GOP Nominee
Former Candidates
McCain wins 9 states.
Romney wins 7 states.
Huckabee wins 5 states.
However, McCain wins CA and MO, the two biggest battlegrounds. He also takes the most winner-take-all states and winds up well ahead of Romney and Huckabee in total delegates after tonight (406 to 151 over Romney according to CNN; 407 to 146 over Romney according to the AP). Huckabee is still well back despite his surprising wins tonight, with 93 (CNN) or 63 (AP) delegates.
Romney has vowed to continue the campaign, as has Huckabee.
The next contests are a caucus in Kansas, a caucus in Washington for partial delegates, and the next step in Louisiana’s crazy primary system, all on 2/9. The next states that people will actually care about are the trifecta of Virginia, Maryland, and DC on the 12th.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:32 am
Is it at all possible to get Romney as VP with McCain. I don’t know. Argh
February 6th, 2008 at 12:35 am
It is over - McCain will be the nominee now. Winning MO and CA assures that.
Zogby looks real foolish now he had Romney up 7% and Obama up 13%..
February 6th, 2008 at 12:37 am
Obama won MO, which surprises me. On the GOP side, it is time to unite as a party and beat the Democrats and keep the White House
February 6th, 2008 at 12:38 am
Why did they call California so early? Especially when Barone said Romney had a significant lead among those who voted today?
February 6th, 2008 at 12:40 am
The CA win would have been mostly symbolic for Romney if McCain had won everywhere else. With Huck taking every southern state we now have a gridlock. McCain is not coming out of this with much more than 500 delegates. He’s a long way from the nomination. Can he withstand the talkradio battering for another month? If McCain doesn’t implode or Huck drops out there will be no nominee any time soon. Romney has the edge on caucuses. He won MN beating every expectation. The next 3 contests are 2 closed caucuses and a southern state. Romney and Huck have the advantage.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:41 am
It’s McCain’s turn. He’s earned the right to get creamed in November. He’s had 8 years of scheming to get here - it’s his moment - he can have it. He will be another footnote in history, along with the likes of Bob Dole and Gerald Ford - the democrats are enthuised and united, the republicans are confused and divided. We are witnessing the implosion of the republican party.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:46 am
McCain is the nominee Romney shouldnt spend any more money on this.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:47 am
That is surprising with how well McCain did in Cali, according to the polls it should have been closer. It sure speaks to how much stock we should put into them.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:51 am
The real story is, AGAIN, the turnout on the Democratic side . . .
In the national total vote tallies after tonight will be
1) Clinton
2) Obama
3) McCain
4) Romney
5) Huckabee (Actually # 5 before he dropped out was John Edwards).
In Red state Georgia 970,000 voters cast their vote for the Democrats (in a relatively uncontested race), and under 900,000 total voters in the highly contested 3 way race among the Republicans.
In Swing state Missouri, there were 800,000 Dem voters, and only 568,000 GOPers.
Karl Rove just said on Fox News that only Utah and Georgia had higher turnout on the GOP side than the Democratic side . . . but he’s wrong on Georgia . . . and, if he’s right on everything else that would mean only Utah had a higher GOP turnout than Democratic.
So the real question is, who wants to be the sacrificial lamb?
February 6th, 2008 at 12:56 am
Not to argue your point too much Jeff, but we had a three-way race and they had a two-way race. The fact that their 48% (Obama) beat our 40% (McCain) isn’t significant. The big point is the turnout in states like Missouri as you mention.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:56 am
You know you’re for Romney when…
…you live in a county that voted a +90% margin over McCain:
12,766 votes
93% Romney
3% McCain
3% Paul
So I have biased neighbors also. So sad to see the rest of the results.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:57 am
Oh yeah, and Huckabee’s a putz. He has ZERO appeal outside of the south . . . but because he won some close margins there he’s claiming that it’s a 2 man race between him and McCain.
He’ll be behind ROmney in total vote (like WAY behind), in states won, and in delegates after tonight. With most of the Bible Belt done voting already and him not showing appeal anywhere outside this region it. And he’s saying it’s a two man race between him and McCain? Not a very smart guy.
February 6th, 2008 at 12:59 am
sam_w,
Would that happen to be Utah county? (home of BYU and the highest LDS percentage county in the state)
February 6th, 2008 at 1:00 am
13 - where else. I live in Cache County Utah. But ironically, it’s the home to USU (the “party school” in the state) where we still slide down grassy hills on ice blocks for a good time (sober and love it)!
February 6th, 2008 at 1:02 am
It was over a week ago.
I love Mitt but I will lose all respect for him if he doesn’t drop out tomorrow.
I can’t believe he’s having a go at Huckabee for having the termarity to stay in the race!
February 6th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Romney won several counties in AZ and two or three congressional districts in AZ, too bad it is WTA.
February 6th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Heath, Do you also suggest Huckabee drop out? If not, why the double standard?
February 6th, 2008 at 1:08 am
Heath, why does it matter if he drops out tomorrow or if he waits until CPAC?
February 6th, 2008 at 1:26 am
look on the brightside. I get a second chance to stick it to mccain this november and i’ll now be more productive at work.
February 6th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I would agree w/ the point raised above, that the overall enthusiasm level for Democrats means that they will have an inherent advantage, no matter who ends up as the respective nominees. Democrats have been showing up in far larger numbers than Republicans in virtually every state, and they have also been raising far more money. This fact was known prior to tonight, but given that more states voted tonight than in all previous primary/caucus dates combined, the trend is only intensifying…
February 6th, 2008 at 1:40 am
CPAC would be fine.
I was talking about his comments tonight to go on to the convention!
Same stardard applies to Huck of course.
But Romney was suggesting that Huck was not playing fair by staying in. Huck can do what he wants.
February 6th, 2008 at 2:57 am
The big mystery is what happened in California. Everybody knew that Mitt might come up a little short in Missouri and Georgia. California was the only major disappointment of the night. The surprise on the upside was Minnesota. If it turns out, as it looks like it will, that McCain has 550 or fewer delegates, Mitt has survived, and anybody who thinks Mitt is out of it is crazy….for several reasons.
1) Huck won’t be much of a factor going forward…there are only 2 or 3 states left in which he has a chance.
2) Mitt is strong in several of the upcoming states….particularly winner-take-all Texas, with 140 delegates, and Mitt was leading in the last poll there.
3) Mitt will have time to spend on individual states going forward, because now states will come up much more gradually.
4) The right will have more time to coalesce, coordinate, and get motivated.
Remember: McCain is only half way there. He can be stopped.
February 6th, 2008 at 8:06 am
Good thing that Kansas is next. Mitt has a built a great firewall there. Brownback and Dole might even endorse him.
February 6th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I think that it is good for Romney to stay in. Most of the McCain and Huckabee states have voted, in the states left Romney has the advantage. Also, Romney’s polling numbers tend to shoot up just before the primaries where he focuses his attention. He could actually still win the nomination.