Louisiana primary: Rick Santorum scores decisive win

Rick Santorum has won the Louisiana Republican primary, giving his campaign a boost as front-runner Mitt Romney seeks to wind down the nominating process.

The Associated Press declared the former senator from Pennsylvania the victor based on early results and exit polling information.

Santorum was seen as the favorite heading into the vote in a state where only registered Republicans were eligible to participate, and where evangelical voters made up a far greater share of the vote than in Illinois, which handed Romney a sizable victory earlier this week.

According to the exit polls, Santorum won among just about every voter category. Among the few groups that Romney carried were voters earning more than $200,000 a year and those who were not white evangelical Christians.

A plurality of voters said defeating President Obama was the most important quality in a candidate, and Romney was the favorite among this group. But Santorum scored more decisive victories among voters who said they wanted a candidate who was a true conservative or was of strong moral character.