Updated 1:29 a.m. ET

Rick Santorum scored three victories in the GOP presidential race, defeating Mitt Romney in Missouri and Colorado and Ron Paul in Minnesota.

His final victory was declared about 1 a.m. ET Wednesday when Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call told CNN that Santorum scored a stunning upset over Romney, who won the state four years ago.

The former Pennsylvania senator has now dented Romney's claim as the inevitable Republican nominee.

Newt Gingrich wasn't much of a factor and spent Tuesday campaigning in Ohio. The Buckeye State votes March 6.

Delegates will be decided later in the Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado contests but that mattered little to Santorum, who claimed momentum and bragging rights.

"Conservatism is alive and well," Santorum said Tuesday night from St. Charles, Mo., as he proclaimed himself the "conservative alternative" to President Obama.

Romney predicted he will eventually become the GOP nominee, and focused his remarks in Denver on Obama. "Under his own definition President Obama has failed. We will succeed," he says.

We live blogged results and speeches. USA TODAY's Susan Page has more on Romney hitting a speed bump in Wednesday's editions. Also read Jackie Kucinich's story on Colorado, the ultimate "purple" state.

Scroll down for highlights.

1:09 a.m. ET

After eight contests in the GOP presidential race, Santorum now has four victories under his belt in Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado.

Romney has victories in New Hampshire, Florida and Nevada. Newt Gingrich won South Carolina.

CNN says Santorum wins Colorado with 40.2% and Romney has 34.9%. A reminder these are unofficial results that the cable network got directly from Colorado GOP chairman Ryan Call.

1 a.m. ET

Call tells CNN that Santorum has scored a stunning upset and defeated Romney in the state. Call says 98% of the vote has been counted.

"Rick Santorum has exceeded expectations," Call says.

12:54 a.m. ET

CNN is invoking the Iowa caucuses when Santorum and Romney traded leads throughout Jan. 3. You'll recall that the vote count was a mess, and Santorum was declared the winner two weeks after the vote.

12:50 a.m. ET

Ever wonder what momentum means to a GOP presidential candidate? Santorum hopes his victories in Minnesota and Missouri translates to money. He tweeted a link to his donation page on his website.

12:44 a.m. ET

Romney now has a slight lead in Colorado. CNN and The New York Times say the former Massachusetts governor has won populous Denver County. The numbers don't yet include Colorado Springs, which the Denver Post says is going for Santorum.

Wednesday, 12:33 a.m. ET

The Democratic National Committee is jabbing at Romney, calling the results a "bad night" for him "plain and simple."

"What should have been a night where he began to consolidate Republican support instead has shown that Republicans are reluctant to get behind him," DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.

11:42 p.m. ET

As he has in the past, Romney is referring to lessons learned from his dad, George, a former Michigan governor.

"These last few years haven't been the best of times," he says. "The principles that made this country the greatest in the world have not lost their meaning. ... In this election, let's fight for the America we love."

He thanks the crowd. "Appreciate the help," and says he has a long way to go. His campaign theme song starts to play. It's Born Free by Kid Rock.

11:41 p.m. ET

Romney is going through Obama's promises on the economy. His response with each example: "By President Obama's own definition, he has failed and we will succeed," Romney says.

"You have not made progress," Romney says to Obama. "We're going to take back the White House."

Romney says Washington cannot reform itself, especially by a president who has been "corrupted" by Washington. "This campaign is ... about saving the soul of America," he says.

"President Obama recently said he's learning. We say he's learning too little, too late," Romney says. "The presidency is a place to exercise judgment that's been learned over a lifetime and that's precisely what I'll do."

11:36 p.m. ET

Romney reminds his supporters that Obama accepted the Democratic Party nomination in Denver four years ago. Romney says Obama vowed to measure his success by the jobs he creates that helps pay mortgages.

"Under his own definition President Obama has failed. We will succeed," he says.

11:35 p.m. ET

Romney is speaking from his headquarters in Denver. "The race is too close to call in Colorado ... I'm looking for a good showing," he says, thanking people in Minnesota and Missouri.

"This was a good night for Rick Santorum ... but I expect to become the nominee with your help," Romney says. "I look forward to the contests to come. We're going to take our message of liberty and prosperity to every corner of this country."

11:29 p.m. ET

USA TODAY's Jackie Kucinich is on the ground in Colorado. Read her story about the ultimate "purple state" in the general election.

