1. Mediaite
  2. Gossip Cop
  3. Geekosystem
  4. Styleite
  5. SportsGrid
  6. The Mary Sue
  7. The Jane Dough
  8. The Braiser
Advertisement

Mitt Romney Wins Maine Caucus; Ron Paul Finishes In Close Second

video
» 31 comments

Mitt Romney picked up a victory in the Maine caucuses Saturday to rounds of raucous applause, garnering 39% of the vote (2,190 votes). Ron Paul finished second, with 36% (1,996 votes). The Maine victory stems a state losing streak for Romney, who suffered three losses earlier in the week. Rick Santorum finished in third (18%), and Newt Gingrich was in fourth (6%).

In the days leading up to the announcement, the winner was expected to be either Romney or Paul, as Gingrich and Santorum had essentially ignored the state. Romney had planned on taking Saturday day off, according to the Associated Press, but decided to visit two Maine caucus sites instead, in hopes of giving a last-second boost to his chances; the strategy appears to have worked.

Paul, who lost by 194 votes, had told CNN before the results were announced that his supporters “always come through when we need them” and his there were suggestions the difference could be as little as 100 votes. He later told POLITCO’s Tim Mak that he thought he could win. John King reported that he had spoken to people in the Romney camp who were confident that they would pick up the win, as well.

In 2008, Romney won the Maine caucus, with John McCain finishing second and Paul coming in third.

The Maine caucus results come just hours after Romney won the CPAC straw poll, with Santorum in second, Gingrich in third, and Paul — who didn’t attend CPAC — in fourth. The next primaries are scheduled for Feb. 28, when Michigan and Arizona will award a combined 59 delegates.

Watch the results via CNN below:

Follow us on Twitter.

Sign up for Mediaite's daily newsletter.

Email Twitter Facebook Digg Reddit Stumble Upon Yahoo Buzz LinkedIn Tumblr Delicious
  • Anonymous

    Didn’t he win by 52% in 2008? 

    Mitt talked down Santorum’s “beauty contest” victories… I wonder if he’ll say the same for this “beauty contest”. 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ONPYTFC7LMLX2VNCZDCGCUA6NM

    Give up Rmoney!

  • Anonymous

    What the hell! Recount!

  • Anonymous

    Mitt wins with 2,190 votes?

    Engineer, slow down that train!!!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

    The poll was sponsored by the Rev. Sun Myung Moon’s rag of a rightwing paper. 
    All hail the glorious Rev. Moon, who the religious right knows speaks the truth when he says he is the second coming of Christ on earth!

  • Anonymous

    U.S. Census has the population of Maine at 1,328,188 and only 5,000
    people voted? That alone should wipe the smug smile off of the GOP’s red
    mug.

  • Anonymous

    Victory with 2000+ votes???? There are some college student presidents that win with that many votes. The GOP is TOAST!

  • Gloves Reggie Donahue

    Fox had on Debbie Dingell to discuss the results of both contests.

    Debbie is married to John Dingell, a Congressman from Michigan since 1955.

    Deb didn’t care for the anti-Washington cronyism talk at CPAC.

    I guess she wouldn’t.    

    57 years in Congress, making laws for the “small” people. That is a disgrace.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Adam-Kiernik/1525147023 Adam Kiernik

    RON PAUL AND THE BIGGEST IRONY OF OUR LIFETIME
     
    Why is a nation gifted with a world top class Constitution, based on democratic principles, getting the results of a bankrupt third world dictatorial welfare/warfare state? It’s not the Constitution that failed the people. It’s the people of America that failed the Constitution at all levels of society.
     
    The leaders of the country have certainly failed the people by catering to special interest groups to the point of being dominated in most every aspect of political life. That’s the reason why our financially dominated and carefully crafted election rules and procedures assure that only Presidents are chosen who will allow the wars to go on, as the country goes further into bankruptcy, while individual and civil rights are constantly lost along the way.
     
    Even the most important economic decisions are made by the same group of private bankers, often the very same individuals, which the government is not even allowed to audit or monitor (Federal Reserve), regardless of which establishment candidate from either party becomes President.
     
    A free press and mass media were given special privileges as well as important obligations to prevent America’s takeover by an elite establishment. Their actual news coverage was to be informative, balanced, and guided by democratic principles, especially when it comes to elections. Coverage was to be fair and basically limited to reporting the facts while letting the voters decide.
     
    The mass media in turn has made a mockery out of democratic and free elections during the last two Presidential campaigns when it came to their coverage of Ron Paul. During much of this time he was ignored, laughed at, ridiculed, marginalized, and/or declared “fringe” and “unelectable”  
     
    To any close political observer it is obvious that the mass media has completely abandoned its obligation to journalism and its role in a democracy by actively going out of its way to circumvent the campaign of someone truly challenging the elite establishment. The mass media grossly failed America as well.
     
    The last line of defense for preserving a democracy and the interests of the people are the people themselves and, perhaps most sadly of all, they have been conditioned to supporting the destructive elite establishment as well. 
     
    It is simply astonishing that a Christian nation which claims to honor God’s commandments supports establishment candidates who stand for rushing into pre-emptive wars built on deliberate lies and false slogans to create massive suffering, hatred, and terrorism, as a first resort.  
     
    It is simply astonishing that Tea Party members who came together to cut federal spending are voting for establishment candidates as opposed to Ron Paul who not only presents the only serious plan to carry this out but has been the only candidate who has consistently fought for such action to be taken during the past 20 years.
     
