Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum won the primary on the bayou on Saturday, defeating front runner Mitt Romney in yet another conservative southern state. The victory in Louisiana gave Santorum at least nine more delegates, albeit he remains well behind Romney in the delegate count. Despite percentages and delegates, Santorum remains faithful in his campaign. “I’m not running as a conservative candidate for president. I am the conservative candidate for president,” Santorum reported.
With half the precincts counted, Santorum ran far ahead of the candidates with 49 percent of the vote. Romney received 26 percent, Newt Gingrich 17 percent, and Ron Paul 6 percent. Referencing Ronald Reagan’s loss in the 1976 Republican nomination, Santorum said, “Don’t make the mistake that Republicans made in 1976. Don’t nominate the moderate. When you do, we lose.” The next primary is on April 3, in Wisconsin.
