Santorum staying in uphill fight for delegates

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Another victory in hand but still badly trailing rival Mitt Romney, Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum vowed to continue his campaign despite an increasingly steep climb to the nomination.

Santorum, buoyed by Saturday's win in Louisiana's primary that boosted his spirit but did not narrow the delegate gap, urged his supporters to stick with him, even as much of the GOP establishment has coalesced around Romney's increasingly inevitable coronation.

Santorum's improbable campaign was continuing Sunday, with a schedule that included a TV appearance and a busy day of campaigning in Wisconsin. Aides are looking ahead at that state as a bright spot, as well as at Pennsylvania, the delegate-rich state Santorum represented in Congress.

Even in the face of the political headwinds, the former senator seems unwilling to acknowledge it would take a dramatic change in momentum to deny Romney his turn as the GOP nominee.

"You don't believe, as the pundits have said, that this race is over. You didn't get the memo," Santorum said Saturday. "We're still here. We're still fighting."

But it's going to be a tough fight, for sure.

Romney remains far ahead with 568 delegates to Santorum's 273, according to an Associated Press tally. Newt Gingrich follows with 135 and Ron Paul has 50. The presidential hopefuls need 1,144 delegates to clinch the nomination ahead of the convention this summer in Tampa.

Romney enjoys an organizational and fundraising advantage over his closest rival. Santorum isn't even on the ballot for the April 3 primary in the District of Columbia, the latest illustration of how the underfunded underdog struggles to keep pace with Romney's years-in-the-making campaign.

Earlier Saturday, Santorum said he wanted to debate Romney without Gingrich and Paul on stage. "This race has clearly gotten down to two candidates that can win the nomination," Santorum told reporters in Milwaukee. "I'd love to have a one-on-one debate."

Romney's team, increasingly confident, dismissed the idea and the win. "Rick Santorum is like a football team celebrating a field goal when they are losing by seven touchdowns with less than a minute left in the game," said Romney spokesman Ryan Williams, who crashed Santorum's victory party here.