11:22 p.m. ET

Paul concludes by promising to keep pressing for the "cause of liberty." His second-place finish in Minnesota is his best since coming in second to Romney in New Hampshire.

11:15 p.m. ET

Paul is stirring up his supporters at his headquarters in Golden Valley, Minn.

"We have permitted our government to undermine our liberty for safety and security. You never have to sacrifice your liberty if you want to be safe," he says.

11:10 p.m. ET

Ron Paul is taking the stage in Minnesota, where he finished second behind Santorum. He's greeted with chants of "President Paul!"

"We did very well tonight, and we had a strong second place, and it's going to continue," Paul said.

He reminds his supporters that it's all about delegates. "That is where we excel. We know what to do," Paul said, adding that he expects to pick up some in Nevada, now that the results have been finalized.

"When the dust settles we'll have the maximum number of delegates coming out of Minnesota," Paul says. Those delegates won't be chosen until district and state conventions later this year.

11:06 p.m. ET

CNN points out that Foster Friess, the wealthy individual who is backing the pro-Santorum Red, White and Blue Fund, was on stage next to Santorum's daughter, Elizabeth. The law says super PACs cannot coordinate with the candidate they support.

11:02 p.m. ET

"Freedom is at stake in this election," Santorum says. "We need to be the voice for freedom."

"Every generation of Americans ... has to maintain freedom," he says, asking people to go out and pledge "their honor."

"Go out and preserve the greatest country in the history of the world," Santorum concludes in his victory speech.

11 p.m. ET

Santorum says this is an election about future generations and turns his attention again to Obama. "This president believes" that Americans are incapable of liberty, he says, arguing that the GOP nominee cannot be "compromised" on the biggest issues of the day. That's a dig at Romney.

"Look what happens when the government gives you rights unlike when God gives you rights," he said. "When government gives you rights the government will tell you how to exercise those rights."

Then he blasts Obama for a rule requiring Catholic hospitals and institutions to include birth control in their health insurance plans for employees.

10:57 p.m. ET

Santorum says this is what the general election will look like and mocks Romney for his money and message. "Barack Obama needs to be replaced in the Oval Office," he says.

"Supply-side economics for the working man is resonating in Missouri and Minnesota," Santorum says about why he's doing well. "Americans respond ... because I do care about not 99% ... but I care about the very rich and the very poor. I care about 100% of America."

10:54 p.m. ET

Santorum is blasting Obama for not listening to America when it comes to health care and the environment. "He thinks he knows better," Santorum says. "We need a president who listens to the American people."

"If you listened to our message," Santorum says, "Mitt Romney has the same positions as Barack Obama. He would not be the best voice to fight for freedoms in America."

He says he is the "conservative alternative to Barack Obama" and not the alternative to Romney. The crowd chants: "We pick Rick!"

10:51 p.m. ET

Santorum says his victories tonight are wins for the Tea Party movement.

"You better start listening to the voice of the people," he says to President Obama. "I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't listening. ... He thinks he knows better than you."

10:50 p.m. ET

"Wow," Santorum says in St. Charles, Mo. "Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota."

He begins by thanking God and his wife, Karen. And he gives a shout-out to Bella, his 3-year-old daughter who was recently hospitalized with pneumonia.

"Your votes were heard louder across the country ... particularly in Massachusetts," Santorum says.

10:39 p.m. ET

Bragging rights belong to Rick Santorum, who has won two of the three GOP contests tonight. His Minnesota victory is a big win, because Romney won the state four years ago. The Romney campaign is reminding reporters that no delegates are being awarded tonight.

10:36 p.m. ET

It's official: AP calls Santorum the winner in Minnesota.

10:34 p.m. ET

CNN is now joining NBC and ABC with a projected win for Santorum in Minnesota. The former Pennsylvania senator has a strong double-digit lead over Ron Paul in Minnesota.

10:30 p.m. ET

CNN commentator David Gergen says Santorum's two apparent victories mean he can say he went head-to-head with Romney and won. "There's a certain justice tonight," Gergen said.

Romney's campaign signaled it was taking Santorum seriously with attacks in recent days, led partly by former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty.

10:26 p.m. ET

ABC News and NBC News are projecting Santorum the winner of the Minnesota caucuses. Romney won Minnesota in 2008.

