Romney Edges Huckabee At Values Voter Summit
UPDATED 9:11 AM ~ Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney edged out Mike Huckabee in the straw poll at the Values Voter Summit in Washington over the weekend. Questions were raised about the way the voting was conducted (votes were permitted to be cast online as far back as August) and leaders said there did not appear to be a consensus.
“I don’t think the question is anywhere close to settled,” said Gary L. Bauer, an influential Christian conservative leader and former Republican candidate himself in 2000. “I think it’s going to play out over the next several months.”
Out of 5,775 votes cast, Romney won 27.6 percent; Huckabee, 27.1 percent; Ron Paul, 15 percent; Fred D. Thompson, 9.8 percent. Rudy Giuliani finished second to last, with less than 2 percent of the vote, and Senator John McCain of Arizona finished last among the nine candidates. Thompson was only able to secure 567 votes. Romney won 1,595 votes and Huckabee got 1,565. “Undecided” came in fifth place, and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who withdrew from the race after addressing the crowd Friday, came in sixth.
But Huckabee was undeniably the big winner of those who spoke. Of the social conservatives who voted onsite, having listened to the candidates, Huckabee overwhelmed the competition, winning more than 51 percent of the vote. He had 488 votes to Romney’s 99.
Thompson won 77 votes of those who voted onsite, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) won 60. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo) came between them with 65 votes.
The Romney campaign trumpeted the victory, but there was only a smattering of applause in the auditorium when his name was announced and the event’s organizers cautioned against his deriving any kind of mandate from the results.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, delivered an address Friday complete with policy commitments, but he faces continued skepticism about his Mormon faith. He has also been criticized for his relatively recent conversion to an abortion opponent.
Read other reports of the summit on our scrolling news site on the right.
“I don’t think the question is anywhere close to settled,” said Gary L. Bauer, an influential Christian conservative leader and former Republican candidate himself in 2000. “I think it’s going to play out over the next several months.”
Out of 5,775 votes cast, Romney won 27.6 percent; Huckabee, 27.1 percent; Ron Paul, 15 percent; Fred D. Thompson, 9.8 percent. Rudy Giuliani finished second to last, with less than 2 percent of the vote, and Senator John McCain of Arizona finished last among the nine candidates. Thompson was only able to secure 567 votes. Romney won 1,595 votes and Huckabee got 1,565. “Undecided” came in fifth place, and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), who withdrew from the race after addressing the crowd Friday, came in sixth.
But Huckabee was undeniably the big winner of those who spoke. Of the social conservatives who voted onsite, having listened to the candidates, Huckabee overwhelmed the competition, winning more than 51 percent of the vote. He had 488 votes to Romney’s 99.
Thompson won 77 votes of those who voted onsite, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) won 60. Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo) came between them with 65 votes.
The Romney campaign trumpeted the victory, but there was only a smattering of applause in the auditorium when his name was announced and the event’s organizers cautioned against his deriving any kind of mandate from the results.
Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, delivered an address Friday complete with policy commitments, but he faces continued skepticism about his Mormon faith. He has also been criticized for his relatively recent conversion to an abortion opponent.
Read other reports of the summit on our scrolling news site on the right.
posted by Mike McCarville @ 1:13 AM
<< Home