Santorum camp says Gingrich must quit race

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is barrelling out of Super Tuesday after having notched three more victories and a near-upset in Ohio, insisting that he has proven himself to be the most electable conservative alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney.

The biggest obstacle Santorum now faces isn’t necessarily Romney, but former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who, unlike Romney, is competing directly with Santorum for the party’s most conservative voters. So after spending weeks focusing their attacks on Romney, Santorum’s team on Wednesday started demanding that Gingrich drop out of the race for the good of the party.