Presidential hopeful Rick Santorum prevailed in La Plata County Republican caucuses Tuesday night.

Participants favored him by 36 percent, with a total of 315 votes. Mitt Romney came in second with 28 percent, or 245 votes.

Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich both tied with 18 percent each, 159 votes to Paul and 162 votes to Gingrich.

In all, 885 registered Republicans voted.

The result was a poorer showing than Romney was able to make in 2008. He led all hopefuls that year, both in La Plata County and the state.

Around the county, Republicans expressed a variety of positions about the hopefuls and other matters.

More than 100 people turned out to participate at the Republican caucuses for Precincts 18, 22 and 27 at Church of Christ just south of Florida Mesa Elementary School.

“But nothing is binding yet. This is just our voices being heard,” Precinct Captain Art Wyman told the seven voters from Precinct 27.

The straw poll of all three precincts combined saw a tight race between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, with Romney pulling 33 votes and Santorum just one vote behind with 32. Gingrich, the only candidate remaining in the race who did not send a letter to be read at the caucus, got 21 votes, and Ron Paul received 15.

Mike and Carol McGuire were attending their first caucus.

“I was disappointed they didn’t have people talk about the candidates before the vote,” Mike McGuire said. “It would be nice to hear what other Republicans have to say.”

Many attendees weren’t excited about the candidates who received their votes.

“I’ll be passionate about whoever’s the nominee,” Nathan Wickett said.

McGuire’s wish for more conversation came true a little later in the caucus, when resolutions from all three precincts were presented to the whole group to be considered for presentation to the La Plata County Assembly on March 7.

Among the almost 30 resolutions presented, those to provide “unbridled” support for Israel, abolish the Federal Reserve, stop funding the United Nations, repeal Obamacare and make sure no U.S. courts recognize any form of Shariah law were all popular.

One of the most popular was Dick Norton’s proposal to require state and county entities to follow Colorado Statute 2 Section 15, which prohibits them from taking or damaging the value of anyone’s private property without due process.

“This isn’t that they can’t still plan,” Norton said, “but they have to plan with checkbook in hand.”

The 27 attendees from Precincts 1, 2 and 3 at Hood Mortuary in Durango Tuesday night said their piece about the presidential candidates and voted in under 30 minutes.

Mitt Romney scraped a win over Ron Paul by three votes.

“He (Romney) may not be the ideal candidate, but if we want to make sure Barack Obama is not sitting in the White House in 2016 ... we have our one chance now,” said Michael Lubin.

Romney got 12 votes; Paul, 9; Newt Gingrich, 5; and Rick Santorum, 1.

The Republicans also voted and approved two resolutions brought forth by fellow precinct members.

The first states La Plata County opposes two sections of the National Defense Authorization Act President, signed into law by Obama on Dec. 31, that relate to the detention of American citizens without trial.

The second resolution says all members of Congress are subject to the laws they pass – without exception.

The precincts had an exceptional turnout, said Sidny Zink, head of Precinct 2.

The turnout for caucuses held at Dalton Ranch Golf Club were much higher then expected, Bill Webb from Precinct 29 said.

In all, 107 registered Republicans attended from three precincts, 12, 16 and 29.

“We had a very good attendance, and we’re seeing quite a bit of new interest,” Bill Taylor from Precinct 16 said. “A lot of the attendees had never attended a caucus before.”

Taylor said “the major highlight” was Santorum’s surge.

“He’s been riding lower in the polls – at least in this precinct he had several votes,” he said.

A resounding message largely agreed on by many attendees was party unity.

“The biggest concern from the group was that we all stand behind whichever candidate is selected and that there’s no negativity amongst the Republican candidates,” Bill Webb from Precinct 29 said.

Katherine Michaelson, from Precinct 29, said ousting Obama is priority No. 1.

“Republicans have to be smart this time and elect someone who can beat him,” she said.

Susan Balas-Whitfield, from Precinct 29, agrees.

“We’re fed up with Barack Obama,” she said. “Obama has surrounded himself with unsavory characters in the White House.”

Mirra Dickson, mother of twins Charles and Caroline, 7, said that she views the future differently now that she has children.

“I really feel like our country is going in the wrong direction,” Dickson said. “We’re headed toward too much government control, and my children are bright entrepreneurial types, and I want them to have that openness to be able to find what it is that they want to do.”

Balas-Whitfield, a former educator, feels that the education system has deteriorated under Obama.

“The American Dream is to be educated, and have success in their lives through opportunities provided by a good education,” she said. “It seems as though women are being fed to the wolves in the current education system.”

Major themes during the Republican caucus included the notion that less government is beneficial to society.

“People can create their own security and do not have to be dependent upon the government,” Balas-Whitfield said.

Precinct 29 moved to approve all 25 proposals within their precinct.