Stephannie Finch & Killian Walsh | Lindenlink Contributors

The Washington Post said that the Feb. 7 Missouri primary was a waste of taxpayer’s dollars and time. Since it was a nonbinding primary for Republicans, the voter turnout was low.

However, this did not stop the eight percent who did vote, as stated by STL Today, from coming out to support their candidate, most notably Rick Santorum. Santorum supporters gathered at the St. Charles Convention Center Tuesday evening after the polls had closed to show their enthusiasm and hear what he had to say.

Chris Howard, a Republican state committeeman, called it an important vote for Santorum because it could give him momentum and carry him into the caucuses.

Winning Missouri could help him raise money for his campaign and “get him on the playing field with Mitt Romney,” Howard said. This view was shared by approximately 15 people randomly interviewed by Lindenlink at the rally.

Before the event began, people didn’t know why they were there. Finally, it was announced that Santorum did in fact win Missouri and people knew that this was a victory speech. The new slogan became “We picked Rick!” Along with gaining momentum, the campaign collected upwards of $250,000 in donations overnight, several sources reported.

This was the second time in eight days that Santorum was in Missouri, the first at St. Charles Community College, making him the first and only candidate to campaign in Missouri before the primary.

Zach Thomas of St. Charles, whose father owns a manufacturing company, had also attended Santorum’s speech at SCC. What attracted him is Santorum’s stance on 0% taxation on manufacturing companies and his “tough foreign policy.”

One question that Lindenlink asked interviewees was what they thought separated Santorum from the rest of the candidates. Most common answers were his fiscal policy, his consistency, and his family values, although none went into specifics.

One couple at the rally, Jann and David Christensen, previously resided in Pennsylvania, where Santorum has served as a U.S senator and congressman. They stated that they were happy with his politics in their previous state and stay supportive of him.

Another thing that interviewees also liked was Santorum’s pro-life stance. According to Santorum supporter Greg Robeson, Santorum is “running for the restoration” of the country.

Supporter David Floyd said that what makes Santorum’s pro-life stance different from the rest is his consistency. He said that Mitt Romney has been “flip-flopping” on the issue and Newt Gingrich has been “on the fence.”