Romney wins Iowa Republican straw poll

[Janett_Reno]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/usa_polit...nR4P6U_s3kbeRF

Romney won 31 percent of the votes cast in the nonbinding mock election, a traditional early gauge of support in the state that holds the first nominating contest leading up to the November 2008 election.

Competing on a shoestring budget, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee finished a surprising second with 18 percent of the 14,302 votes cast -- a much smaller turnout than the approximately 24,000 who voted in the last Republican straw poll in 1999.

Romney was a heavy favorite after the other top three national Republican candidates -- former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Arizona Sen. John McCain and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson -- skipped the poll.

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Congrats Roms and i feel Huckabee raised some eyebrows. I know Rudy and Fred is way up there with Roms and will be who he needs to beat but this was a start. Huckabee has to be happy.