After losing ground to Mitt Romney this week in Puerto Rico and Illinois, Rick Santorum has the chance to win back some delegates and momentum, as voters in Louisiana go to the polls on Saturday.

While Santorum leads in all of the recent polls, which show him gaining momentum, only 20 delegates are at stake in Louisiana, and the rules won't allow for Santorum to win much of an advantage over Romney - unless there is a landslide.

Romney spent the day away from TV cameras and reporters on Thursday in Washington, D.C., meeting with backers at a morning breakfast and then sitting down with on-the-fence Republicans in a series of meetings.

"It was good," said Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who has held back his important conservative endorsement in this race.

"I think all of us who were there were very impressed; so it was a good meeting," DeMint said, adding to other reporters that he thinks this race should wrap up soon.

That's been echoed in the hallways of the Capitol in recent days from other Republicans as well.

"I think it's pretty obvious that Romney is the frontrunner," said Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), "and he's going to remain the frontrunner."

Like many Republicans, Chambliss remains officially on the fence in this race, but you don't have to read too hard between the lines to realize that he and others are more than ready to jump on board in coming weeks.

"If we don't conclude this in advance of the convention, then whoever the nominee is will be at a serious disadvantage," Chambliss told me as passing tourists craned their necks and tried to figure out if either of us was someone they should know.

After Louisiana votes on Saturday, things slow down in this race - April 3 brings primaries in Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Wisconsin; April 24 has primaries in Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Put your focus on the Badger State of Wisconsin - if Santorum can win there, the race goes on in a serious way for a few more weeks.

We'll see on Saturday if Santorum can chalk up a win in what's been a good week for Mitt Romney.