Maine win for Romney signals key comeback
REPUBLICAN presidential front-runner Mitt Romney grabbed back some momentum after midweek losses in three states, scoring a narrow win in Maine’s caucuses over the weekend, hours after winning a straw poll of Republican conservative activists.
Results of Maine’s non-binding straw poll showed the former Massachusetts governor with 39 per cent support, or 2,190 votes, ahead of libertarian Texas Congressman Ron Paul with 36 per cent or 1,996 votes.
Former US Senator Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, who did not campaign in Maine, won 18 per cent and six per cent of the vote, respectively.
Despite anecdotal signs of higher voter turnout, the votes cast in Maine were only slightly above 2008 levels. A handful of communities have yet to hold their caucuses.
The Maine outcome capped a good day for Romney, who unexpectedly lost to Santorum, a social conservative, in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado on Tuesday. Romney earlier on Saturday won a closely watched straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, with 38 per cent support to Santorum’s 31 per cent.