Santorum wins in Mississippi, Alabama, but Romney’s lead in delegates grows by 6

Despite narrow primary wins in Alabama and Mississippi, Rick Santorum (Pa.) has fallen further behind in the delegate count to front-runner Mitt Romney, who won caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa and captured about 30 percent of the vote in the two Southern states.

Because delegates are awarded proportionally in both Alabama and Mississippi, Romney won 23 delegates in those two states, compared to 31 for Santorum and 24 for former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (Georgia), according to the most recent projections by the Associated Press. But Romney captured 14 more delegates than Santorum in Hawaii and American Samoa, AP said, for a net gain of six delegates.

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RACE FOR DELEGATES: Stepping up to the GOP nomination

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That allocation gives Romney 494 delegates, nearly twice as many as Santorum’s 251.

Still, Santorum’s victories--after being heavily outspent by Romney in both Southern states--bolster his claim to being the most viable conservative alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.

“We did it again. Who would have thought . . . that ordinary folks from across this country can defy the odds day in and day out?” Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, exulted Tuesday night to cheering supporters in Lafayette, La., who will vote in their own primary March 24. “”

“The time is now for conservatives to pull together,” Santorum said. “The best chance to win this election is to nominate a conservative to go up against Barack Obama who can take him on on every issue.”

With Santorum and Gingrich remaining in the race, Romney has been able to exploit the split they have created among the most conservative Republicans, and to build a slow but steady lead in the contest for convention delegates.

At this point, it is almost mathematically impossible for any of Romney’s rivals to win the 1.144 delegates it will take to clinch the nomination. But they are holding on to the hope that by denying Romney that majority as well, they can take the fight into August and to the Republican National Convention in Tampa.

Romney--who has been dogged by losses in the more rural, conservative states--had played down his expectations in the South. But on Tuesday, he spoke dismissively of his closest competitor and portrayed himself as the inevitable nominee.

“Senator Santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign,” Romney said. “He’s far behind in the delegate count; he’s far behind in the popular-vote count . . . If you look at the math . . . it’s a very difficult road for him.”

Romney placed third behind Gingrich in both Alabama and Mississippi but won caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa by large margins. Without a win Tuesday in what is essentially his home region, Gingrich may find it difficult to marshal the resources — and a rationale — to continue his campaign.

Gingrich has the best claim to being a Southerner: He spent part of his childhood in Georgia and represented the Atlanta area for decades in Congress. But he has won only two primaries, in Georgia and South Carolina, and is falling further behind the two leading contenders.