Mitt Romney wins in Iowa. But so did Mike Huckabee.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney won an easy and expected victory in a high-profile Iowa Republican Party Straw Poll on Saturday, claiming nearly twice as many votes as his nearest rival.

Romney had been expected to win the test because he spent millions of dollars and months of effort on an event that was skipped by two of his major rivals.

Romney scored 4,516 votes, or 31.5 percent, to outpace former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee who had 2,587 votes, or 18.1 percent. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback was third with 2,192 votes, 15.3 percent.

Announcement of the results was delayed for 90 minutes because a hand count was required on one of the 18 machines.

The biggest loser of the evening likely was former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who finished in 6th place with 1,039 votes. He had said repeatedly that if he didn't finish in the top two his campaign was likely to end. He left the event before the results were announced.

Now remember -- Fred, Rudy, and McCain all sat this one out, so a Romney victory was a given here. If anything, the diminished turnout and the fact that he didn't win more votes should be of concern to the campaign, though this is a clear win for the former Massachusetts governor.

Mike Huckabee was the surprise, though, coming in second place. I guess some of Sam Brownback's dirty campaign tactics have turned folks off, and we should expect to see him disappear from the campaign in relatively short order.

Tom Tancredo's fourth place finish seems to indicate more support for his position on immigration than it does support for the candidate.

Ron Paul failed to meet expectations set by his campaign.

"We expect to be in the top three," Benton said. "We've got four staffers organizing and we've got a lot of web site RSVPs from volunteers."

I therefore agree with Don Surber -- "If Iowa ever annexes Sim City, he has a chance."

Tommy Thompson is dead -- and I think he even realizes it now.

And the saddest outcome? Duncan Hunter's pathetic 1%, trailing even Fred Thompson and Rudy Giuliani, neither of who competed and one of whom is not even a declared candidate yet. He's a good man and deserved better.

Posted by: Greg at 02:22 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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