FAIRMONT - It was a record turnout and a landslide win in the straw poll vote for local favorite Rick Santorum.
The ballroom was packed Tuesday evening at the Holiday Inn in Fairmont, where Martin County Republicans gathered for their presidential caucus. Of the 234 ballots cast, Santorum captured 134 votes, or 55 percent.
He was followed by Ron Paul, with 17 percent, and Newt Gingrich, with 15 percent. Coming in last was the previous frontman for the Republican party: Mitt Romney, with 13 percent.
Neal Breitbarth, who has served numerous times as a GOP delegate, wasn't surprised by the outcome.
"Health care is the biggest drag on Mitt Romney, and the biggest issue in the nation is Obamacare and getting rid of Obamacare," said Breitbarth, a Santorum supporter.
Julie Hill of Welcome didn't expect to see such a large gap between Santorum and his rivals.
"I voted for him, but I was still a little surprised," she said. "We saw him in Luverne and he was much better in person than on television."
Chris Hiller of Westford Township, east of Truman, said the results were what he predicted.
"I thought Ron Paul would get second," he said. "There are a lot of youth in the room, and they seem to really support him."
Thirty-year-old Sarah Gwin of Trimont was one of those younger people, and Paul is her candidate of choice.
"I'm a Ron Paul fan," she said. "He's got some traction in grassroots, this kind of setting, he does well. Probably had more people in my demographic shown up, he might have done better."
Regulars at the GOP events noted a higher number of young people than in previous years, and higher numbers in general: "This is the biggest crowd I've ever seen," said Paul Schlaphoff of Jay Township.
The turnout and results were similar in Faribault County, with 109 people showing up at the Delavan DHS building for the county's GOP caucus. Santorum garnered 56 percent of the votes; Paul had 22 percent; 12 percent went to Gingrich; and just 9 percent for Romney.
"Probably half the people were first-timers, so that was great," said David Murray, co-chairman of the Faribault County Republican Party.
Breitbarth is optimistic the high turnout means positive things for Republicans in Minnesota. Addressing the crowd at the Holiday Inn, he said, "Maybe we can get this monkey off our back in Minnesota and actually vote for a Republican for president."