Hundreds of Republican caucus-goers gathered at the Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta Feb. 4 to choose the 2012 GOP presidential nominee.
The turnout, thought to be between 300 and 400, surprised Lincoln County Republican Chairman Jim Carlton, who estimated it be twice that of the 2008 caucuses.
Carlton said the number of young people attending the caucus also grew. While much youth enthusiasm can be attributed to the libertarian, anti-war views of Texas Congressman Dr. Ron Paul, Carlton said they also no longer see a false dichotomy between the visions of the Republican and Democratic parties.
“They see that it’s no longer gray, but black and white,” Carlton said.
Because Maine’s Republican caucuses are held over a couple weeks, official results from Lincoln County are being kept under wraps until Sat., Feb. 11 when most voting statewide is complete. A snapshot of several County towns, however, indicates a close race between Republican-frontrunner and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Rep. Paul, with former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum also having a strong showing.
Santorum’s support appeared to come from both values voters and those concerned with Romney’s perceived lack of conservatism.
One caucus-goer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he expected Romney to be the Republican-nominee, but cast his ballot for Santorum out of concern for Romney’s “conservative credentials.” The inevitability of Romney’s nomination was a common theme among many caucus-goers Saturday, likely convinced by the front runner’s decisive win in Florida and expected pick-up of Nevada later that same day.
Some, however, were drawn to the former Senator’s staunch conservatism and values-centric campaign. Speaking in front of the entire Lincoln County caucus, Bill Murdoch, of Damariscotta, praised Santorum’s opposition to TARP, illegal immigration, and his faith-based values.
“I would drive through a blizzard to vote for Rick Santorum in November,” Murdoch said.
Buoyed by support from young voters and the attention garnered from his well-attended events in Freeport and Lewiston last week, Paul won over many caucus goers.
Don Folkers, who spoke for the Paul campaign at the onset of the caucus, called Paul “the only constitutional conservative in the race” and “the only nominee we can trust to stop out of control spending.”
In a not-so-subtle dig at Romney, Folkers said Republican voters must make sure “Barack Obama, not our presidential nominee, apologizes for flip flopping.”
Frank Juchnik, of Newcastle, a supporter of both Republican and Democrats in the past, said he would caucus for Paul this election cycle. Citing his pro-life views and opposition to the war in Afghanistan, Juchnik felt that Paul was the only candidate who could bring actual change to the country.
“If people do their homework, they’ll find out that [Paul] is the best person to run this country,” Juchnik said.
Despite Paul’s high-profile appearances in Maine, Romney showed no signs of relinquishing his front-runner status with strong showings in several Lincoln County towns.
In a speech to the entire Lincoln County caucus, State Rep. John McKane urged voters to consider Romney.
“Gov. Romney knows how to lead America back to being an opportunity society rather than an entitlement society,” he said.
Lincoln County Commissioner Sheridan Bond praised Romney’s business skills and honesty, calling him the “best balanced candidate” in the Republican field. Bond said he supported Romney in 2008 and would support him again in 2012.
Romney was also the first choice of many who wanted a candidate who could best match up against President Barack Obama in a general election. Former Maine State Representative Jeanne Begley, of Waldoboro, said she caucused for Romney because he was the most electable and had the best chance to beat the President.
“He’s the only one who can stand up to Obama,” Begley said.
Maine’s GOP caucus began Jan. 29 in Unity, and will continue throughout February. The results, however, are non-binding to state convention delegates or alternates. Potential delegates to the state convention are free to express their presidential views, and caucus-goers are allowed to ask candidates for delegate for their presidential preference.
