GOP candidates gear up for 3 primaries this week

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) � Ahead of three more primaries this week, Republican presidential candidates Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul were campaigning on the TV talk shows Sunday, with Gingrich and Paul split over whether they�d support Mitt Romney if Romney wins the nomination.

Gingrich said he�d support Romney in the November election against President Barack Obama. Paul said he hasn�t decided because he�s still aiming for the nomination himself.

Santorum, the former Pennslyvania senator who has the most convention delegates behind Romney, wasn�t asked that question.

Santorum expressed confidence going into Wisconsin�s primary Tuesday. The District of Columbia and Maryland also hold primaries that day.

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�We believe we will come out of Tuesday showing we have the resources, the ideas and the record to go out there and not just beat Gov. Romney but be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama,� he said on NBC�s�Meet the Press.�

Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker from Georgia, repeated that he�s not bowing out of the race.

�Romney has to earn the 1,144� delegates to win the party�s nomination, Gingrich said on CBS�s �Face the Nation.�

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, has won 568 delegates, according to the New York Times. Santorum has 273 and Gingrich has 135.

If Romney does win the nomination, Gingrich said �I plan to help him get elected. We�re all committed to defeat Barack Obama. I think his reelection would be a disaster for the country.�

Paul, the Texas congressman who has won just 50 delegates, also said he�s staying in the race, painting himself as an alternative for voters who want the U.S. to reduce its military presence around the world.

�Who knows what will happen in the first vote at the convention?� he asked, also on �Face the Nation.�

When asked if he�s considering a run as third-party candidate, Paul said, �I don�t have any plans for that. I�m trying to win the nomination and the votes haven�t been counted.� Paul was the Libertarian presidential candidate in 1988 before returning to the Republican Party.

Paul also discouraged speculation that he may consider joining forces with Romney because they share little common ground on policies.

As to whether he�d vote for Romney, �I haven�t made that decision yet. I�m still campaigning.�

Separately, Vice President Joe Biden said the Republicans criticize President Obama�s policies, including health care and energy, but offer no concrete solutions of their own.

�This is going to be an incredibly stark choice that the American people are going to have, not just on economic policy, but social policy and education,� he said on CBS�s �Face the Nation.�

Biden expressed hope that the election leads to changes that restore the ability of lawmakers in Washington to compromise and make difficult decisions.

�The American people will send a message that we have to at least start to talk about broad compromise on issues,� he predicted.