Polls show Ala., Miss primaries too close to call

ATLANTA —
The latest polls show the Alabama and Mississippi primaries are too close to call between Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

Voters in those states will be casting their ballots Tuesday. The two Southern states were expected to be strongholds for Gingrich from neighboring Georgia, but according to the polls, Romney is showing surprising strength.

Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens is Romney's state campaign chairman. He believes Romney's strength in Alabama and Mississippi shows the GOP may be coalescing around a single candidate.

"The polling in Alabama and Mississippi confirms that he will be the nominee," said Olens. "Tonight, it won't be a surprise if he takes one of two of those states."

But Gingrich's Georgia campaign spokesman, state Sen. Judson Hill of Cobb County, said there is still a long way to go to the convention.

"This race is only at the beginning," said Hill. "We are only a third of the way through. There's a long way to go."

Hill dismisses calls from some Republican leaders asking Gingrich to step aside. He also said Gingrich plans to fight it out all the way to the GOP convention.

"Newt Gingrich wants to be president," said Hill. "He's the guy in the race who can beat President Obama."

WSBTV