Republican underdog Santorum wins Louisiana

US: Underdog Rick Santorum captured Louisiana Saturday in a largely symbolic victory that won't dent rival Mitt Romney's commanding lead in the race for the Republican presidential nod.

"Our campaign is making history," Santorum said in an e-mail to supporters moments after he was projected the winner of this southern US state by US media.

Written off early on in the campaign, Santorum has steadily notched up wins -- now 11 out of 34 contests -- largely with the help of evangelical Christians and the party's most conservative members.

"Not since Ronald Reagan in 1976 has a conservative candidate won as many states as we have," Santorum said.

"The reason why our campaign is winning in state after state is because people want an authentic, strong conservative leader to take on (President) Barack Obama and not someone who just talks a good conservative game." But Santorum's failure to win over more moderate voters -- and his focus on divisive culture war issues like abortion and birth control -- has called into question his ability to beat Obama in the November 6 election. "We liked Santorum for a while, but lately he has gotten too radical," Betty Harper, 76, told AFP after casting a ballot for Romney at a New Orleans polling station.

AFP