Romney Wins Iowa GOP Straw Poll

Jim Holdaway, a graphics supervisor for the Port of Los Angeles, looks at the USS Iowa as the battleship is towed to the Port of Los Angeles near Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 30, 2012. The 887-foot long, 58,000-ton battlewagon is being towed to the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro, where it will be transformed into an interactive naval museum. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) / Jae C. Hong

By CBSNews.com senior political editor Vaughn Ververs.

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The Iowa state fair is taking place in Des Moines, but anyone happening on the Iowa State campus about 35 miles north of the capital city might have thought the venue had changed. Tens of thousands of Republican activists from Iowa and elsewhere braved sweltering temperatures for a day of food, entertainment and speeches by eight presidential candidates who took part in a party find-raiser and straw poll.

At the end of the day, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney took a step forward in his quest for the Republican nomination for president, easily winning the straw poll of party loyalists, taking 31.5 percent of the total votes cast for a total of 4,516. The results could provide Romney's campaign with momentum going into the fall and almost certainly spells the end for one candidacy.

"The people of this great state have sent a message to the rest of the country," said Romney. "Change starts in Iowa."

"This important victory sends a signal to grassroots Republican activists across the country that we are working hard to earn their support, and that we are ready to begin the work of strengthening our economy, our military and our families," Romney added in a statement issued by his campaign.

Another clear winner was former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who nabbed the coveted second-place spot with a total of 2,587 votes or 18.1 percent.

Huckabee said his showing was impressive because he had little money to spend. "You have taken a minimum amount of resources and made a maximum amount of gain,'' Huckabee told backers.

He said earlier this week that a strong second-place finish in the straw poll could loosen the purse strings of potential supporters. "We want to do well to show that the momentum continues to build,'' he said Thursday.

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback and Huckabee had waged a fierce competition for the loyalty of influential social and religious conservatives, and Huckabee's showing gave him new credibility.

But Brownback, who spent a lot of his resources on the straw poll was close on Huckabee's heels, getting 2,192 votes, or 15.3 percent.

Brownback put the best face on his showing.

"I think this is a ticket forward for us,'' said Brownback."It was pretty close. We were both right in there together.''

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, whose anti-illegal immigration emphasis has garnered him support finished with 1,961 votes, or 13.7 percent. Ron Paul, the only anti-war candidate in the field, got 9.1 percent, or 1,305 votes.

Former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson suffered the biggest disappointment, getting just 1,039 votes, or 7.3 percent, in an event he has emphasized for months as critical for his candidacy. Thompson has said he would not continue in the race if he did not finish first or second and a representative of his campaign signaled that Thompson would likely end his campaign as early as Sunday.

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[cattlekate]

Anyone who posts and EXCUSES Mitt's sons while his father is a supporter of this horrific foreign-policy-PNAC-war-profiteering-Robber-Baron nightmare is

either part of the 10 percent of uneducated people who are still Repubs, are struggling to pay their bills over the kitchen table and yet are deluded with Limbaugh&Hannity Radio which associates "family values and patriotism" with the Iraq occupation,

or part of the 15 percent who support Bush&Co because it enriches their coffers.

The news media does not want you to know that Mike Huckabee & Ron Paul are right - Huckabee & Paul were the clear, honest choice of hard-working Iowaians who did not have their ticket purchased and transportation provided

Mitt Romney BOUGHT his Iowa Straw Poll win - through the purchase of a bunch of tickets and nice lunches.

The news media does not want you to know that Mike Huckabee & Ron Paul are right - Huckabee & Paul were the clear, honest choice of hard-working Iowaians who did not have their ticket purchased and transportation provided!

[cattlekate]

Why aren't Mitt's FIVE (count 'em!) strapping, healthy, WEALTHY young boys joining the military, which Mitt says should be built up ("Family, Economy, and enlarging the MILITARY are his priorities),

joining the US military which their chickenhawk father says should be in Iraq to make sure those lucrative 75% PSA's stay in place?

The crappy answers his camp gives ("OH! They are working for their dad and driving the campaign bus!" "Oh! They served their Mormon missions of 'their God' instead!" "Oh! It's a volunteer army!") DO NOT answer the question.

So five US military boys DIED this weekend. Why can't those Romney boys ENLIST and take their place?

I ask because I am the Mom of a military-age son, WHO CANNOT AFFORD A COLLEGE DEFERMENT, and lived through the mid-to-late sixties and early seventies when my Mom could not get the mail because of the possibility of that awful Selective Service notice.

My Mom and Dad tried their hardest to keep my brother in college, and get a deferment, but we did not have the money to pay for each year's tuition -

until my Mother's tears and about ten family members stepped up to pay for my brother's tuition and the resultant deferment.

