Santorum wins Missouri GOP presidential primary

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Story Created: Feb 7, 2012 at 9:51 PM CDT

Story Updated: Feb 7, 2012 at 9:53 PM CDT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rick Santorum has won the Missouri Republican primary, a nonbinding election that carries bragging rights but does not award any delegates in the race for the presidential nomination.

Missouri will pick its delegates at caucuses next month.

The real contests Tuesday night were in GOP caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado.

 

With 9 percent of Minnesota's precincts reporting, former Sen. Rick Santorum is jumping to a lead, with 44 percent support, hoping to extinguish front-runner Mitt Romney's modest winning streak and launch a comeback of his own.

The early returns showed Santorum followed by Texas congressman Ron Paul with 26 percent and Romney with 18 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich was last with about 12 percent.

 

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)