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More than half of Republicans nationwide (53%) say that all members of the current field of GOP presidential candidates should stay in the race until one clinches the nomination. About one-fifth (21%) say that Newt Gingrich should drop out, leaving Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum to compete for the nomination, while another fifth (20%) say all candidates but Romney should drop out, allowing Romney to focus on the general election campaign..... Some Santorum supporters have argued that Gingrich should drop out, saying that Santorum alone would have a better chance of consolidating the conservative GOP vote that has thus far...

Birmingham, Ala. -- The question for Republican Newt Gingrich is not whether he will stay in the presidential race after Tuesday's primaries in Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii. The question is where he'll take the campaign next. The Gingrich campaign provided the latest answer, announcing plans to head to Illinois and Louisiana later this week even as most polls offered little certainty about how Tuesday's contests would turn out. Gingrich, a former House speaker who represented Georgia, had predicted victories in nearby Alabama and Mississippi. But more recently he and his advisers have revised expectations to say that even a "strong"...

Rick Santorum is frustrated. He’s frustrated with the money Mitt Romney has been able to funnel into his campaign, and he’s royally fed up with what he views as the unofficial endorsement he’s received from Fox News. Of course, Santorum pointed out, it’s not as if any of this has been able to help Romney firmly connect with voters. Santorum expressed this frustration on Fox News Radio’s Kilmeade and Friends today, where he was challenged by host (and Fox & Friends co-host) Brian Kilmeade. The man has had a ten-to-one money advantage. He’s had all the organizational advantage. He has...

If Mitt Romney wins the Republican presidential nomination, he'll have many options for a running mate. His current rival Rick Santorum probably won't be one of them. Romney said as much Tuesday when Neil Cavuto asked him on Fox Business if he would choose a candidate to his right in order to win the election. "Well that would preclude, of course, Rick Santorum," Romney said. "Because I mean look at his record. I find it interesting that he continues to describe himself as the real conservative.

NEW ORLEANS – A new, exclusive statewide poll of likely Republican voters in Louisiana conducted for WWL-TV shows voters favoring Rick Santorum, with the primary election two weeks away. The telephone poll of 515 likely Republican voters reveals Santorum leading the field, with just over 25 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney places second with just under 21 percent and is in a virtual tie with Newt Gingrich, who has almost 20 percent. Ron Paul is way behind, with less than 6 percent. Undecided gets the biggest score of all -- 26 percent. WWL-TV election analyst Greg Rigamer, whose firm,...

With most eyes focused on Alabama and Mississippi in tonight’s contests, some may forget that another Deep South state goes to the polls next week. Louisiana will hold a binding primary on March 24th, which will be the last contest for ten days. Thus far, Rick Santorum has the edge in Louisiana, but the poll from WWL-TV and GCR shows Mitt Romney within the margin of error, followed closely by Newt Gingrich (via the Weekly Standard): A new, exclusive statewide poll of likely Republican voters in Louisiana conducted for WWL-TV shows voters favoring Rick Santorum, with the primary election two...

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama ---Republican presidential primary candidates Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, vying for the image of the most conservative candidate, spoke to a packed audience in downtown Birmingham tonight. The candidates, speaking at a forum at the Alabama Theatre sponsored by the Alabama GOP, both heavily criticized President Barack Obama while also critiquing the other candidates, even if it wasn't always by name. "You need to look to a leader that believes in you, and that's where I lie," Santorum said. The crowd was friendly to both candidates but seemed most warm to Gingrich, as was apparent by multiple cheers...

(CNN) – Despite a statement from Rick Santorum's campaign touting Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley's vote for the candidate, the governor's office said Tuesday that Bentley will not be publicly endorsing a candidate for the state's primary.

President Barack Obama's approval rating has plunged below 50 percent, and Republican front-runner Mitt Romney would beat him if the election took place today, a poll showed Monday. The survey, by ABC News and The Washington Post, indicated that only 46 percent of Americans now approve of the way Obama is handling his job, and 50 percent disapprove as he took a hit from rising gas prices. The situation was a reversal from early February, when 50 percent approved of the president's performance and 46 percent disapproved. The survey was released as the battleground for the Republican presidential nomination moved...

On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said that the Republican presidential race is "mathematically" over and that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is all but assured to be the GOP's nominee. "Mathematically, Rick would have to win 75 percent of what remains," Graham, a senior Republican who serves on various Senate committees, told ABC's "This Week" program...

