Caucus: Republicans cast votes for Romney’s ‘Maine Victory’ (Printed Feb. 8, 2008)
Update: Since this story went to print, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney suspended his campaign.
From the Maine Republican Party: "Maine Republican Party State Chairman Mark Ellis issued the following statement regarding the suspension of Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign:
"Gov. Romney said today that he is suspending his campaign to unify the Republican Party as we prepare for the fight to prevent Sens. Clinton and Obama from taking the White House. We are a nation at war against terror and Clinton and Obama have made it clear that they would shrink away from this fight and retreat.
Our nation can no more afford the weakness of Clinton and Obama on national security than it can afford the massive expansion of government on the backs of Americans that both have articulated. Americans, especially Mainers, would never survive the additional burdens that Clinton and Obama propose.
While I am saddened that Gov. Romney has suspended his campaign, I am inspired by his dedication and selflessness. I agree with his sentiments of unity and Maine Republicans are prepared to rally behind our eventual nominee."
By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
Cape Elizabeth and South Portland Republicans contributed to what the Mitt Romney camp is calling a “Maine Victory” by overwhelmingly voting for the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate in last weekend’s Republican caucuses.
On Feb. 2, Cape Elizabeth Republicans cast 108 votes in a non-binding presidential survey, with Romney receiving 67 votes, according to the Maine Republican Party’s reports. John McCain received 30 votes, Mike Huckabee received four and Ron Paul garnered six votes. There was one undecided vote. Out of the 108 votes also cast in South Portland, Romney received 64 votes, Paul received 19, McCain received 17, Huckabee received six and Giuliani received one vote, said South Portland Republican Party Chairman Kevin Glynn. There was one undecided vote in South Portland as well.
Romney also won the presidential survey statewide, receiving 52 percent of the votes, according to the Republican party’s totals as of Monday afternoon. McCain received 21 percent, Paul received 18 percent and Huckabee received 6 percent. Two percent of voters were undecided. According to the party’s Web site, a total of 5,188 votes were cast with 74.7 percent of municipalities reporting. Results for 118 municipalities out of the 411 scheduled to caucus Feb. 1 to 3 had not yet been reported.
Republican candidates competed in 21 contests on Tuesday following the Maine Caucus with McCain taking a commanding lead in nomination battle. McCain won nine of those contests according to the “New York Times,” including the large delegate states of California and New York and several other winner-take-all races.
Romney won seven contests and Huckabee five, according to the “Times.” Paul won none of the Super Tuesday contests. His percentage of the vote total varied widely from state-to state, winning just three percent in five contests and breaking double digits in four contests. His largest share of any contest came on Tuesday when he won 25 percent of the Montana caucus of party leaders, according to the Times. In 13 of the 21 races, no Republican candidate achieved a majority of the votes cast.
For Democrats voting Tuesday in 22 contests ahead of Sunday’s Maine Caucus, the results were less clear-cut. Clinton won eight contests and Obama won 14, according to the Times. Clinton’s victories came in states with large delegate counts, however all the delegates in the Democratic contests are awarded proportionally.
According to the Maine Republican Party, the caucus system is used to organize municipal committees and to elect delegates to the state convention every two years. In presidential election years, delegates and alternates to the state convention elect delegates to the Republican National Convention, where the party’s presidential nominee is selected. The Maine Republican State Convention is scheduled for May 2 and 3 at the Augusta Civic Center and the Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place Sept. 1 to 4 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minn.
Maine Republican Party Executive Director Julie Ann O’Brien said Maine elects 18 delegates to the national convention.
The Maine Democratic Party is scheduled to caucus on Sunday. In Cape Elizabeth, the caucus will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. South Portland’s caucus is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the high school’s Beal Gymnasium. The state convention is scheduled for May 30 to June 1 at the Augusta Civic Center. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place Aug. 25 to 28 in Denver, Colo.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Arden Manning said 420 municipalities are scheduled to caucus on Sunday. Twenty-four delegates to the national convention are at stake, Manning said.
Absentee ballots were due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday and as of Tuesday, more than 5,000 ballots had already been processed, Manning said.
Before casting their votes last weekend, Republican caucus attendees in Cape Elizabeth heard from volunteers with the Romney and Paul campaigns. Town Councilor Paul McKenney also spoke on behalf of McCain. Representatives for U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ campaign and Dean Scontras and Charlie Summers congressional campaigns also spoke, although attendees did not participate in any voting for those candidates.
Cape Elizabeth resident Jill Hooper, 68, said she had never attended a caucus before. She has been a registered Republican for most of her adult life with the exception of “a little spell of being an Independent,” she said.
“I came sort of to inform myself,” Hooper said. “I feel really concerned about my country and what’s happening to it so I figured I should stand up and be counted.”
