Mitt Romney received welcome news on Saturday, as he won the Maine caucuses with 39 percent of the vote. It was a welcome success for the former Massachusetts governor after he lost three presidential nominating contests earlier in the week.
Out of the little more than 5,000 votes cast overall, Ron Paul came in second with 36 percent, Rick Santorum came in third with 18 percent, and Newt Gingrich trailed with 6 percent of the vote. Romney edged Paul by just under 200 votes. At stake in Maine are 21 delegates, but this particular vote doesn’t actually determine who gets the delegates — which is one reason voter turnout was so low.
Paul and Romney were the only two candidates to actively campaign in the Pine Tree State. Paul, in a defiant speech, claimed the contest could essentially be called a tie, adding that “the revolution is just beginning.” He sounded confident that he will eventually win the majority of the state’s delegates.
Romney made several last-minute campaign stops in Maine after speaking at the CPAC conference in Washington. Just before the Maine Republican Party announced Romney the winner, he also won the CPAC straw poll and a CPAC national poll.
A statement on the results sent out by the Romney campaign thanked voters for their support. “I’m committed to turning around America. And I’m heartened to have the support of so many good people in this great state,” the email read.
