FoxNews Projects Santorum Wins Louisiana Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at the AFP Defending the Dream Conference in Milwaukee, Wis., Saturday, March 24, 2012. AP Photo/Jae C. Hong The polls are now closed in Louisiana, and Fox News can project that Rick Santorum will win by a comfortable margin, leaving Mitt Romney to finish second, Newt Gingrich third and Ron Paul fourth. Santorum did well with evangelical and conservative voters in Louisiana, as he has in other Deep South states. But tonight he also edged out Romney among self-described moderate voters and those who consider the economy the most important issue, according to Fox News exit polls. It's a solid victory for Santorum, though Romney remains the national front-runner. The former Massachusetts governor has amassed more than twice as many delegates as Santorum nationwide and is nearly halfway to the 1,144 delegates needed to clinch the Republican presidential nomination. There were 20 delegates up for grabs tonight in Louisiana, although it is not yet clear how those delegates, which are allocated proportionately, will be divided among the candidates. It does appear that Santorum will win a plurality of the delegates. Santorum has now won 11 states, while Romney has won 21 states or territories. Gingrich has won two states, while Paul has not won any. Santorum did well with evangelical and conservative voters as he has in other Deep South states. The exit polls of Republican voters suggest the electorate there is about as conservative as in other Southern states. And like voters nationwide, they say the economy remains the big issue. Santorum had a double-digit lead through most of the week. Romney entered the Louisiana primary after a solid, 12-percentage point victory Tuesday in Illinois over Santorum, his closest rival. But Louisiana was one of Romney's last chances to show he can win in the Deep South before the campaigns head north for roughly the next six weeks. The race for the eventual Republican presidential nominee, -- which also includes former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul -- is expected to continue into the summer and to the nominating convention in Tampa, Fla., in August. Romney now has 560 delegates, compared to Santorum's 246, Gingrich's 141 and Paul's 66 in the race to win the nomination outright. Louisiana had a closed primary, meaning only registered Republicans could vote. Roughly eight in 10 in the exit poll said they consider themselves Republicans on most political matters, and three-quarters called themselves conservatives Seven in 10 said they support the Tea Party movement, roughly the same numbers recorded 11 days ago in the Mississippi primary won by Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator. Nearly a quarter of the Louisiana voters said choosing a candidate who is a true conservative was important, according to the Edison Research survey conducted for the Associated Press and the television networks. Santorum and Gingrich attended the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference on Saturday where Santorum told the crowd he didn't always understand the conservatives' frustration with Washington, but said he comprehends it now. He also said his 2006 reelection loss helped him grasp that frustration. Santorum touted to his consistent, social conservative stance to separate himself from his GOP rivals, saying he offers an alternative to President Barack Obama. He made the remarks before going to Milwaukee for the AFP Defending the Dream Conference. The state's primary in April 3. Santorum went bowling there and told the crowd at the end of his speech he wouldn't need the bumpers like President Obama. He bowled three strikes in a row. Earlier this week, the candidates weighed in on some of the biggest issues in the country -- from the upcoming Supreme Court health care hearings to U.S. energy policy to the highly charged shooting death of a Florida teen. His remarks come four days before the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on the constitutionality of the law, with those hoping to get a seat in the courtroom already standing in line outside the courthouse. Among the key states remaining in the primary process through late June are New York, Texas and California, in addition to Wisconsin.