As expected.

(CNN) — Rick Santorum will win Saturday’s Republican presidential primary in Louisiana by winning close to majority of the vote, according to early results and exit polling,

With around 20% of the vote in, Santorum held a 45%-28% lead over front-runner Mitt Romney. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich had 19% of the vote and Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 6%.

Santorum’s win was his fourth in the South, where front-runner Mitt Romney has not been able to connect with conservative voters in the region.

Winning Louisiana big will help fuel Santorum’s campaign as the conservative alternative to Romney.

“Santorum can’t just win, he has to win big. He’s the one who needs to shake up this race. Another ho-hum win in the South doesn’t cut it. He’s on a political bridge to nowhere and is running out of time to change destinations,” said Bruce Haynes, a GOP strategist and managing partner of Purple Strategies, a bipartisan public affairs consulting firm, last week.