Updated:Santorum Wins Roseville House District 54A Straw Poll, Maintains Commanding State Lead

Rick Santorum emerged the winner of the Republican presidential straw poll Tuesday night at Roseville state House District 54A, a result that followed Minnesota as a whole. 

With nearly 400 participants turning out for the the 54A precinct caucuses, Santorum garnered 159 votes. Ron Paul placed second with 111 votes followed by Mitt Romney, 75 votes, and Newt Gingrich a distant fourth with  35 votes. 

House District 54A is comprised mostly of Roseville (eight precincts) with the territory also including two precincts from St. Anthony Village and one from Lauderdale.  The district's GOP caucuses were held at Roseville Area Middle School.

Before the proceeedings began, 54A Republican chairman Mike Boguszewski said he felt that Santorum was gaining strength, perhaps partly picking up support from conservative supporters of former GOP hopeful Michelle Bachman. He also acccurately sensed a swell of support for Paul, who seemed to strike a chord with many first-time caucus attenders. 

Among the Paul backers was Brad Weller, a first-time caucus participant from St. Anthony. "Everything he (Paul) says is not only the truth but everything that I believe in," said Weller, a musician. In particularly, Weller said he agrees with Paul's stance on foreign policy and drug control.

Before the 54A participants broke off into their respective precincts, Boguszewski urged the assembled crowd to get active in the party, saying each person can make a difference. "The Republican Party has a big tent," he said, noting there is room for conservatives, moderates and Tea Party people alike. 

Ahough counting still hadn’t been completed by Wednesday morning, it was clear that Santorum had built an unassailable lead throughout Minnesota.

With 93.43 percent of the ballots counted, Santorum had 21,495 votes, or 44.84 percent.  That was about the same percentage of the vote he’d maintained throughout the ballot counting Tuesday night. Paul came in a strong second, with 13,039 votes, or 27.20 percent.

Romney, the presumed front-runner going into the night, got only 8,108 votes, less than 17 percent. And Gingrich, who won in South Carolina last month, got 5,157 votes, or 10.76 percent. There were 140 votes for write-in candidates.

Santorum’s win wasn’t just impressive for its margin, but for its ubiquity across the state. 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.