Too close to call in Alabama and Mississippi Tuesday looks like it's going to be a close election night in both Mississippi and Alabama. In Mississippi Newt Gingrich is holding on to a slight lead with 33% to 31% for Mitt Romney, 27% for Rick Santorum, and 7% for Ron Paul. And Alabama is even closer with Romney at 31% to 30% for Gingrich, 29% for Santorum, and 8% for Paul.Gingrich and Santorum are both more popular than Romney in each of these states. In Mississippi Gingrich's net favorability is +33 (62/29) to +32 for Santorum (60/28) and +10 for...

Wish we could give you some clarity in Alabama but...Romney 31, Gingrich 30, Santorum 29, Paul 8

Mitt Romney leads the Mississippi Republican presidential primary with 34%. Romney is followed by Newt Gingrich with 32%, Rick Santorum with 22%, and Ron Paul with 8%. In a similar survey conducted March 7-8, 2012, Gingrich was leading Romney 35% to 31%. Romney leads Gingrich 36% to 33% among self-identified Republicans, followed by Santorum with 23% and Paul with 5%. Among self-identified independents and Democrats, Gingrich and Romney lead with 25% each, followed by Paul with 24% and Santorum with 18%. Gingrich and Romney are tied at 33% each among likely Republican primary voters saying they will definitely vote in...

A group of conservative leaders pledged to raise a combined $1.78 million for Rick Santorum's campaign and SuperPAC after meeting privately in Texas this weekend with the Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned. More than 200 conservatives from all over the country convened at the Houston Omni for a Friday fundraising reception for Santorum's campaign. They then met to plot strategy with the former senator Saturday morning, discussing how to overcome Mitt Romney's growing advantage in the GOP primary and fend off Newt Gingrich. "The message was, 'we're all in,'" said South Dakota businessman and conservative organizer Bob Fischer, one...

This week's Southern primaries are shaping up as make-or-break contests for Republican presidential contenders Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who are battling to become the lone conservative alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney. Gingrich, who won two Southern primaries but trailed Romney and Santorum in every other contest, knows the stakes could not be higher in Tuesday's primaries in Mississippi and Alabama. His own campaign aides acknowledge that the former House speaker must win both states to remain a credible contender. Gingrich is pouring every resource into Mississippi and Alabama and campaigning heavily in both states. He is particularly focused on...

...WALLACE: The polls show a surprisingly close race Tuesday in Alabama and Mississippi. Question -- are you going to win them both? GINGRICH: I think we'll win both. We are campaigning very aggressively on both states. As almost everywhere, you start a little behind because of Romney's money and the length of time he's advertising. And as you campaign, you catch up with him pretty rapidly, and I think we're probably polling ahead in both states right now. We have great organizations in both states and in particular in Alabama where Senate Majority Leader Jabo Waggoner has put together a...

Campaign advertisements styled as mini-documentaries seem to be all the rage these days. Newt Gingrich released a 16-minute long video exploring his path from childhood to the presidential campaign trail, just days after President Obama's reelection team unveiled its own 17-minute documentary-style advertisement. Gingrich's short film chronicles his life from childhood, to his House speakership, to the present-day race for the White House. The video titled, "Rebuilding the America We Love," touts the former House Speaker's small-town roots, growing up in Pennsylvania, and features interviews with Gingrich, his wife Callista, daughters Kathy Lubbers and Jackie Cushman, as well as Deputy...

(CBS News) BILOXI, Miss. - The four main candidates for the Republican nomination for president say they're committed to staying in the race right up to the convention this August in Tampa, Fla. There's just one problem: If they do, it might turn out that no one gets the number of delegates needed to win the nomination outright. Stumping in Birmingham, Alabama, Mitt Romney continued his Southern charm offensive, celebrating an endorsement from the country band Alabama. "Wouldn't you love to hear them sing 'Sweet Home Alabama'? Wouldn't that be wonderful?" he asked a crowd at one campaign stop. In...

...."I have had grits before," he told a crowd at a Mobile cafe on Saturday morning, making a not-so-subtle knock on former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney's joking admission to an audience that he was starting to like the favorite Southern food. ....The former House Speaker contended that was evidence of a larger problem facing his rival: "I figure if you don't understand grits, there's a pretty high likelihood that you don't understand the rest of the South, either." ...."We have momentum, but we haven't won," he told a crowd at his second cafe stop of the day - Mama Lou's...