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Romney Hails 'People's Victory,' Looks Past Super Tuesday

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By GLEN JOHNSON, The Associated Press

Published: February 3, 2008

MINNEAPOLIS - Despite John McCain's building political momentum, Mitt Romney said Saturday he does not expect the Republican presidential nomination to be settled during the coming week and he is planning to continue campaigning beyond Super Tuesday.

He'll have a boost going into Super Tuesday: On Saturday, he won the presidential preference voting contest by Maine Republicans in the party's municipal caucuses, which were heavily attended across the state.

During a news conference later in Minneapolis, Romney celebrated his Maine victory, noting it came despite McCain's backing by the state's two U.S. senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

"This is a people's victory," Romney said. "It is, in my view, also an indication that conservative change is something that the American people want to see. I think you're going to see a growing movement across this country to get behind my candidacy and to propel this candidacy forward. I think it's a harbinger of what you're going to see on Tuesday."

The former Massachusetts governor said the number of states up for grabs on Super Tuesday, his prospects of succeeding in some of the 20-plus GOP contests that day, and a growing concern within the Republican Party about conferring the nomination on McCain give him reason to fight on.

"I'm planning on doing well on Tuesday, planning on getting the kind of delegates and support that shows that my effort is succeeding, and taking that across the nation," he said.

In Maine, Romney had just more than half of the vote with about two-thirds of the towns holding caucuses reporting. McCain hoped to keep his vote above 20 percent, trailed by Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee. No delegates are awarded by the caucuses, which are in effect a preference poll of Maine voters. Voters were picking participants for the party's state convention in May, when delegates to the national convention will be selected. The caucus balloting is nonbinding for the state's 21 delegates.
Republican caucuses were being held in about 410 Maine municipalities, most of them on Saturday. A few dozen towns, especially in northern Maine's Aroostook County, held caucuses Friday, and a few more are set for today and later this month.

Maine Democrats hold presidential preference votes at municipal caucuses Feb. 10.

Maine Votes

428 of 626 precincts reporting; 68 percent

x-Mitt Romney 2,362 votes; 52 percent

John McCain 958; 21 percent

Ron Paul 851; 19 percent

Mike Huckabee 268;

6 percent

Undecided 94; 2 percent

Information from Bloomberg News was used in this report.

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