While Mr Santorum has won six states around the US and 176 delegates to August
party’s convention, Mr Gingrich has collected 105 delegates and won two
states around his southern base. Mr Romney has 415 delegates after winning
14 states. Some 1,144 delegates are required for an outright victory.
Mr Gingrich’s spokesman agreed with reporters that the former Speaker “has
to win” primaries next week in Alabama and Mississippi to remain a
credible presidential hopeful. “Everything between Spartanburg all the
way to Texas, those all need to go for Gingrich,” he said.
While Mr Santorum has declined to join his allies in calling for Mr Gingrich’s
departure, his spokesman pointed out that polling showed “if he was
out, we’d definitely be up”.
The former Pennsylvania senator sharply criticised Mr Romney for allowing his
aides to state in a polling memo that it would now take an “act of God”
for any of his rivals to halt his slow march to victory.
“What won’t they resort to to try to bully their way through this race?”
Mr Santorum asked at a press conference after a rally in Kansas. “If
the governor thinks he’s now ordained by God to win, then let’s just have it
out.”