GOP Rivals Court Conservatives in South

Republican presidential rivals Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were locked in a battle for southern conservatives' support ahead of primaries in Alabama and Mississippi tomorrow. Polling has been all over the place, according to NBC’s First Read team, and the stakes are high. Romney aims to prove that he can win in the conservative South, key for making the case that GOP voters have coalesced around his candidacy. After Santorum’s win in Kansas over the weekend, the former Pennsylvania senator is betting victories in Alabama and Mississippi will add to his momentum and prove he’s the best conservative alternative to Romney. For Newt Gingrich, wins in both states would show that his candidacy has staying power. At this stage in the race, Romney leads NBC’s delegate count with 337, compared to 146 for Santorum, 112 for Gingrich and 31 for Ron Paul.

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