Santorum Wins at Minnesota Caucus

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum won Minnesota caucuses Tuesday night along with Missouri and Colorado.

With most of the votes in Wednesday morning, Santorum swept Minnesota with 45 percent of the votes. Ron Paul came in second with 27 percent, Mitt Romney wound up in third place followed by Gingrich.

Santorum’s win in Minnesota is the first since he eked out a win in Iowa.

Santorum support was strong at the for Senate District 32, which includes Maple Grove. According to co-chair Chuck Roulet, 1,127 people voted in the presidential preference poll throughout Senate District 32. Santorum received 444 votes, Paul received 315 votes, Romney received 232 votes, Gingrich received 134 votes, and Huntsman and Bachmann each received one vote.

"Conservatism is alive and well in Missouri and Minnesota!" Santorum told supporters from Missouri. "I don't stand here to be the conservative alternative to Mitt Romney; I stand here to be the conservative alternative to Barack Obama."

In a close second was Texas lawmaker Ron Paul, who in Maple Grove and in Golden Valley to a small but excited crowd. A little after 10 p.m. Paul thanked supporters saying, “We’ve had a strong second place in Minnesota and our success is only going to continue." 

Now candidates are eyeing the next two states to host caucuses, Michigan and Arizona, which happens on Feb. 28. Super Tuesday will also be a focus as a large number of states host primaries and caucuses on March 6.