Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) — Former Arkansas Governor Mike
Huckabee was declared the winner of the Iowas first-in-the-
nation Republican presidential nominating caucus.
Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney congratulated Huckabee
after CNN, NBC, and Fox News declared the former Arkansas
governor the winner.
“Mike has a natural base here, he was able to call on that
base, said Romney, who had been leading in Iowa polls until
last month. “I intend to keep on battling and make sure my
message is heard loud and clear.
Early returns showed Huckabee with a large lead over
Romney, followed by former Senator Fred Thompson, Senator John
McCain and Representative Ron Paul. In the Republican contests,
in which actual votes are reported, Huckabee had 8,559 to
Romneys 6,003 with 489 of 1,781 precincts reporting. Thompson
had 3,571, McCain 2,999 and Paul, 2,617.
Democrats were in a tight race in Iowa with 965 of 1781
precincts reporting. Illinois Senator Barack Obama had 34.3
percent support followed by former Senator John Edwards with
31.6 percent and Senator Hillary Clinton with 31.2 percent.
Obamas top political adviser, David Axelrod, said
Democratic turnout that may be twice that recorded in 2004 “is
very positive for us.
Iowas caucuses begin the winnowing of the Republican and
Democratic fields of candidates seeking their partys nomination
to succeed President George W. Bush. A poor showing in Iowa may
prompt some candidates to drop out of the presidential
sweepstakes.
Thompson Noncommittal
Republican Thompson, whose poll numbers have been sliding
since an initial surge when he announced his candidacy, refused
to say whether he will continue his campaign to New Hampshires
Jan. 8 primary if he doesnt finish among the top three in Iowa.
“Not going to talk about that, Thompson told CNN. “We
look forward to the results, and we will just have to see what
the numbers look like, the former Tennessee senator said.
Thompson said he would consider “the rankings and percentages
and “what the financing looks like going forward.
Some polls showed McCain threatening Thompson for third
position among Iowa Republicans behind Huckabee and Romney.
The outcome may hinge on voters like Russ Johns, a 43-year-
old car-parts assembly worker who had never before participated
in a nominating caucus.
Johns signed a pledge in Keokuk on Dec. 31 to caucus for
Clinton. Whether he showed up to support the New York senator,
he said, would depend on his work schedule.
Luring Voters
Clinton and Obama, locked in a three-way race with Edwards,
redoubled efforts to lure politically inexperienced Iowans to
the churches, school libraries, kitchens and living rooms that
host the town-hall-style caucuses.
Clinton lunched at a downtown Des Moines restaurant with
her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and former Iowa
Governor Tom Vilsack. She wore a brilliant green sweater
emblazoned with the logo of the American Federation of State
County and Municipal Employees, a union that is a key component
of her turnout strategy in Iowa.
“We have a great organization, Clinton hollered to a
group of young supporters waving campaign placards.
Edwards bet on seasoned caucus-goers. “These are hard-core
people for us, said campaign manager David Bonior. “Theyre
very mature, theyre politically skilled, theyve been to a lot
of these things.
Obama Campaigns
In the Republican race, Huckabee and Romney also diverged
over how to muster voters. Romney, 60, blanketed the state with
television advertising, while Huckabee, 52, relied on supporters
to round up friends and neighbors.
Obama took some time this afternoon to make a last appeal
to Iowans at the food court in a downtown Des Moines shopping
center, where about 400 people were eating lunch. The Illinois
senator and his wife spent 25 minutes talking to undecided
voters, shaking hands, posing for pictures and signing
autographs.
The campaign staff and volunteers held signs instructing
the diners how to find their caucus site. Obama planned to spend
the rest of the day doing interviews, watching the returns with
his family before the caucus-night party downtown, and finally
flying to Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Edwards started the day with a rally at a Des Moines
Steelworkers Union hall where volunteers were using banks of
telephones to call voters.
No Letup
“We are proud of the work we have done, and we are not
finished with that work, said Edwards, who was wrapping up a
36-hour marathon campaign swing through Iowa.
On the Republican side, there was no letup in the fight
between Huckabee and Romney. Huckabees campaign accused
Romneys organization of giving out inaccurate information about
caucus locations to voters for the former Arkansas governor.
“The Romney for President campaign is once again
misleading Iowans by sending incorrect precinct caucus location
information to the supporters of Republican front-runner Mike
Huckabee, the Huckabee campaign said in an e-mailed statement.
Romneys Iowa spokesman, Tim Albrecht, denied targeting
Huckabee supporters, saying the campaign had relayed faulty
information originally provided by the Iowa Republican Party.
The same locations were relayed to Romney supporters, he said.
Albrecht, who offered copies of the Iowa Republican Party
instructions, accused other campaigns, without naming which, of
using misleading tactics.
Poll Results
“This is a reckless and irresponsible accusation,
especially in light of the fact we have received reports from
Romney supporters who have gotten calls and inaccurate
information about the governor and caucus locations, Albrecht
said in an interview.
The top-tier candidates in both parties headed into tonight
with polls showing the races a toss-up. Obama led with 31
percent support in a Reuters/C-Span/Zogby poll of Iowa
Democrats. Clinton and Edwards follow with 27 percent each. The
same poll on the Republican side showed Huckabee in the lead
with 31 percent and Romney following with 25 percent.
By contrast, Clinton had a sizable lead in an American
Research Group poll, 34 percent to Obamas 25 percent, with 21
percent backing Edwards. Huckabee led the Republican field with
29 percent, followed by Romney with 24 percent, ARG found.
To contact the reporters on this story:
James Rowley in Washington at
