Lost in all the brouha relating to the coming Super Tuesday was the fact that the Maine GOP party organized their caucuses this weekend.
The GOP caucuses are essentially a nonbinding preference poll and the first stage in a longer process in which delegate support is allocated. Delegates to the state convention in May are elected at the caucuses. The state convention in turn elects delegates to the national convention.
As with Florida and Michigan, this renegade caucus was punished by losing half their delegates: only 18 Maine delegates will go to the Republican convention.
The Maine Democrats will hold their presidential preference votes at municipal caucuses on Feb. 10.
http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/...
About 6.700 caucussers took part. With 69 percent of the towns holding caucuses reporting, a winner was declared and the following result is given:
former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney - 52 percent
Sen. John McCain - 21 percent
Rep. Ron Paul - 19 percent
former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee - 6 percent
Undecided - 2 percent.
Only two Republicans had campaigned in this state (Romney and Paul). Despite McCain's endorsement by the state's two U.S. senators (Snowe and Collins), Romney won. This gives Romney his fourth win after winning Michigan, Nevada and Wyoming. Whether this will change a thing is highly debatable. Most likely it'll get drown in the posturing taking place vis-à-vis Super Tuesday. Especially as momentum, punditry and press attention seems to be squarely behind McCain. Even if he only managed to win half the number of states Romney won (NH, SC).