Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum continues to cement his status as the Republican field’s leading “conservative” with two primary wins in the Deep South. On Tuesday, Santorum edged out Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney to win primaries in Alabama and Mississippi.

Rick Santorum: “We will compete everywhere. We will compete everywhere. The time is now for conservatives to pull together. The time is now to make sure, to make sure that we have the best chance to win this election. And the best chance to win this election is to nominate a conservative to go up against Barack Obama who can take him on on every issue.”

Gingrich is vowing to stay in the race, despite losing two Southern states that had been seen as crucial to his campaign. Romney, meanwhile, finished third in both Alabama and Mississippi but picked up wins in Hawaii and the territory of American Samoa.