PORT ANGELES — Republican Party supporters poured into meeting rooms across the North Olympic Peninsula on Saturday, providing what organizers called the best caucus turnout in years.
In Clallam County, Mitt Romney won the presidential straw poll with 262 votes, followed by Rick Santorum with 227 votes, Ron Paul with 225 votes and Newt Gingrich with 99 votes. Fifty-five were undecided.
Jefferson County also had a high turnout at the Republican Party caucuses, where Romney was declared the winner with 125 votes.
Paul came in second with 95 votes, followed by Gingrich with 46 and Santorum with 41.
Clallam County Republican Chairman Dick Pilling said 868 people attended packed caucus meetings in Sequim, Forks and Port Angeles.
“They had a bumper crop of people out there” in Sequim, he said.
“We were just swamped at all locations. It was unbelievable.”
Pilling attributed the high turnout to people being upset with the direction of the country.
“Obama has energized the base far more than Jimmy Carter,” he said.
Pilling said Paul won in Forks and Port Angeles, but the Texas congressman and other candidates were trounced in Sequim, which voted overwhelmingly for Romney.
Jefferson County Republican Chairman Ron Gregory said 321 people participated at locations in Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, Chimacum and Quilcene.
“We did terrific here,” he said of the high turnout.
Organizers in Port Ludlow had to find more chairs for participants.
“People are really upset with the Obama administration,” Gregory said.
The chairman also attributed the turnout to supporters of Paul, a Texas congressman who easily won the youth vote.
“The Ron Paul people had been very active in this county for weeks,” he said.
Gregory said Romney was most popular among older voters. He said they are more likely to get behind a presumptive nominee.
“They pay attention” to the national trends, Gregory said.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
