Minn. GOP gives a boost to Santorum

MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Republican voters rewarded the two candidates who spent the most time in the state in the days leading up to Tuesday's caucus, dealing a clear victory to Rick Santorum and helping to at least temporarily shake up the race for the GOP nomination.

The former Pennsylvania senator handily won Minnesota's Republican caucus, comfortably ahead of second-place Ron Paul. Front-runner Mitt Romney was well back in third, and Newt Gingrich finished last.

Santorum and Paul both made a series of visits to Minnesota in the final week, hoping the conservative temperament of its GOP base would help them shake up their underdog campaigns. For Santorum, the gambit worked.

"I like the way he talks. He sounds so sincere about what he says," said Cheryl Czech, 56, a house painter from Lino Lakes who attended Santorum's rally in Blaine on Tuesday afternoon and decided after hearing him speak to support him at caucus. She said the other candidates "are so political in their back and forth."

Bruce Mackenthun, a 38-year-old contractor at a caucus in Shakopee, called Santorum a "consistent conservative" without some of Romney's negatives and preferable foreign policy views compared to Paul.

"He seems to have a clear message," Mackenthun said. "He hasn't had to change it really through the whole campaign."

The night's preference ballot doesn't bind any of the 40 national convention delegates, but it offers plenty of symbolic importance. Coming off back-to-back primary wins in Nevada and Florida, Romney had hoped contests in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado would distance him from the GOP pack. Santorum also won in Missouri and late Tuesday was also declared the winner in Colorado.

Santorum and Paul were expected to benefit from a low turnout that increased the power of more conservative voters most likely to show up. A snapshot of several counties showed turnout significantly lower than four years ago.

Romney won the Minnesota caucus in 2008 running as the conservative alternative to John McCain, but this year saw other candidates run to his right. Bruce Olson, a retired state employee who caucused in the Minneapolis suburb of Andover, said he was open to Santorum or Gingrich but had concerns about Romney: "I like Romney OK but I think he's a little liberal."

Ernie Bedor, a 59-year-old insurance agent, spoke in support of Romney during his precinct caucus meeting in Andover. "I think Romney, with his business background, would be a better choice to stimulate our economy, get this economy going and create more jobs."