Republican presidential candidates continued their fight for delegates in Alabama, Hawaii, Mississippi and American Samoa Tuesday, bringing them one step closer to the Republican National Party Convention in August.
At presstime, Hawaii and American Samoa had not yet closed their polls. In Alabama and Mississippi, however, Rick Santorum was ahead with 34 percent of the vote in both states. Newt Gingrich was in second with 31 percent in Mississippi and 29 percent in Alabama. Mitt Romney in third with 30 percent in Mississippi and 28 percent in Alabama and Ron Paul in fourth with five percent in each state.
'Thanks for your vote and support today in Alabama, Mississippi, Hawaii and American Samoa!' Santorum posted Tuesday. 'Together we will continue to fight for conservative values to lead our nation and win back the White House.'
Only a week has passed since the first Super Tuesday event of the 2012 presidential election and so far, Romney has come out on top. With 454 delegates from 14 states, Guam, the Northern Mariana islands and the Virgin Islands, Romney leads second-place candidate Santorum, who has earned 217 delegates in eight states so far.
'Senator Santorum is at the desperate end of his campaign, and trying in some way to boost his prospects,' Romney told CNN politics Tuesday. 'Frankly misrepresenting the truth is not a good way of doing that.'
Later this year, a total of 2,286 Republican delegates will attend the national party convention and 1,144 are required to take the nomination.
Over the next few months, all 50 states will vote, including the District of Columbia, Guam, Amarican Samoa, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the Northern Marianas. Of the 56 total primaries and caucuses in this year's election, 30 are complete, leaving less than half to fight for.
With less than half the required delegates and more than half the primaries completed, candidates said they will continue fighting to make a better America.