Vincent DeMarco, 73, had never attended a caucus before either, but last weekend he volunteered to be a delegate at the state convention. The Cape Elizabeth resident has been a registered Republican for about 20 years and prior to the vote, said he was still somewhat undecided as to which candidate he favored.
“Well it’s between two candidates,” DeMarco said. “It’s sort of flip flopped back and forth [between] McCain and Romney.”
DeMarco said he will base his decision on which candidate “believes what he says and will do what he says.”
“That’s pretty tough,” he adds. “Most politicians promise everything even though they can’t deliver.”
Hooper said she also went back and forth between McCain and Romney, but has decided she prefers the former Massachusetts governor.
“I like his business experience,” she said. “I trust him more than I do John McCain right now.
Hooper also said she favors Romney’s moral values and belief in less taxation.
“I believe in that too,” Hooper said.
For the first time, Maine 17-year-olds have the right to participate in presidential caucuses, as a result of a law passed in 2004, sponsored by Maine Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings (D-Portland). The law allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will turn 18 by the time of the general election. Cummings said the goal of the law is to encourage Maine’s youth to register and vote before they graduate high school.
“If you start early with youth around voting that trend continues throughout their lifetime,” Cummings said on Tuesday. “Studies show if you vote once, you’re four to five more times to vote again than those who haven’t.”
Luke Theriault, a 17-year-old Cape Elizabeth High School junior, registered as a Republican at last weekend’s caucus.
“It was interesting,” Theriault said at the conclusion of the event. “I really didn’t have a clue what a caucus was.”
Although Theriault said he voted for Romney, he was initially in favor of Huckabee, adding Chuck Norris’ endorsement of the candidate had swayed his earlier preference.
“Seriously, I’m thinking about Mitt Romney, but I haven’t made up my mind yet,” he said.
O’Brien said the caucus turnout across the state was extremely high this year and in most areas it was record setting.
“I think a lot of effort was made by the individual campaigns,” she said. “I think it’s been a goal of the state party to increase participation so there’s been a lot of work by our chairman in the state committee. It’s a very exciting year nationally for politics.”
For more information about South Portland’s Republican Committee, contact Kevin Glynn at 799-5319 or glynn@maine.rr.com. Information about the Cumberland County and state Republican committees can also be found at www.ccmegop.org.
From the Maine Republican Party: "Maine Republican Party State Chairman Mark Ellis issued the following statement regarding the suspension of Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign:
"Gov. Romney said today that he is suspending his campaign to unify the Republican Party as we prepare for the fight to prevent Sens. Clinton and Obama from taking the White House. We are a nation at war against terror and Clinton and Obama have made it clear that they would shrink away from this fight and retreat.
Our nation can no more afford the weakness of Clinton and Obama on national security than it can afford the massive expansion of government on the backs of Americans that both have articulated. Americans, especially Mainers, would never survive the additional burdens that Clinton and Obama propose.
While I am saddened that Gov. Romney has suspended his campaign, I am inspired by his dedication and selflessness. I agree with his sentiments of unity and Maine Republicans are prepared to rally behind our eventual nominee."
By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
Cape Elizabeth and South Portland Republicans contributed to what the Mitt Romney camp is calling a “Maine Victory” by overwhelmingly voting for the former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate in last weekend’s Republican caucuses.
On Feb. 2, Cape Elizabeth Republicans cast 108 votes in a non-binding presidential survey, with Romney receiving 67 votes, according to the Maine Republican Party’s reports. John McCain received 30 votes, Mike Huckabee received four and Ron Paul garnered six votes. There was one undecided vote. Out of the 108 votes also cast in South Portland, Romney received 64 votes, Paul received 19, McCain received 17, Huckabee received six and Giuliani received one vote, said South Portland Republican Party Chairman Kevin Glynn. There was one undecided vote in South Portland as well.
Romney also won the presidential survey statewide, receiving 52 percent of the votes, according to the Republican party’s totals as of Monday afternoon. McCain received 21 percent, Paul received 18 percent and Huckabee received 6 percent. Two percent of voters were undecided. According to the party’s Web site, a total of 5,188 votes were cast with 74.7 percent of municipalities reporting. Results for 118 municipalities out of the 411 scheduled to caucus Feb. 1 to 3 had not yet been reported.
Republican candidates competed in 21 contests on Tuesday following the Maine Caucus with McCain taking a commanding lead in nomination battle. McCain won nine of those contests according to the “New York Times,” including the large delegate states of California and New York and several other winner-take-all races.
