Mitt Romney bought the thing, and is the winner. But Mike Huckabee did what he needed to do to survive by coming in second in the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll.Here are the results from the 2007 Iowa Straw Poll:
Mitt Romney 31% 4516 votes
Mike Huckabee 18% 2587 votes
Sam Brownback 15% 2192 votes
Tom Tancredo 14% 1961 votes
Ron Paul 9%
Tommy Thompson 7%
This probably means Tommy Thompson will drop out of the race, considering the great amount of time he's spent in the Hawkeye State. But this also means that Romney doesn't have the lock on Iowa that I initially thought.
Keep in mind: John McCain, Rudy Giuliani and Fred Thompson didn't actively participate in this poll. Also keep in mind that the money Romney has spent in Iowa dwarfs what Huckabee shelled out. Now -- give Romney his due. He won the thing, and will certainly be a force until the end. But the fact that Huckabee got 18% means he remains a player, and has a shot at building some momentum. Look for lots of Huckabee stories in the days to come. Often the bigger story is who came in second. Huckabee should get a boost in fundraising. Also- Brownback and Tancredo hauled in a good amount of votes. I don't think either will be players down the road. But those votes ultimately get transferred somewhere. Are they more likely to go to Romney, Huckabee or one of the 3 non-participants?
Agreed?
1 comment:
I don't see how Brownback stays in after finishing 3rd in his neighboring state, given the time he's invested in Iowa. I agree Tommy Thompson is out. What about Duncan Hunter?
While Romney won, was it a victory when you figure the cost per vote? I agree Dave, he doesn't have the lock on Iowa I thought he did. But he still is the best organized in the state, hands down. I can't see Rudy or Fred besting him in the caucus. Still, a "smashing" victory for Romney would have been something like 40% of the vote. He should have run the proverbial score up if he could have...
Huckabee has an opening.
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