THE NATION - Romney bests rivals in straw poll - With other leading Republicans out of the symbolic Iowa vote, Massachusetts' former governor was counting on the win. Huckabee comes in second.
ames, iowa -- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney handily won a Republican presidential straw poll here on Saturday, while the dark-horse candidacy of ex-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee got a lift from a surprisingly strong second-place finish.
With three of the party's best-known White House contenders skipping the mock election, the Ames contest was a highly imperfect test of the Republican field. In Romney's case, the symbolic victory reflected, more than anything, his heavy spending in Iowa.
Still, the straw poll marked an important benchmark in the GOP race, underscoring Romney's strength in the state that will launch the party's 2008 nomination race with its precinct caucuses, now slated for early January.
The contest drew 14,302 voters to the Iowa State University basketball arena here. It was a sharp drop from the 23,685 who cast ballots eight years ago in the Ames straw poll that affirmed George W. Bush's lead in his first run for the presidency.
Romney led with 32% of the votes, followed by Huckabee, who won 18%. Finishing third was Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas with 15%. In fourth place was Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado, who has made the fight against illegal immigration his campaign centerpiece. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was fifth.
The results appeared likely to end the campaign of former Gov. Tommy G. Thompson of Wisconsin, who finished sixth. He had vowed to drop out of the race if he fell short of second place in Ames.
Skipping the event and sapping its significance were former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee, who is on the verge of joining the race.
Romney's push
For Romney, the straw poll at minimum demonstrated organizational might that could serve him well in the caucuses. Advisors declined to say how much Romney spent to lure supporters to Ames, but it clearly eclipsed efforts by rival campaigns.
"They're by far the most aggressive, and have been for the longest time," said Chuck Laudner, executive director of the Iowa Republican Party.
Romney's extensive TV advertising in Iowa has fueled his rise to the lead in Republican polls here, as it has in New Hampshire, but he still trails Giuliani, Fred Thompson and McCain in national GOP surveys. The names of all three no-shows appeared on the Ames ballot, and each picked up only a small number of votes.
