In results revealed by the Maine Republican Party Feb. 11, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney narrowly beat out Texas Congressman Ron Paul to win Lincoln County’s Republican caucuses Feb. 4.
While slightly higher state wide, turnout was some 20-percent lower in Lincoln County than in 2008 despite a hotly contested race.
“People are still deciding who they want to be their candidate,” Lincoln County Republican Chairman Jim Carlton said. “There wasn’t an outstanding showing for any one particular candidate.”
Despite the turnout, Carlton said he was “impressed with the engagement” of caucus goers.
“I saw a lot of new faces; a lot of young people,” he said.
Carlton had initially estimated a caucus turnout of between 300 and 400 during a speech at the Lincoln County Republican’s Lincoln Day Dinner fundraiser Feb. 4. According to results released by the Maine Republican Party, 206 people voted in Lincoln County, down from 259 in 2008.
Romney won Lincoln County with only 78 votes, or 38 percent. Paul came in a close second with 72 votes, or 35 percent. Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum edged out Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich for third place with 16 percent to his 10 percent.
While Romney earned less than half the votes he won in 2008, Paul increased his support over three-fold.
Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor were the sites of Romney’s largest margin of victory. Waldoboro and Wiscasset, the towns with the largest turnout, sided heavily for Paul.
Lincoln County’s results mirrored the voting picture statewide. With 84 percent of Maine towns reporting, Romney was declared the winner of the caucuses with nearly 39 percent of the vote. Paul came in second with just under 36 percent. Romney dominated the Republican caucus in 2008, winning over 51 percent of the vote.
Nearly one in five Maine towns have not reported results, however, including municipalities in counties thought to be favoring Ron Paul. Washington County, an area thought to be a Paul stronghold, had scheduled its caucus Feb. 11 but postponed it in anticipation of a snowstorm, drawing the ire of many in the Paul camp.
According to Carlton, Paul may end up winning the Republican caucuses once all votes are tallied. While not calling the announcement premature, Carlton said he wished the state’s party leadership had been more explicit in their announcement that the results did not reflect the entire state.
The state party leadership has indicated that future results will not be factored after the fact into the party’s official caucus vote count.
The results of Maine’s presidential straw poll are non-binding to state convention delegates and alternates. Delegates to the Republican Party’s national convention in Tampa will be selected at the state convention May 5 and 6.
“Maine is considered a “beauty contest” state when it comes to caucuses…This is an unofficial, non-binding poll, that just simply shows a ‘snapshot,’ or takes the ‘pulse’, of which Presidential candidate has the most support at the participating caucuses throughout the state,” a press release from the Maine Republican Party said.
