Evan Vucci/AP Photo

METAIRIE, La. - Mitt Romney seemed to be managing expectations during a plea for votes this morning at his first of two public events he will hold in Louisiana before the state's primary this weekend.

"I need you to get out and vote, alright, you've got a contest coming up real soon. I would love to have your help," said Romney, who had just finished a speech focusing on health care. "You've got a lot of delegates here, alright, I want, well I'd like all of them. I'm probably not going to get all of them but I want to get as many as I can and so I want to ask you to get out there and vote get me a good send out, Illinois did, Puerto Rico did."

Up for grabs during Saturday's primary are 20 delegates, which will be allocated proportionally among any candidate who receives more than 25 percent of the vote. If no candidate reaches that threshold, the 20 delegates will attend the convention uncommitted, according to the Louisiana GOP.

Romney has thus far struggled in the southern states, losing both Alabama and Mississippi's primary contests to Sen. Rick Santorum, who has been leading Romney in several polls going into Louisiana's primary.