My Mom and Dad were not like Mitt's Nixon Administration Dad - George Romney, AND THE MORMON CHURCH,

who could buy Mitt a deferment!

[prinzowhales]

Here's the site I neglected to include in my last post:

http://massresistance.org/docs/marriage/romney/record/

In any event, in both Ohio and Florida, voting machines were used to corrupt the election results. And, they were selected by the Republican establishment to corrupt the Iowa straw poll results. No paper trail...no recount...no way to challenged the results. That Romney supported this, shows that he will stop at nothing to win, that the democratic system's subversion is of no interest to him if it serves his interests to subvert it.

When we look at the effort that he put into Iowa and the meagre results, it is anyone's guess whether or not he can spin this relative failure into campaign momentum.

[killtheliars]

what does not make sense is that 26,000 tickets were sold for this straw poll event but only a little over 14,000 votes were counted. Sounds like we have another case were votes where thrown out. I would be willing to bet it was votes for anti-war, anti-iraq, anti-patriot act candidates.

[prinzowhales]

Here's a site that shows you a bit of the real Mitt Romney. While I don't endorse all of the criticism of Romney in the article, I think its interesting that he kicked the Boy Scouts out of the 2002 Olympics, supported the adoption of children by *** and gave State funds to organizations supporting gay youth. He was listed by HUMAN EVENTS as one of the top "Republican in Name Only"...I guess he has yet to bugger a congressional page...the final rite of passage before becoming a bona fide Republican. I don't support giving tax money to any group because of their sexuality, race, creed, etc.. Unfortunately, in modern dumbed down and pudenda obsessed America, a politician, to be successful, must play to the house.

He said that General Pace's comments on homosexuality were 'inappropriate for public discourse' on Larry King. Here's a man who wants to be all things to all men and doesn't mind chastising others for speaking their mind.

He didn't raise taxes, but he did increase fees by $500 million to balance the budget and create a surplus. I still haven't found an analysis of his cuts and the mechanics of the surplus generation. I want to find out if he did this by putting items and accounts 'off budget'...

[killtheliars]

Iowa Straw Poll Results

Mitt Romney: 4,516 votes
Mike Huckabee: 2,587 votes
Sam Brownback: 2,192 votes
Tom Tancredo: 1,961 votes
Ron Paul: 1,305 votes
Tommy Thompson: 1,039 votes
Fred Thompson: 203 votes
Rudy Giuliani: 183 votes
Duncan Hunter: 174 votes
John McCain: 101 votes
John Cox: 41 votes

Looks like momentum for Ron Paul is building, whith another year and a half to go he could win.

[tbweb]

I watched the Fox News Sunday interview Chris Wallace did with Mitt Romney after he won the Iowa Straw Poll. The interview was going pretty good until Mitt Romney started talking about his accomplishments in Massachusetts and then Chris Wallace dropped these bombs! Chris Wallace pointed out that while Governor, Massachusetts ranked 3rd lowest in the nation for creating new jobs during his term and would have ranked 2nd lowest if Louisiana didn't suffer the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Massachusetts also had the 3rd worst record in the nation for Manufacturing Employment down 14% during his term. Massachusetts also had the 3rd highest population lost during his term, an estimated 220,000 residents left the state! Chris pointed out that researchers from North Eastern University reported Massachusetts had the worst Economic performance in the country during Mitt Romney's term. Chris Wallace also asked Mitt Romney what was he thinking when he took a family vacation and mounted his dog on top of his vehicle for a 12 hour road trip that's against the Law in Massachusetts and had animal rights activist freaking out, Mitt claims his dog liked it up there! LOL Finally Chris asked Mitt about his assertion his 5 sons are not serving in the military because they serve the nation by helping him get elected President and now Mitt Romney says he mis-spoke! Maybe Governor Huckabee is right, Mitt Romney is the cereal box and not the cereal.

[coffeehead-2009]

If you want 4 more years of Bush then vote for any of the Republicans.
Posted by qwaszx1


I dunno - Ron Paul WHIPPED but on the msnbc survey of the debate in CA. One Demo for Paul...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18436681

[brianbwb-2009]

"The Department of Homeland Security is funneling millions of dollars to local governments nationwide for purchasing high-tech video camera networks, accelerating the rise of a %u201Csurveillance society%u201D in which the sense of freedom that stems from being anonymous in public will be lost, privacy rights advocates warn."

Don't worry, the money will be embezzled by the local government, and the leftover will buy shoddy equipment incapable of doing the job anyway.

[brianbwb-2009]

They are all corrupt, no matter who, or from which side, the war profit money is too big for them to resist, so we will get another four years of the Bush wars, and the abrogations of the constitution required for their continuance.