WHO'S IN THE DOGHOUSE NOW?

(CNN) -- Rick Santorum will win Tuesday night's Alabama and Mississippi GOP presidential primaries, CNN projects -- a blow to Newt Gingrich, who had hoped to win another state in his home region, and a retort to Mitt Romney, who earlier in the day said Santorum's campaign was reaching a "desperate end."

With 96% of the vote counted in Mississippi, Santorum had 33%. Newt Gingrich was at 31%, Romney at 30% and Ron Paul at 4%.

In Alabama, with 79% of the vote counted, Santorum led with 35%, followed by Gingrich at 30%, Romney at 28% and Paul at 5%.

"We did it again," Santorum told supporters Tuesday night in Lafayette, Louisiana, which will hold a GOP primary on March 24.

Santorum, whose Alabama and Mississippi victories give him 10 wins to Romney's 16, poked at the front-runner as he reiterated his stance that he is the viable conservative alternative to the former Massachusetts governor.