(RNN) - If Mitt Romney wants to make a statement that he's the undisputed Republican presidential nominee, capable of galvanizing the party after a lengthy primary season, he'll likely have to wait for another day and another contest than the Louisiana primary.
A poll released Friday by the American Research Group shows his chief rival, Rick Santorum, on track for an easy win in Saturday's contest, leading 43 percent to Romney's 27 percent.
Newt Gingrich came in third, receiving 20 percent of the vote and Ron Paul came in a distant fourth at 6 percent.
Louisiana is Romney's last chance to prove he can win in the Deep South, home to much of the GOP's evangelical base. Santorum swept contests in Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. Gingrich pulled off his only wins in South Carolina and Georgia.
The drawn out nomination process means the Louisiana primary carries national implications for the first time in a long time. Candidates have spent significant time campaigning in the Bayou State, Romney in hopes of wrapping up enough delegates to consider himself the inevitable nominee and Santorum in hopes of gaining momentum to continue his campaign all the way to the Republican convention.
On Friday, the second anniversary of the passing of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law - often dubbed Obamacare - Romney spent the day calling for its repeal.
"You note that the White House is not celebrating Obamacare today. They don't have any big ceremony going on. The president is not giving speeches on Obamacare and that's for a reason. Most Americans want to get rid of it and we are among those Americans. I want to get rid of it too," he told an audience in Metairie, LA on Friday.
The president's healthcare law was based on a model passed in Massachusetts when Romney was governor, which many consider his Achilles heel in the campaign for the nomination.
Meanwhile, Santorum spent Friday shooting targets and campaigning at a gun range. He also took aim at backlash he's received over comments he made indicating sticking with Obama would be better than electing Romney.
"I've said repeatedly and will continue to say I'll vote for whoever the Republican nominee is and I will work for them. Barack Obama is a disaster. But we can't have someone who agrees with him on some of the biggest issues of the day," he said during a stop in West Monroe, LA. "That's the problem with Gov. Romney. He doesn't provide the clear choice that we need in order to win this election."
Twenty of Louisiana's 46 delegates will be up for grabs on Saturday.
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(Source: CNN)
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