Yumans say Romney, Santorum came out ahead in debate

Two Yumans at the presidential Republican debate in Mesa on Wednesday agreed on which candidates came out as the front-runners.

Jonathan Lines, chairman of the Yuma County Republican Party, said Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum beat former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, in the debate.

“It's between Romney and Santorum based upon their ability to answer questions,” Lines said.

“There really are two front-runners: Romney and Santorum,” said state Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma.

Lines' personal favorite is Romney. “Romney appeared to be the most presidential. He has the business experience needed to help balance the budget.”

Shooter favors Santorum. “At this point I'm leaning toward Santorum,” he said, noting that Romney tends to “misfire” by saying “something smart” followed by something regrettable.

The Yumans dubbed the debate as “energetic” and “lively.”

“It was a great debate. It's the most lively I've seen,” Shooter said. “But being a Republican, I hated to see them chip at each other. They went at each other.”

“It was a very energetic debate individually, and I think the candidates did the best job so far,” Lines said.

However, he wished the moderator had asked a few more questions from the public.

Lines believes the debate has made it “a lot more difficult for voters to decide. They all answered questions better than they have before. Personally, I think it's the best show yet for the Republican Party.”

Lines appreciated the focus on getting the economy back on track and noted the candidates complemented one another in that aspect.

“We're headed in the right direction,” he added.

Lines said the debate also highlighted issues important to Arizona, such as the border.

Shooter is pleased that Arizona has become a key state in the GOP presidential race. “By moving the primary, Arizona now has some say in the presidential race.”

Arizona's Republican primary is set for Tuesday.

Mara Knaub can be reached at mknaub@yumasun.com or 539-6856. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSMaraKnaub or on Twitter at @YSMaraKnaub.