Santorum wins Kootenai County caucus

It took until after midnight, but the wait was worth it for Rick Santorum supporters who waited through a marathon night of voting.

Following four rounds of voting, Santorum was the choice of Kootenai County Republicans in Idaho’s first presidential caucus.

The Pennsylvanian received 674 votes in the final round of voting, while Ron Paul received 496 votes countywide, Republican Party officials announced early Wednesday.

Mitt Romney, who earned the statewide caucus victory, was eliminated in the third round of voting, while Newt Gingrich was eliminated in the second round.

The four rounds of voting, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., did not end until after midnight, as those who waited more than five hours cast their final ballot at The Coeur d’Alene Resort and nine other caucus sites around the county.

About 200 people remained at The Resort to hear the final round results announced at 12:15 a.m. Paul was the choice at that location, with his supporters outlasting Santorum backers 142-140 in the fourth round of voting.

Kootenai County was the last of Idaho’s 44 counties to report results, according to Associated Press data.