10:03 p.m. ET

Romney has written a column for USA TODAY's editorial page about his tax plan. In the column, Romney says he will "firmly oppose tax increases" and criticizes President Obama for shunning "responsibility for exploding deficits."

9:51 p.m. ET

Santorum was the only candidate to make a real effort in Missouri, whose primary had nothing to do with the allocation of GOP convention delegates. Still, the symbolism is important to the former Pennsylvania senator, who appears to be defeating Romney by a 2-to-1 margin. His last win came in Iowa.

Santorum is supposed to speak tonight from St. Charles, Mo.

9:46 p.m. ET

It's official: AP has called Santorum the winner of the Missouri primary.

9:42 p.m. ET

CNN is projecting Rick Santorum has won the Missouri primary.

9:37 p.m. ET

More than one-quarter of the votes are counted in Missouri, and Santorum has more than half the GOP vote. He's followed by Romney and Paul. Gingrich isn't on the Missouri ballot.

9:14 p.m. ET

Jon Huntsman's daughters are back! The popular Twitter feed of Abby, Liddy and Mary Anne is promoting the former GOP presidential candidate's appearance this evening on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. We're sorry we missed @Jon2012girls hilarious Super Bowl-related tweets, but check them out for yourself.

We blogged earlier today about Huntsman's post-presidential campaign plans.

8:35 p.m. ET

Paul is knocking the Federal Reserve and its monetary policy. He gets huge applause for his line about auditing the Fed, one of the cornerstones of his campaign. "Make sure they're actually holding the gold they claim they're holding," he says.

8:33 p.m. ET

CNN is showing Ron Paul, who is speaking at a caucus in Maple Grove, Minn. He begins by telling the crowd he has delivered 4,000 babies as an obstetrician-gynecologist, and gets applause by talking about his military service.

"I've been campaigning for the cause of liberty for a long time," the Texas congressman says, saying politicians who don't obey the Constitution are the biggest source of problems in Washington.

8:23 p.m. ET

Some very early returns from Missouri show Romney leading Santorum. A reminder that this is a GOP "beauty contest," because it's not part of any delegate-selection process. The Show Me State's national convention delegates will be chosen at district conventions in April and a state convention in June.

8:20 p.m. ET

Romney is slated to give a major economic address Feb. 24 at the home stadium of football's Detroit Lions, ahead of the Michigan primary.

The Associated Press says the former Massachusetts governor's address to the Detroit Economic Club quickly sold out at a local hotel, so the speech was moved to Ford Field. The Michigan primary is Feb. 28.

Romney was born in Michigan, and his father was governor of the state and ran American Motors.

Updated 8:01 p.m. ET

Newt Gingrich tells CNN that tonight's results will show the "elite media" can no longer consider Mitt Romney the "inevitable" GOP presidential nominee.

Gingrich says he is looking forward to the Super Tuesday contests on March 6 to build support for his campaign.

Rick Santorum is poised to win in Minnesota and Missouri, two of the three states that vote tonight. Romney is expected to do well in Colorado.

Gingrich repeated his vow to stay in the race through the Republican National Convention in Tampa. He said it's not "harmful" to have a contested GOP primary.

Our original post begins here:

Can Rick Santorum win two states in the first night of multistate contests in the GOP presidential race?

We'll be live blogging results from the GOP caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado and Missouri's primary. No delegates will be awarded tonight, so it's all about bragging rights and momentum for the four-man Republican field.

USA TODAY's Susan Page and Jackie Kucinich will have more in Wednesday's editions.

Polls show Santorum, who won the Iowa caucuses, with leads over GOP front-runner Mitt Romney in Minnesota and Missouri. The former Pennsylvania senator asked Missouri supporters to help him "reset" the race.

Romney is looking to Colorado for his fourth win this year in the race for the Republican nomination. His campaign is playing down its expectations, in a memo that emphasizes the former Massachusetts governor's long-term plans.

"Of course, there is no way to win first place in every single race," Romney's political director Rich Beeson wrote in the campaign memo.

The Colorado outcome could be the most important, since the state is one of about a dozen swing states where the general election with President Obama will be fought the hardest.

Newt Gingrich has been spending the day campaigning in Ohio, which votes on March 6 as part of the Super Tuesday contests. Ron Paul is looking ahead to a straw poll Saturday in Maine.