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Results: AL, MS, HI
7:25 PM PT (David Nir): I don't know why it took so long, but the AP has now finally joined its brethren and called Alabama for Santorum. So now we wait on MS....
7:27 PM PT: Wondering what's ahead?
Puerto Rico this Saturday, an open primary with 23 winner-take-all delegates. If you're a Democrat, vote Santorum!
Next Tuesday, a big race in Illinois. Romney already $3.2 million in the state's air war. No one else has spent a dime. Yet as we've seen time and time again, all of Romney's money in the world can't save him from being hated.
On paper, Illinois looks like fertile Romney territory, particularly the moderate-Republican Chicago collar counties. But downstate should be favorable to Santorum.
Illinois is also an open primary state, so Democrats can vote. There are important competitive Democratic congressional primaries in CD's -08, -10, -12, -13, and -17. If you're in one of those, vote Democratic. Everyone else should cast a vote for Santorum -- because if Santorum can pull this off, then win Louisiana the following Saturday March 24, Romney's plight will turn from difficult to dire.
7:28 PM PT (Kaili Joy Gray):
GOP to President Obama: We get to humiliate Romney first.
— @LOLGOP via Facebook
7:32 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Rick Santorum giving his victory speech from his Lafayette, Louisiana headquarters. Louisiana votes on Saturday—the next big contest. Santorum is wearing a pink tie. First words out of his mouth: "We did it again."
7:33 PM PT (Jed Lewison): "This is a grassroots campaign for President ... who would have ever thought that ordinary folks could defy the odds day in and day out."
7:36 PM PT: Drudge, earlier today:
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
7:37 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Rick Santorum's speech is all about defying odds and believing in something bigger than oneself. Mitt Romney's speeches are all about how he's got the delegate math and resistance is futile. Santorum has really got an advantage over Mitt on this, despite all of Mitt's money. Nobody believes in Mitt. People, misguided though they may be, actually believe in Santorum and what he stands for. They have no idea that he'll lose by double digits in November, though.
7:38 PM PT (Jed Lewison): And just like Drudge, Mitt Romney was smoking the crack pipe yesterday:
Quick flashback -- @jakesherman reported this prediction from Romney yesterday: "We're going to win tomorrow"
http://t.co/...
— @aburnspolitico via web
7:39 PM PT (Steve Singiser): While we await the presidential outcome in Mississippi, let's quickly get caught up on Alabama's House races. Two Democrats of reasonable notoriety are headed in different directions tonight. In AL-04 (northern Alabama), state Rep. Daniel Boman (a rare party switcher from GOP to Democrat) is overcoming an early tight race and leading Rick Neighbors 56-44. Meanwhile, William Barnes, who was the Democratic standard bearer against Senator Dick Shelby in 2010, looks less likely to be on the general election ballot in 2012. In AL-06 (Birmingham suburbs), he trails Penny Bailey 56-44. Meanwhile, on the "vulnerable GOP incumbent" front, both Jo Bonner (AL-01) and Spencer Bachus (AL-06) are still leading outside of the runoff threshold. Indeed, AP just called the Alabama 1st district (Mobile) for Bonner.
7:40 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Santorum thanks his Mississippi supporters for voting for him despite "all the establishment being on the other side." Crowd is pretty raucous. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney is flying somewhere tonight, and won't be speaking.
7:41 PM PT (Jed Lewison): Shots fired at Newt: "The time is now for conservatives to pull together."
7:46 PM PT (Kaili Joy Gray): New thread here.