Santorum wins big in Kansas caucuses

by Jamie Klatell - 03/10/12 8:30 PM ET

Rick Santorum won the Republican presidential caucuses in Kansas on Saturday.

With all of the precincts reporting, Santorum led the field with 51 percent of the vote. Mitt Romney was in second place with almost 21 percent. Newt Gingrich finished in third place with 14 percent of the vote, and Ron Paul got less than 13 percent.

{mosads}The Associated Press and CNN projected Santorum as the winner based on his large lead in early results.

Forty delegates are at stake in the Kansas contests. Santorum will take 33 delegates to the national convention and Romney will get seven.

Santorum and Paul have campaigned in Kansas, while Romney and Gingrich have not.

Earlier on Saturday, Romney won primary contests in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, giving him nine delegate a piece.

Santorum suggested Friday that the Republican presidential field is shrinking to just two candidates.

“So we feel pretty good that it’s now narrowing to a two-person race,” Santorum said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “We’ve been competitive.”

Gingrich says he isn’t dropping out even if he loses two upcoming primaries in Alabama and Mississippi.