Mitt Romney is working to seal his status as the Republican presidential front-runner with a thus-far-elusive victory in the Deep South.

Closely fought primaries in Alabama and Louisiana offer the former Massachusetts governor a key opportunity in a region that has been slow to embrace him. Today's primaries are also poised to render a possible final verdict on Newt Gingrich's Southern-focused candidacy.

With polls showing an unexpectedly tight race in the conservative bellwether states, Romney made a campaign appearance Monday in Alabama — a clear indication that he was eyeing a potential win there.

Santorum, who has angled to campaign head-to-head with Romney, is pressing the case again that Gingrich should consider stepping aside. He plans to watch returns from Louisiana, which holds its primary later this month.

Santorum spending primary day at home with family

Rick Santorum receives a kiss from his wife Karen in Alabama
loading...

Rick Santorum is spending early today with his family at their home near Washington as voters in Mississippi and Alabama weigh in on the Republican presidential field.

Santorum is set to fly later to Louisiana, which has its contest on March 24, for a rally in Lafayette that he hopes will turn into a celebration of a pair of victories in the deeply conservative states where he has spent much of the last week.

Santorum advisers are looking to best rival Newt Gingrich in his Southern stronghold and force him from the race so Santorum emerges as the chief opponent for campaign front-runner Mitt Romney.

Gingrich banks on wins in Alabama and Mississippi

Newt Gingrich
loading...

 

Republican Newt Gingrich says he plans to campaign for president until the party's nominating convention in August, but his candidacy largely rests on the results of today's Alabama and Mississippi primaries.

The former House speaker is banking on a Southern strategy that has yielded victories only in South Carolina and Georgia, the latter a state he represented in Congress for 20 years. Winning both contests Tuesday is vital to sustaining his limping candidacy.

Gingrich's campaign appearances today include a speech to an Alabama community chamber of commerce and a visit to the Birmingham Zoo. He is hosting a primary night event in Birmingham before going to Chicago ahead of the Illinois primary.

Polling shows a tight three-way race among Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum in both Alabama and Mississippi.

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

More From New Jersey 101.5 FM