Alabama and Mississippi voters went for the more conservative candidate,  Rick Santorum in republican primary voting last night.  It was a slap in the face for Newt Gingrich, whose home state is Georgia.  Mitt Romney could have sealed the deal with wins in the South, but failed to win among the more conservative voters on the moral issues.

Rick Santorum
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Santorum was already looking ahead to Louisiana's presidential primary in 10 days, gathering in Lafayette with supporters to press for another win in the Deep South.

With Mardi Gras over, Louisiana is suddenly — and surprisingly — about to be back in the national spotlight.

Santorum, greeted by a crowd of more than 200 people in a hotel ballroom here, gave thanks to the voters and then turned to the topic that will be critical in Louisiana: energy.

"This president almost put this whole region out of business," he said, referring to the oil drilling moratorium in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill. "We wanted to be here in Lafayette to say to average folks who are struggling right now: We will put this town and this region back to work."

This time of year, this city in the heart of Cajun country is usually focused on where the best boiled crawfish is being served or who's holding the weekend's Zydeco stomp. The area is now abuzz with politics.

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