Santorum Campaign Suggests Gingrich Should Quit [VIDEO]

A senior strategist for Rick Santorum's campaign is suggesting it's time for Newt Gingrich to bow out, after being defeated by Santorum in yesterday's two primaries in Mississippi and Alabama.

John Brabender told CNN that the message is going out to tea party and conservative voters -- to make their
voices louder than what he calls "the minority of the party who wants Mitt Romney."

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Santorum won primaries in Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday while Mitt Romney won the Republican presidential caucuses in Hawaii, salvaging a much needed victory.

Romney finished a disappointing third behind Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in the Deep South primaries. But he came back to edge out both rivals in Hawaii and added a sweep of delegates from Republican nominating caucuses in American Samoa.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul finished fourth in both Southern primaries, and third in the Hawaii caucuses.

Gingrich vows to stay in race despite loses in the South

Newt Gingrich says he'll go on to the Republican convention in Tampa, despite not winning the Mississippi and Alabama primaries.

He'd banked on winning the southern contests to revitalize his campaign. Instead, he finished second behind Rick Santorum.

Gingrich said he and Santorum will wind up taking about two thirds of the delegates from the primaries. He said the results defy the "elite media's efforts to convince the nation that Mitt Romney is the inevitable candidate. He said a frontrunner that keeps coming in third is "not much of a front runner."

Gingrich told supporters in Birmingham that they should expect "three or four days of the media talking about him" getting out of the race.

But he said he'll stay in it because voters want a candidate who will talk about substance. He made a pitch for online donations and called his bid a people's campaign.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)