In a non-binding straw poll conducted at Tuesday’s caucuses, a majority of local Republicans supported Rick Santorum for the party’s presidential nominee.

In Montezuma County 241, or 37 percent, of Republicans polled supported Santorum. Mitt Romney came in second in the county with 181, or nearly 28 percent of votes and Ron Paul came in third with 114, or 17.5 percent of votes. Santorum also took the lead in the statewide poll, winning the support of more than 40 percent of Colorado Republicans who voted.

Montezuma County Republican Central Committee Vice Chairman Chuck Forth said he is surprised by the turnout at Tuesday’s local caucuses and by the results of the straw poll.

“A lot of people speculated Mitt Romney would do very well in this state,” he said. Romney placed second in the statewide poll with 34.9 percent of votes, followed by Newt Gingrich with 12.81 percent and Paul with 11.7 percent.

Forth said the poll indicates Romney has lost support in Colorado since 2008, which he believes can be attributed to party voters viewing Santorum as the more conservative candidate of the two. He said this could in part be to Romney’s health care plan for Massachusetts being viewed as similar to President Barack Obama’s federal health care legislation.

“There’s a lot of people who feel that’s a huge infringement by the government into people’s lives,” Forth said.

Despite a wide range of beliefs within the local party, Forth said local Republicans who turned out to vote at precincts were civil and agreed not to discuss who to vote for, since most of them already had their minds made up.

“This is part of what makes this country great,” Forth said.

Depending on which presidential candidates remain in the race, Forth said Tuesday’s straw poll could be a good indicator of who local Republicans support in the primary election this June. Of Montezuma County Republicans, 650 voted in last night’s straw poll.

“I think a lot of people are energized about the upcoming elections,” he said.

Last night’s caucuses also gave a chance for local Republicans to vote for which local candidates to place on this year’s primary ballot.

Those candidates who get the most votes can send a set number of delegates to vote for them at the party’s general assembly, set for 6 p.m. Feb. 24th at the Montezuma County Annex.

Candidates who receive at least 30 percent of delegate votes will be eligible for placement on the ballot for the party’s primary election set for June 26. Candidates who get between 10 and 30 percent of the delegate vote will still be able to petition onto the ballot, while those who get less than 10 percent will not.

According to unofficial results, Dolores County Republicans favored Santorum with 22 votes, to 14 each for Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. Romney picked up six votes.

Democrat caucuses are set for March 6.

Reach Reid Wright at reidw@cortezjournal.com