    It is simply astonishing that OWS, with one of its main positions being to “End the Fed,” fails to support the one candidate who brought this and many other issues on behalf of the people to light due to basically fighting alone for 20 years with no support during much of this time.
     
    The failure of the American people does not stem from evil but rather from perhaps the biggest irony of our lifetime: The establishment, with its supportive mass media that serves more as a cheerleader for the elite than a source of information, has been able to convince most Americans that the one candidate who speaks the documented truth, follows the good advice of our forefathers which served us so well over many decades, and supports the U.S. Constitution, is “fringe,” “unelectable,” and “dangerous.”
     
    I still hope and pray that enough people from every segment of the population will come together in time to the save the day and elect Ron Paul as our next president. The alternative is to accept endless wars, bankruptcy, full scale Depression, and the self-destruction of a once great nation.

  • The Real Royal Emperor

    Willard and his upper 30%. Seems to be the extent of his abilities.

  • Anonymous

    It really says a lot about Mitt when he has to struggle to win in a two person race and the other person is on the GOP ticket.

  • Gloves Reggie Donahue

    Obama just endorsed John Conyers, in Congress since 1965, for reelection.

    Dem Senator Frank Lautenberg, 88, told Schumer that he’s going for another term.

    Something’s wrong here.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/3EV7LMBN3SWQMEVDJCAKUCTCKM Top

    I want to see how Lard Limpo is going to splain this one.

    Main is selecting a RINO and dissin’ the real clownservative Santorum.

  • Anonymous

    What does this have to do with Mitt Romney barely winning in Maine?

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/MN6HPMRNYY2XRUVQZC5MOTWQRI No job

    I think Sarah Palin was the clear winner. Wow . What a speech.

  • Anonymous

    Ron Paul seems to be a better candidate than Romney or Obama. Only problem I have is his age (I know it’s ageist & it’s not right) but for some reason it concerns me. I like what he has to say & although I don’t agree with him on a lot, I respect where he comes from. I don’t think he could possibly get the Republican nomination but if he runs 3rd party I would probably vote for him.

  • Anonymous

    How many millions of dollars do you think Mitt spent to get those 2,200 votes?

  • Anonymous

    4,000 republicans came out to vote in Maine. phhh….thats a walmart parking lot.
     Obama won.

  • Anonymous

    Thank God conservatives are coming back to their senses.

    I live in PA and no one here likes Mr. Sweater Vest. Can you imagine the grief Santorum is going to get from the gay community during the General.  Santorum is going to seem so outside the main stream on his socially conservative views and it will consume the media.

    Let’s go with the squeaky clean Mormon who transforms into a ruthless vulture capitalist and would stabb you in the back to win.  That’s the type a person who can fight the Chicago machine.

  • Anonymous

    Winning Maine by just 194 votes is not a good sign for him. He needs a spark somehow. Maybe an endorsement from Hulk Hogan?

  • Anonymous

    It looks like Newts money is drying up.  His Vegas Billionaire friend might be cutting him off.  It’s time to search for a new Billionaire friend.  

  • Anonymous

    All this drama.. & Obama seems more and more destined for a second term

    Just wondering if supreme court justices invested in publicly traded media companies just before Citizens United.. ’cause that really seems like who won when all is said and done in 2012

  • bugspotter24

    “You see, sheep? We told you we’d make sure the electronically-tabulated votes would be counted properly.
    Move along now.”
    Official bankster-owned, establishment-run, vote-counting machine company spokesman

  • Anonymous

    Milquetoast…!

  • Leo Baoighill

    If RP lost by less than 200 votes, I am going to hunt for any and all Ron Paul “supporters” that didn’t vote and punch them right in the nose.

  • Leo Baoighill

    Yah that’s pretty damn sad.

  • Anonymous

    ATTENTION MAINE: If certain precincts were unable to caucus today due to extreme weather conditions, then it remains unfinished and we can not declare a winner. -SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE CORRUPTION !!!

  • Jackson Baer

    Get the best selling book for free on your Kindle Sunday, February 12th! It will challenge everything you may have heard about Heaven & Hell and force you to ask, “Is God really love?”
    http://www.whatthehellbook.com/2012/02/11/get-what-the-hell-for-free-on-the-kindle-sunday-february-12th/

  • bob ross

    Between CPAC and the Maine Caucus tell me there not rigging this for Mitt Romney…Every place that Romney’s won there’s been voter irregularity’s.
    This isn’t a primary it’s a coronation…It’s the money!

  • Anonymous

     Hey, Hey HEY!!! There were 6,000. No need for that kind of slander.

    and, those 6000 people were quite entusiastic,……for retired folk.

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/TS2ZRGH5JJCNJQIUNL43LULKSI Charles M

    Every Romney win essetially becomes an OBAMA victory in Novemebr.
    A “win’ with 194 voted over Ron Paul. Paul should have had only 194 votes total….against a Republican ‘presidential’ candidate, and my guess is tha will shrink as other delayed votes are finally counted (as happened to Santorum)

© 2012 Mediaite, LLC | About Us | Advertise | Newsletter | Jobs | Privacy | User Agreement | Disclaimer | Power Grid FAQ | Contact | Archives | RSS RSS
Dan Abrams, Founder | Power Grid by Sound Strategies | Hosting by Datagram