Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum is projected to win the Kansas caucuses, according to NBC Politics.

The Republican presidential hopeful was named the winner with 70 percent of the precincts reporting. At the time of that reporting, he led with 53 percent of the vote, with the remaining votes divided among rivals Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich.

In addition to his victory in Kansas, Santorum collected 21 more delegates with victories in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas.

His victory in Kansas isn't surprising, since his two chief rivals, Romney and Gingrich, skipped the state to focus on Tuesday's upcoming primaries in Alabama and Mississippi. Kansas is also largely socially conservative, which falls in line with Santorum's agenda.

The win is a delegate boost for Santorum, but his path to obtaining the necessary 1,144 delegates remains difficult. Prior to Saturday's contests, Romney had won 396 delegates to Santorum's 146.

Read more at NBC Politics.

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