, Southern state decided they weren't ready to coalesce around front-runner Mitt Romney.
Exit polls showed Mr. Santorum winning with his most dominant performance yet this year among conservatives and blue-collar voters and getting robust support from nearly all types of people, according to the Associated Press.
Mr. Santorum was grabbing the votes of nearly half of conservatives, and just more than half of those without college degrees—a measure of blue-collar voters.
With 100% of the precincts reporting, Mr. Santorum beat Mr. Romney, 49% to 27%.
But the former Pennsylvania senator's victory will give him only a modest boost to his efforts to blunt Mr. Romney's push toward the nomination. Only 20 delegates were at stake Saturday, and they may be divided among several candidates. Mr. Romney holds a lead of about 300 delegates over Mr. Santorum, according to the AP.
An ebullient Mr. Santorum, who had moved his campaign to Wisconsin on Saturday, told an enthusiastic election-night crowd in Green Bay, Wis., that he will continue pressing for the nomination.
"The people of Louisiana sent a loud and clear message: This race is long and far from over. And the people of Wisconsin, I just say to you: On Wisconsin, let's get it done."
Mr. Santorum, who had visited a bowling alley earlier in the day, was eager to share his success there, too.
"I don't want to brag, but I did bowl three strikes in a row. I just wanted to say that. This has been a pretty strong day on the campaign here in Wisconsin," he said. Wisconsin holds the next big nominating contest, on April 3, and recent polls have shown Mr. Romney in the lead.
The Louisiana win comes as an increasing number of Republican leaders say it is time for the party to unify behind Mr. Romney and turn to the challenge of defeating President Barack Obama this fall.
Earlier this week, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a leading conservative, endorsed Mr. Romney. Sen. Jim De Mint (R., S.C.), a leading figure among tea-party supporters, said he was "excited about the possibility" of the former Massachusetts governor "possibly" being the nominee. But Louisiana voters disagreed.
"I definitely voted for Rick Santorum," said Dennis Calkins, a 62-year-old retiree who cast his ballot at Mandeville High School. "I am pretty conservative, and he just seemed down-to-earth and no-nonsense."
Mr. Calkins said he liked how Mr. Santorum responded to informal questions on a television show months ago.
"I liked every answer that he gave," Mr. Calkins said. He said Mr. Santorum's Christianity also influenced his vote. "It's not so much that he's holy moly and religious, but it gives him a basis for morality and his sense of right and wrong."
Loretta Owens, 62, who attended a Santorum rally Friday in West Monroe, in the northern part of the state, said she had reservations about Mr. Romney. "There's something about Romney that I just can't grasp," she said.
Mr. Santorum had aggressively courted conservative voters in the northern part of Louisiana, the same area that helped Mike Huckabee claim victory in the 2008 GOP primary. In his pitch to Republican voters there, Mr. Santorum said he would stand up to big government in Washington, stand firm against abortion rights, and would live up to his campaign promises.
Mr. Santorum began labeling Mr. Romney the "Etch A Sketch candidate," whose positions would change like the draw-and-erase toy. The line came after a Romney aide said that the former governor would make a pivot at the time of the general election, "almost like an Etch A Sketch."
But it was during this leg of the campaign that Mr. Santorum made what rival Newt Gingrich described as his "biggest single mistake." Mr. Santorum said that if a candidate is "going to be a little different than the person in there," then "we ought to stick with what we have." His opponents said it was outrageous that Mr. Santorum would consider backing Mr. Obama over a GOP nominee.
Mr. Santorum later said he had been inarticulate, and that it was "preposterous" to suggest that he would pick Mr. Obama over a Republican. He said he would support the eventual Republican nominee, a reminder that Mr. Romney has been racking up more delegates than Mr. Santorum and taken a hard-to-overcome lead.
Along with Wisconsin on April 3, Maryland and the District of Columbia hold primaries. After that, the race heads to the Northeast, including the delegate-rich states of Pennsylvania and New York.
Exit polls showed Mr. Santorum winning with his most dominant performance yet this year among conservatives and blue-collar voters and getting robust support from nearly all types of people, according to the Associated Press.
Reuters
Rick Santorum greeted supporter at a rally at in Sheboygan, Wis.
With 100% of the precincts reporting, Mr. Santorum beat Mr. Romney, 49% to 27%.
But the former Pennsylvania senator's victory will give him only a modest boost to his efforts to blunt Mr. Romney's push toward the nomination. Only 20 delegates were at stake Saturday, and they may be divided among several candidates. Mr. Romney holds a lead of about 300 delegates over Mr. Santorum, according to the AP.
An ebullient Mr. Santorum, who had moved his campaign to Wisconsin on Saturday, told an enthusiastic election-night crowd in Green Bay, Wis., that he will continue pressing for the nomination.
"The people of Louisiana sent a loud and clear message: This race is long and far from over. And the people of Wisconsin, I just say to you: On Wisconsin, let's get it done."
Mr. Santorum, who had visited a bowling alley earlier in the day, was eager to share his success there, too.
"I don't want to brag, but I did bowl three strikes in a row. I just wanted to say that. This has been a pretty strong day on the campaign here in Wisconsin," he said. Wisconsin holds the next big nominating contest, on April 3, and recent polls have shown Mr. Romney in the lead.
Rick Santorum thanked Louisiana voters during a news conference in Green Bay, Wisconsin after he won the Republican primary in the Southern state, beating front-runner Mitt Romney. (Video: NewsCore/Photo: AP)
Earlier this week, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a leading conservative, endorsed Mr. Romney. Sen. Jim De Mint (R., S.C.), a leading figure among tea-party supporters, said he was "excited about the possibility" of the former Massachusetts governor "possibly" being the nominee. But Louisiana voters disagreed.
Washington Wire
- Santorum: 'We're Still Fighting'
Mr. Calkins said he liked how Mr. Santorum responded to informal questions on a television show months ago.
"I liked every answer that he gave," Mr. Calkins said. He said Mr. Santorum's Christianity also influenced his vote. "It's not so much that he's holy moly and religious, but it gives him a basis for morality and his sense of right and wrong."
Loretta Owens, 62, who attended a Santorum rally Friday in West Monroe, in the northern part of the state, said she had reservations about Mr. Romney. "There's something about Romney that I just can't grasp," she said.
Mr. Santorum had aggressively courted conservative voters in the northern part of Louisiana, the same area that helped Mike Huckabee claim victory in the 2008 GOP primary. In his pitch to Republican voters there, Mr. Santorum said he would stand up to big government in Washington, stand firm against abortion rights, and would live up to his campaign promises.
Mr. Santorum began labeling Mr. Romney the "Etch A Sketch candidate," whose positions would change like the draw-and-erase toy. The line came after a Romney aide said that the former governor would make a pivot at the time of the general election, "almost like an Etch A Sketch."
But it was during this leg of the campaign that Mr. Santorum made what rival Newt Gingrich described as his "biggest single mistake." Mr. Santorum said that if a candidate is "going to be a little different than the person in there," then "we ought to stick with what we have." His opponents said it was outrageous that Mr. Santorum would consider backing Mr. Obama over a GOP nominee.
Mr. Santorum later said he had been inarticulate, and that it was "preposterous" to suggest that he would pick Mr. Obama over a Republican. He said he would support the eventual Republican nominee, a reminder that Mr. Romney has been racking up more delegates than Mr. Santorum and taken a hard-to-overcome lead.
Along with Wisconsin on April 3, Maryland and the District of Columbia hold primaries. After that, the race heads to the Northeast, including the delegate-rich states of Pennsylvania and New York.
