Mitt Romney Delegate Lead Grows With Maine Caucus 2012 Win

WASHINGTON — Mitt Romney added to his lead in the race for delegates Saturday with a narrow victory in the Maine Republican presidential caucuses.

Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, won 11 delegates and Texas Rep. Ron Paul won 10, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were shut out.

Romney leads the overall race for delegates with 123, including endorsements from members of the Republican National Committee who automatically attend the party's national convention and can support any candidate they choose.

Santorum has 72 delegates, Gingrich has 32 and Paul has 19. The race for delegates is still in the early stages. It will take 1,144 delegates to win the Republican nomination for president.

Maine's delegates to the party's national convention are not bound by the results of local caucuses. The caucuses were the first in a multistep process to award the state's delegates.

However, the AP analysis showed Romney would win most of Maine's delegates, if he maintains the same level of support throughout the process.

Maine held local caucuses throughout the week. The results were announced Saturday evening, even though some communities have yet to hold their caucuses.

Romney won 39 percent of the vote and Paul got 36 percent. Santorum trailed with 18 percent and Gingrich got 6 percent.

Maine GOP Chairman Charlie Webster said results from future caucuses would not be tallied. Those communities, however, will send delegates to the party's state convention, where national delegates are selected.

The AP calculates the number of national convention delegates won by candidates in each presidential primary or caucus, based on state and national party rules. Most primaries and some caucuses are binding, meaning delegates won by the candidates are pledged to support that candidate at the national conventions this summer.

Political parties in some states, including Maine, use local caucuses to elect delegates to state or congressional district conventions, where national delegates are selected. In these states, the AP uses the results from local caucuses to calculate the number of national delegates each candidate will win, if the candidates maintain the same level of support.

The AP will update delegate totals if support for the candidates changes. The AP also interviews RNC delegates, who can support any candidate they choose, to see which one they support.

Comments

[CarlIII]

02:15 PM on 02/14/2012

I read last night that the Republican party in Maine fixed the caucus to Romney's favor. Because they didn't want Ron paul to win.They postponed two big caucuses "because of the weather" which was not that bad. Both of them were in the east that is big Paul territory. Romney only won by 194 votes and the media in Maine says Paul would make up the difference easily in the two postponed caucuses. Now the Maine Republican party has announced that they are not going to count any "late" votes. What a farce. Romney didn't win Maine. It was given to him.

[ScorpioTop]

04:32 AM on 02/16/2012

Belfast Co. Maine went for Ron Paul, the official count for that county is zero, they refused to count these votes! Someone is rigging the election for Mitt!

[CarlIII]

10:15 AM on 02/16/2012

You are so right !!

[miket23]

06:53 PM on 02/13/2012

"Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, won 11 delegates and Texas Rep. Ron Paul won 10, according to an analysis by The Associated Press."

>> No, HuffPo. When are you either going to learn how delegates are awarded or begin reporting honestly. Or just conveniently blame it on the AP. Maine, as in 5 other states thus far, have awarded ZERO delegates. I love our media. Such an honor to journalistic integrity and truth.

[rkymtnman30]

01:30 AM on 02/12/2012

It will be months before delegates are elected... How about some truth in journalism you cowards.

[DLund1]

01:27 AM on 02/12/2012

We need Mitt's financial expertise! Obama will keep us in the poor house for the rest of our lives if he get's 4 more years. How did he ever get elected in the first place. Oh yea he promised change. Well we got it. Out with the boy and in with the man.

[ScorpioTop]

04:34 AM on 02/16/2012

Mitt only has expertise in enriching the 1%. More Americans will be in the poor house if Mitt is elected. Calling Obama "boy" is race baiting. Shame on you!

[DLund1]

01:22 AM on 02/12/2012

Romney can get our country back on track. I am sick of the socalist President that is trying to reuin our country. Out with the boy and in with the man. Romney knows how to effectivly turn bad financial things(2002Olympics)billions of $'s into the biggest succes ever for the games. We were proud of our country after 2001. He only earned $1 a year for 3 years. He could have stayed at bain and made millions. No he is interested in saving what makes this country great! getting companyt to start getting people Job's. keeping us free, with less goverment. Saving our retiremnet and securing a future for out children and G.C. Keep on working hard for this Mitt we really do need your finacial genus. Were would our country be without the wealthy? dont run them out of the U.S. we will be greese in no time if we do. And who would pay your taxes? I worked for IRS. The rich pay a ton in taxes. Rick Santorum has a few wacky things going on right now! Women in the milatary. Ear marks, spent to much time in Washington. Could not even win relection bid in home state of Penn? If he was so great them why? And Newt? What a joke. . Everybody loves Ron Paul. At time he makes alot of good sense! but right now it is reality. Maybe later we can change alittle bit. There is hope for our country we have Mitt.

[CarlIII]

02:23 PM on 02/14/2012

That's the stupidest post I've read all week. you need to move out of your father/Uncle's basement and get a life.

[AmericanCynic]

12:32 AM on 02/12/2012

Yeah, but the part no one is talking about; more people show up for a college basketball game than came out to vote today in Maine. Nothing like being able to draw the big numbers.....

[ScorpioTop]

04:35 AM on 02/16/2012

Can't blame them, there wasn't an acceptable candidate to vote for.

[john rajah]

10:50 PM on 02/11/2012

"Corporation Are People" is winning over "Child Labor Laws Are Truly Stupid" and "Contraception Is A Sin" and "Abolish the Federal Reserve"

Should I be glad,or scared?

[MDCA]

08:32 PM on 02/11/2012

First the Maine caucus is not over yet. Some caucuses will meet next weekend. Second, the delegates are awarded proportionally, and Romney practically split the delegates with Ron Paul (11 to 10) SO FAR. Even if Romeny had lost, he would have gone away with a few delegates. So Romney's delegate count would have increased, even with a loss. As it has become a tradition at HP, the headline is misleading.

[BannedInBoston]

08:48 PM on 02/11/2012

Only if you interpret that "with" as a "because of." But I agree it does imply that it's because of, which is incorrect. Alternate suggestions?...

[CarlIII]

02:25 PM on 02/14/2012

The fix was in in Maine the republicans have announce that they are not going to count any "late" votes.

[ScorpioTop]

04:37 AM on 02/16/2012

And they didn't count the Ron Paul votes, such as in Belfast County. Its listed as zero.

[Barbara MacQueen]

08:14 PM on 02/11/2012

Willy will have a hard time in the south... I think Rick will have a better chance... Willy had to bus in students for the CPAC straw poll? how lame

[MDCA]

08:33 PM on 02/11/2012

Whatever it takes not be totally embarrassed. Romney's millions in donations are put to work in sleazy, but effective ways.

[Barry Lundgren]

08:08 PM on 02/11/2012

Not that anyone's remotely interested but the Republicans had their caucus in Maine today. With 84% of the votes counted Romney has 39% and Paul 36%..... hardly a rousing victory. What's pathetic is that only 5,000 people bothered to vote...... with that kind of turnout the GOP shouldn't even bother to run in November.

[Michael Timmerman]

08:01 PM on 02/11/2012

Straw polls dont mean delagates in caucus states, organization with a cause to fix our countries probloms is what matters and if I was a betting man I would say Ron Paul will get the majority of the delagates in maine..

[Larry Sullivan]

03:33 PM on 02/12/2012

Exactly. But let em believe what they want.