Iowa results (R)
Posted: Friday, January 04, 2008 9:29 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
States, Republicans
With 96% reporting, it was Huckabee 34%, Romney 25%, Thompson 13% (15,521 votes), McCain 13% (15,248), Paul 10%, Giuliani 3%, and Hunter 0% (515 votes statewide).
The Boston Globe: “The loss to Huckabee represents a major blow to Romney, whose planned path to the Republican presidential nomination always began in Iowa.” And: “Huckabee faces a tougher fight in New Hampshire, where there are few evangelical Christians. But the Arkansas lawmaker, pointing to polls showing him performing well in states like South Carolina and Georgia, hopes to use Iowa to build a national groundswell of support.”
The AP’s Liz Sidoti adds, “Evangelical Republicans in Iowa chose one of their own in Mike Huckabee.” More: “But the looming question is whether the Southern Baptist minister turned decade-long Arkansas governor is strong enough to triumph outside friendly Iowa territory, and go the distance to the nomination.”
NBC’s Kelly O’Donnell says that Huckabee landed in Manchester about 3:50 am ET. On the plane, surrounded by cameras, he spoke to reporters on the record for a while and was all smiles. Huckabee described how he had been in the air traveling from Waterloo to Des Moines when the early caucus results were pointing to victory. He and wife Janet explained how their blackberries were buzzing madly upon landing with word from staff and friends that they had won. With a big smile, he claimed to have been last to know of his victory. Huckabee said he had spoken with Guiliani and McCain but had not yet heard from Romney or Thompson. And he said he expects money to flow in and interest on the Web site to increase. He claimed the campaign had been very frugal and that he felt good about having two million dollars in the bank.
Meanwhile, it’s 3:45 am in Manchester, and Romney has just arrived at an airport hangar where a couple hundred supporters are giving him a warm welcome on a very chilly night, NBC’s Ron Allen noted overnight. Romney's voice is hoarse. It's been a long day followed by a long nearly three-hour trip from Iowa. But with his wife Ann and two of his sons by his side, he bounds onto the makeshift stage -- with his smile, a look of optimism, and real appreciation in place. He's looking forward, not back.
"We've brought home the silver, not the gold,” he said. “But in New Hampshire, we're getting the gold," he assured the crowd with the same Olympic metaphor that he used in Iowa. "We've learned a lot of lessons," he said about the Iowa caucuses, without saying what they were.
