Romney ‘worst Republican for presidential fight’

Mr Santorum told voters that Mr Romney is “uniquely disqualified” to be the Republican’s presidential pick and urged his supporters to stand with him as he faces an increasingly improbable pathway to the nomination, despite an easy victory in the Louisiana primary at the weekend.

With all Louisiana precincts reporting, Mr Santorum captured 49 per cent of the vote to 27 per cent for Mr Romney. Newt Gingrich was far back at 16 per cent, followed by Ron Paul with six per cent.

Although the victory gives Mr Santorum bragging rights and 10 more delegates, it does not change the overall dynamics of the race. The former Pennsylvania senator still dramatically lags behind Mr Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, in the battle for delegates to the party’s August nominating convention.

Mr Romney remains far ahead with 568 delegates to Mr Santorum’s 273, according to an Associated Press tally. Mr Gingrich follows with 135 and Mr Paul has 50.

Mr Romney is just short of half the 1,144 delegates it will take to clinch the nomination ahead of the convention, while Mr Santorum is shy of accumulating a quarter of the needed delegates.

Meanwhile, it has emerged President Barack Obama is using privileged access to the White House to reward his most generous financial supporters.

Republican rivals Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum cannot match his move. More than 60 of Mr Obama’s biggest campaign donors have visited more than once for meetings with top advisers, holiday parties or state dinners.

The invitations to visit the White House, which are a legal and established practice, came despite Mr Obama’s past criticisms of Washington’s pay-for-access privileges and mark a reversal from early in the President’s term, when donors complained that Mr Obama was keeping them at arm’s length.