The crowd cheered as Ohio exit poll results were displayed on oversized projection screens. The high school gymnasium erupted with whistles, yells and applause as it seemed the campaign’s hard work paid off Tuesday.

GOP candidate Rick Santorum hosted his election result watch party Tuesday at Steubenville High School.

Before Santorum began what he thought would be his victory speech, he waited in what he called the “war room,” actually the high school weight room, to hear the results of Super Tuesday.

“I was pumping a little iron to get myself excited,” Santorum joked.

When he finally made his appearance just after 9 p.m., it was hard to tell who was more excited — Santorum or his faithful, screaming supporters.

“For the folks listening at home,” Santorum began, “we’re in Steubenville, Ohio. Not too many presidential candidates come to Steubenville, Ohio, much less hold their victory party here in Steubenville, Ohio.”

Santorum lost Ohio to fellow GOP candidate Mitt Romney by roughly one percent. Santorum had success in the polls in North Dakota, Oklahoma and Tennessee, while Newt Gingrich won Georgia. Romney also won Vermont, Virginia and Massachusetts.

“This is a big night tonight — lots of states,” Santorum said. “We’re going to win a few. We’re going to lose a few. But at least as of right now, we’re going to get at least a couple of gold medals and a whole passel of silver medals.”

Santorum was escorted on stage by his wife, Karen, while his kids formed the backdrop for the duration of his speech.

Santorum didn’t resist taking a few shots at Romney during his speech.

“In this race, there is only one candidate who can go up on the most important issue of the day and make the case because I’ve never been for an individual mandate at a state or federal level,” Santorum said. “I’ve never passed a state-wide government health care system.”

During his final speech in Ohio, he repeated many key themes in his campaign including shrinking the size and control of government, what it means to be a true conservative and repealing President Obama’s health care plan.

“Once the government has control of your life,” Santorum said, “then they’ve got you.”

Santorum said it was the issue of health care that made him want to run for president.

“This is the beginning of the end of freedom in America,” Santorum said of the president’s health care plan.

In his speech Monday evening in Cuyahoga Falls, Santorum called the plan “public enemy No. 1.”

He echoed his campaign’s idea that rights should not come from the federal government; rather, it is an issue of faith.

“We are not a great country because we have a great and powerful government,” Santorum said. “We are a great country because we believe rights don’t come from the government. But as in our founding document, the Declaration of Independence, says our rights come to us from our creator.”

“We need a fighter,” Santorum said. “We need a fighter that’s someone who learned what America was about by growing up in communities just like this — understanding how American neighborhoods and families work and believing in them.”

Contact Britni Williams at [email protected].