Romney won seven contests and Huckabee five, according to the “Times.” Paul won none of the Super Tuesday contests. His percentage of the vote total varied widely from state-to state, winning just three percent in five contests and breaking double digits in four contests. His largest share of any contest came on Tuesday when he won 25 percent of the Montana caucus of party leaders, according to the Times. In 13 of the 21 races, no Republican candidate achieved a majority of the votes cast.
For Democrats voting Tuesday in 22 contests ahead of Sunday’s Maine Caucus, the results were less clear-cut. Clinton won eight contests and Obama won 14, according to the Times. Clinton’s victories came in states with large delegate counts, however all the delegates in the Democratic contests are awarded proportionally.
According to the Maine Republican Party, the caucus system is used to organize municipal committees and to elect delegates to the state convention every two years. In presidential election years, delegates and alternates to the state convention elect delegates to the Republican National Convention, where the party’s presidential nominee is selected. The Maine Republican State Convention is scheduled for May 2 and 3 at the Augusta Civic Center and the Republican National Convention is scheduled to take place Sept. 1 to 4 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minn.
Maine Republican Party Executive Director Julie Ann O’Brien said Maine elects 18 delegates to the national convention.
The Maine Democratic Party is scheduled to caucus on Sunday. In Cape Elizabeth, the caucus will begin at 12:30 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. South Portland’s caucus is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the high school’s Beal Gymnasium. The state convention is scheduled for May 30 to June 1 at the Augusta Civic Center. The Democratic National Convention is scheduled to take place Aug. 25 to 28 in Denver, Colo.
Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Arden Manning said 420 municipalities are scheduled to caucus on Sunday. Twenty-four delegates to the national convention are at stake, Manning said.
Absentee ballots were due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday and as of Tuesday, more than 5,000 ballots had already been processed, Manning said.
Before casting their votes last weekend, Republican caucus attendees in Cape Elizabeth heard from volunteers with the Romney and Paul campaigns. Town Councilor Paul McKenney also spoke on behalf of McCain. Representatives for U.S. Senator Susan Collins’ campaign and Dean Scontras and Charlie Summers congressional campaigns also spoke, although attendees did not participate in any voting for those candidates.
Cape Elizabeth resident Jill Hooper, 68, said she had never attended a caucus before. She has been a registered Republican for most of her adult life with the exception of “a little spell of being an Independent,” she said.
“I came sort of to inform myself,” Hooper said. “I feel really concerned about my country and what’s happening to it so I figured I should stand up and be counted.”
Vincent DeMarco, 73, had never attended a caucus before either, but last weekend he volunteered to be a delegate at the state convention. The Cape Elizabeth resident has been a registered Republican for about 20 years and prior to the vote, said he was still somewhat undecided as to which candidate he favored.
“Well it’s between two candidates,” DeMarco said. “It’s sort of flip flopped back and forth [between] McCain and Romney.”
DeMarco said he will base his decision on which candidate “believes what he says and will do what he says.”
“That’s pretty tough,” he adds. “Most politicians promise everything even though they can’t deliver.”
Hooper said she also went back and forth between McCain and Romney, but has decided she prefers the former Massachusetts governor.
“I like his business experience,” she said. “I trust him more than I do John McCain right now.
Hooper also said she favors Romney’s moral values and belief in less taxation.
“I believe in that too,” Hooper said.
For the first time, Maine 17-year-olds have the right to participate in presidential caucuses, as a result of a law passed in 2004, sponsored by Maine Speaker of the House Glenn Cummings (D-Portland). The law allows 17-year-olds to vote in primaries if they will turn 18 by the time of the general election. Cummings said the goal of the law is to encourage Maine’s youth to register and vote before they graduate high school.
“If you start early with youth around voting that trend continues throughout their lifetime,” Cummings said on Tuesday. “Studies show if you vote once, you’re four to five more times to vote again than those who haven’t.”
Luke Theriault, a 17-year-old Cape Elizabeth High School junior, registered as a Republican at last weekend’s caucus.
“It was interesting,” Theriault said at the conclusion of the event. “I really didn’t have a clue what a caucus was.”
Although Theriault said he voted for Romney, he was initially in favor of Huckabee, adding Chuck Norris’ endorsement of the candidate had swayed his earlier preference.
“Seriously, I’m thinking about Mitt Romney, but I haven’t made up my mind yet,” he said.
O’Brien said the caucus turnout across the state was extremely high this year and in most areas it was record setting.
“I think a lot of effort was made by the individual campaigns,” she said. “I think it’s been a goal of the state party to increase participation so there’s been a lot of work by our chairman in the state committee. It’s a very exciting year nationally for politics.”
For more information about South Portland’s Republican Committee, contact Kevin Glynn at 799-5319 or glynn@maine.rr.com. Information about the Cumberland County and state Republican committees can also be found at www.ccmegop.org.
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