Santorum Wins Minnesota

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% of the votes. Ron Paul came in second with 27%, 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.

"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 spoke 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." 

Paul did spend time and money in Minnesota leading up to the caucus, bringing his “Campaign for Liberty” to several spots on Tuesday night including Maple Grove and Golden Valley.

In a fifteen-minute speech Paul talked about the economy, the need for budget cuts and foreign policy.

“People have told me that I would do better on this campaign if I would just change my tune on foreign policy, but it’s foreign policy that is driving this campaign” he told a group of supporters.

with clips included in a live blog where reporters all over the state posted totals and comments from caucus goers.

With counting complete in all but four counties, Ron Paul won just four, in scattered rural areas across the state, and tied with Santorum in Lincoln County, on the South Dakota border. Paul did better in major cities, nearly scraping out a win in Ramsey County, but even there, Santorum bested Paul.

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